Year One News

Welcome back to Saltwater for 2022 to all of our Year One families!

Although the holiday period never seems long enough, I hope that all families have had the opportunity to reconnect and recharge over the summer break. After the year that was last year, there is no doubt it was very much needed by parents, students and teachers alike. The Year One team would like to extend a warm welcome to all of our Year One students and their families. 

As we grow, hiring new staff is inevitable, but brings about an exciting opportunity for fresh faces and new ideas and experiences! Within the Year One team, we are thrilled to introduce our new staff members for this year: Jacyln Rossi (1A classroom teacher), Allister Lovelock (1B classroom teacher), Annamaria Xalfa (1E classroom teacher), Rosetta Krajsic (1F classroom teacher), Emily Wilson (1H classroom teacher), and Natasha Palombi (1I classroom teacher). You may already be familiar with the remainder of the Year One team - Julia Sambell (1J classroom teacher), Vanessa Conti (1G classroom teacher), Andrew McIntyre (1C classroom teacher) and Brittney Turner (1D classroom teacher). All teachers have settled in seamlessly within their team and we are all excited to have our new staff on board. 

It has been a very exciting beginning for our Year Ones, particularly for those who are new to our Saltwater College community. We are thrilled to inform you that both teachers and students have quickly settled into their new learning environments by developing friendships, routines and new beginnings at Saltwater. Year One students have commenced their year with the Learning to Learn program (First 20 Days of School program), in which all teachers and students collaborate to create a cohesive and effective classroom. During the First 20 Days, teachers and students draw their focus to establishing strong partnerships and routines, which will support their learning and development to determine a successful year of achievement and growth.

Over the coming weeks, all Year One students will participate in our start up program, ‘The First 20 Days’. This program encourages students to lay the foundations for a positive start to the year by focusing on developing good work habits, positive attitudes and behaviours towards school, independence as well as establishing routines and structures. The next four weeks are particularly important for your child as we have a strong focus on activities and lessons that allow your child to bond with both their new teacher and peers. This ties in well with our upcoming ‘Meet the Teacher’ conferences which are to be held afterschool on the 15th and 16th of February. This gives parents the opportunity to share insights into their child, both academically and socially, helping us to support each child individually to ensure success throughout this academic year.

The start of the year is a good time to remind families of the importance of building a positive home-school partnership. Research shows the positive effect that this can have for your child, so we believe in having open communication between the teacher and parents,  encouraging parents to ask questions and be involved in their child’s education. To assist with this, we strongly recommend that parents regularly check our school’s communication portal, Schoolbox, which can be downloaded from the App store by searching Saltwater P-9 College. This will allow parents to receive live updates, news and calendar events, as well as the ability to see what work your child has been completing in class. If you are new to the school, logins will be sent home shortly with your child to ensure you are able to access all important information.

As we move through the year, if you ever have any concerns or questions, we encourage you to firstly reach out to your child’s classroom teacher as they are usually your best point of call. If needed, the teacher can direct your queries to a member of the leadership team who will be in touch with you. In the end, no problem is ever too big and as a school, we strive to be solution-minded, ensuring the best for each and every child in our care.

Here’s to a very exciting 2022 in Year One and I am looking forward to working closely with each child throughout this term and getting to know the families within the Year One cohorts. 

Kind regards,

The Year One Team

Reminders

• In Term One, it is required that all students wear their hats during recess and lunch. We        kindly remind students to remember their hats. 

• Please ensure iPads are sent to school fully charged.

• Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th February - Meet and Greet