Principal's Report

We thank you for your continued resilience and support throughout Term 3.  Hopefully, this Sunday we will find out some of the arrangements for schooling in Term 4. Remote learning can be very challenging and we really do rely on the partnership between home and school even more during this time. We thank you for turning your homes into 'classrooms' and providing a positive learning environment. We will provide any updates as soon as we can, so please keep an eye on Compass for any information.

Congratulations to our students who have worked so hard to develop as independent learners and take more responsibility for pushing their own learning and looking for ways to extend themselves. Wellbeing Wednesday has also been a big hit and students have been proud to show off their creative skills and how they connect with their friends and families. 

I would like to acknowledge the wonderful staff for their amazing work and flexibility to implement a learning program that is stimulating, yet responds to the change in environment from school to home. Learning is very social and it is hard to replicate the social nature of the classroom where our peers and teachers help to push and challenge our thinking - but the teachers are constantly looking at new ways to respond to this challenge. 

 Our Education Support Staff have been so flexible in their ability to support students onsite and also to deliver 1:1 support to students online at home. Their dedication to support families and students with wellbeing and learning is to be commended. Our admin team have also gone above and beyond to support families in a number of ways, including onsite attendance, enrolments, technical support and wellbeing support and keeping everything running smoothly. Ian has also maintained the grounds and supported in multiple ways.

Last but not least, thank you to the leadership team - for supporting the school, teachers and families and students in these challenging times and continuing to keep the focus on our whole school improvement areas. In particular, I would like to thank Kirstee Cananzi who took on the Acting Assistant Principal role whilst Pete was on leave this term. Kirstee continued to have an unrelenting focus on improving both the learning and wellbeing of our students whilst also supporting staff. 

In Term 4, we welcome Pete back from leave. We look forward to having him back to lead the AHPS community and to meeting his new son in person.

Thank you to everyone for their support whilst I have been in the Acting Principal role.

Have a safe break and enjoyable break and do all you can to rest and refresh!  

Rachel

Staffing Update - new and returning ...

During Term 3 we have welcomed four new staff members. 

Samantha - Prep B Mentor Teacher

Ahod - Multicultural Education Aide

Michelle - Teacher 

Eman - Education Support

We are very lucky to have them join our Aitken Hill team and they have already added much value to our school community with their strengths and teamwork.

We also welcome back two teachers from leave, Kathryn and Stacey who have been supporting our tutoring program and working to support small groups of students online, as well as our onsite supervision program.

Wellbeing Support in the Holidays

Please find attached a Department of Education guide providing tips and resources for parents, carers and families to support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in their care during the school holidays.