Dear Parents, Families and Community members,

Welcome back to Term 3 and I hope you all enjoyed the school holiday period, with the students and staff having a chance to re-charge for second semester!

New Staff

A number of new students and families will be joining us this term and we look forward to having them as part of our community. To ensure that we continue to provide the highest quality teaching and learning opportunities for our students we have also been busy recruiting over the break.

In the next 2 weeks we will welcome 7 new staff in a variety of roles across the school. Students and families will have the chance to meet them more formally as they commence and whilst we expect there will only be minimal changes to Learning Community structures, any changes will be communicated to families affected.

We welcome the following staff to our school;

Megan Murfitt; Teacher 4-6 LC
Esther Bracanti; Education Support Prep LC
Helen Thomas; Allied Health Assistant
Melissa Maccora; Teacher 4-6 LC
Lauren Aitken; Education Support 4-6 LC (starting week 2)
Malinda Corns; Education Support 1-3 LC (starting week 2)
Eliza Nolan; Teacher 1-3 LC (starting week 3)

We will unfortunately be saying goodbye to Phil from the 4-6 Learning Community in week 3 of the term. Whilst we are disappointed to see Phil leave, we know his new leadership role as a Learning Specialist is an opportunity too good to pass up. Congratulations Phil!

Parent Opinion Survey

A total of 124 families will be invited to participate in the Parent Opinion Survey. These parents are randomly selected by an automated process within Cases 21 and will receive further information via an email on Monday the 23rd of July. The feedback that our parent community provides us will be used to strengthen our whole school community practises and influence the direction of Armstrong Creek School. This is particularly important in this early establishment phase of our school community and we place high value on your feedback and strongly encourage all families selected to complete the survey.

Student Learning Conferences (SLC) and Student Support Group (SSG) Meetings

Early in the week the following details regarding Student Learning Conferences and SSG meetings were sent out via Compass. Please book a time to meet with your child’s teachers via Compass and if you are having any difficulties please contact the office.

In weeks two and three we will give parents/carers, children and teachers the chance to meet and discuss the learning from Semester 1 and set some learning goals for Semester 2.

Student Learning Conferences are designed to be a 10-minute opportunity to celebrate learning.

These will take place next Monday and Tuesday during the following times:

Monday 23rd July from 3:50-5:30

Tuesday 24th July from 3:50-5:30

Please book a time to meet with your child’s teacher via Compass.

Student Support Group Meetings will be held in week 3. A Student Support Group meeting is held for those students already identified by the school or families as needing additional planning and goal setting. These will take place during the following times:

Monday 30th July from 4pm- 6pm

Tuesday 31st July from 4pm- 6pm

Children who have an SSG do not need to have a Student Learning Conference.

Welcome to New Families

As previously mentioned we have a number of new families joining us this term. Staff and students are actively working to ensure students feel supported and welcomed as they start here at ACS, but please if you see some new 'parent faces' in the yard also make them feel welcome.

To the new families starting out, welcome to the Armstrong Creek School Community and we hope the transition for your children and family is a smooth one. Please speak with staff in your child's Learning Community if there is anything we can do to further assist you at this time.

Parent and Community Club (PACC) Meeting

Next Wednesday, 25 July, between 9 and 10.30 am we will hold our next PACC meeting in the Community Hub. All families and community members are welcome to attend. Please sign in at the administration building on arrival or after dropping your children off.

General discussion points will focus on developing ideas for possible future activities including a Father's Day stall. Please be aware that you don't have to attend every meeting to be involved and some people may not be able to attend any meetings but may like to support actual activities and events. Any and all support will be welcome.

Sod Turning - New Armstrong Creek West Primary School

On Thursday the School Captains and I were invited to attend the official Sod Turning for the new Armstrong Creek West Primary School opening 2020 in Mt Duneed.

Students joined Education Minister, James Merlino and various other local officials for this significant and exciting occasion. It is hard to imagine that in October 2016, students from Oberon High School attended a Sod Turning for our very own school and look at us now!

Wishing everyone a happy and safe weekend.

Evan Savage

Principal

YMCA - School Holiday Program

YMCA Before and After School Care