A Successful Term

Congratulations to students & staff for a successful term of quality learning and re-engagement into our school environment, in new classrooms.

Despite the three lockdown days and associated interruption & stresses, you all did an amazing job, to continue your learning and building relationships in your new 2021 classrooms.

Thank you to all parents / carers, for their ongoing link to classroom teachers and connection to learning for their child/ren. This is proven best practice - keep up the great work in term two.

Further Change in Specialist Areas

Over the past couple of years, it has been unfortunate but necessary to change Specialist learning areas at our school.

I am proud of many things in my ten years at Miners Rest K-6, but particularly our specialist areas we have and will continue to offer our students. They are genuinely skill-building, quality, authentic learning areas, led by dedicated staff with high-level expertise.

Unfortunately, last year we lost our Kitchen / Garden program, due to the impact of COVID-19, which as you all know, still poses somewhat of a threat to school functionality and has changed the landscape forever. We hope to resume the Kitchen / Garden one day in the future, once safe and viable.

At the end of 2020, we lost our Korean program. Again, COVID-19 impacted this decision significantly, as it provided challenges we couldn't overcome. Notably, our sister school declined a renewal of our memorandum of understanding, meaning we didn't have a sister school to visit and international travel has been out of reach and remains that way indefinitely. Compounding this issue and unfortunately for us, our Korean teacher, April, was unable to maintain her hours across a school week to implement the program for us - this was a big loss for our students and families obviously. Replacing Korean in our local curriculum delivery, is 'Indigenous Studies and Australian Culture'. This area will offer many exciting opportunities, provided by classroom teachers, across all years.

As you are all aware, Mrs Polson (Megan) leaves us at week's end, to enjoy family leave. We wish Megan and Luke all the best with their impending bundle of joy.

Megan has proven to be irreplaceable (literally) in the area of performing arts! Following both external and internal advertisements to find a new performing arts teacher, we have been unable to appoint a successful applicant. As a result, I have been forced to bring forward our 2022 plan to begin a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) specialist area of learning. I am most pleased to announce, Josh Loader as our successful appointee to the exciting new role. Josh's expertise, knowledge, skills and passion, will undoubtedly support a successful and brand new area of learning for our deserving students. Our purpose built spaces, in our school expansion will support quality teaching and learning for a long time to come in this area of the curriculum.

I am now seeking a replacement for Josh in Room 17 for the remainder of this school year and will advise the school community (and particularly Room 17 parents / carers) once I appoint.

We hope to resume performing arts as a specialist area next year, with the impending return of our school production in 2022. This was unfortunately another victim of COVID-19 in 2020.

I hope this helps you all understand the predicaments and difficult decisions I have been faced with in recent times. One thing remains, and that is my commitment to quality education in key learning areas for all students. I still embrace the notion of teaching the whole child with exposure to a holistic curriculum - we won't miss out.

Athletics Sports & Ball Sports

At the time of writing, this was pre Athletics Sports.

I hope you all enjoyed and the day, supporting your child/ren and saw them enjoy themselves participating with friends.

Congratulations to all involved and thanks to Katherine & Emily for their organisation and commitment to the students and their development in fundamental motor skills.

I look forward to seeing many of you enjoy the ball sports tomorrow morning on our tennis courts, for tunnel ball, spoke relays, and shuttle relays.

Happy Holidays

From our MRK-6 Team to your family, please enjoy a wonderful Easter break and ensuing holiday period. It's a great time to enjoy family & friends, as well as relax with some sunny weather and re-charge the batteries, ready for an exciting term two.

I hope Easter bunny is kind and delivers the goods to each of our homes...

I acknowledge the First Peoples of the Wathaurong, who are the traditional custodians of the land and waters on which I work and live, and pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

School President's Report