Principal's Report
If no mistake you have made, but losing you are. A different game you should play.
Yoda, Jedi Master 896BBY-4ABY
Welcome to the second newsletter for the year. As I type we have commenced Week 7 and are already racing towards the end of Term One as always the days are long and the years are short.
I have no wish to feed into the current news story that is COVID19, but I would like to make a few salient points up front.
What we should always desire is a methodological approach and a calmness of attitude when faced with things that are potentially challenging. It would be nice to see our leaders and the media trying to avoid creating hysteria and panic but unfortunately all too often it seems that they are intent on feeding these things - particularly the media. Like so many things it would be comforting to see the opinions of experts asked for and then listened to, I wouldn't ask my mechanic about heart surgery but neither would I ask the cardiologist about my car. The advice I have seen is that people should act cautiously, that it would be good for as many people as possible to get the flu shot this year but generally to remain calm. The current Department of Education advice is;
'Consistent with current guidelines, children, students and staff who are unwell with respiratory illness should remain at home until symptoms resolve. In accordance with our current practice if any student becomes unwell, our infection control guidelines will be implemented and the Department will follow the advice provided by the NSW Ministry of Health as appropriate.'
Should you have any questions please feel free to contact the school at this stage we are unaware of any students or family member that have travelled to any of the countries currently under the Federal government's travel advisory in the recent past.
Staffing
I congratulate Amy Brodbeck, who has been on our staff in a temporary capacity for the past five years, on her recent permanent appointment to the Department of Education in general and specifically as a member of the Uralla Central School staff. This appointment will take effect from the beginning of next term. Well done, Amy!
Lifelong Learning
I have been asked a few times recently about homework. Yes, it is given but not in the same way that most of us would remember from our school days. The research clearly demonstrates that homework in the K-6 area is generally of little benefit academically. It does serve a purpose in helping to create good habits but not much else. As a student progresses through their schooling it would be an expectation that they would receive more homework, or at least have more learning that needs to be completed outside of school hours. What parents should not expect to see necessarily is the issuing of a sheet on Monday that needs to be handed in every Friday. What was relevant 10, 20 or 30 years ago is not necessarily now - we might be tempted to believe that how things used to be done was the best way but that is not necessarily the case.
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Martin Luther King Jr (1929-1968)
Curriculum
If you were unable to attend the recent Parent/Teacher afternoon you can still arrange to meet with or speak with your child's teacher/s simply by contacting the school.
A reminder that Academy Preliminary HSC Course final examinations will take place in Week 9 and reports will be issued by the end of term.
Assets/Maintenance
Work has been completed in the main quad with the laying of the synthetic turf and it has been a wonderful transformation of the space. Many parents would have seen the space at the recent Parent/Teacher afternoon. It has also been an enormous success with the students making great use of the area both during class time and during breaks. We will be looking at creating new planter boxes with shrubbery throughout the year to further complete the space. As mentioned in the last newsletter the new murals will be completed during Weeks 7 and 8 and I am confident will be a wonderful addition to the visual amenity of the school and the community.
As always cherish your children, enjoy the next three weeks and until the next newsletter we will continue to strive to be a school where students achieve at their personal best, where our school improvement projects continue and where all of us not only stand tall and walk proud but Make their Mark!
The capacity to learn is a gift;
The ability to learn is a skill;
The willingness to learn is a choice.
Frank Herbert (1920-1986) Author of Dune