Dear Parents and Carers

Last week we began the Season of Lent. Lent is a time we are called to become more loving. Traditionally Lent is a 40 Day period to examine and renew our spiritual life. It is a time of prayer, service and fasting. These are the 3 Pillars of Lent.

Prayer: During Lent, we pray for others in need. We also use this time to talk to God about what is happening in our lives and world. Some things we could do: Pray for the sick and needy. Pray for those who are suffering in our community or world. Sit quietly and be with God. Thank God for our blessings. Participate in Masses and liturgies leading up to Easter.

Fasting: During Lent we give up something to show that we are thinking of the sacrifice made by Jesus. We may also decide to share our time with people in need, or do things we don’t normally do. Some things we could do, Fasting from spending money on things we want and dominating to a charity. Fasting from things that separate us from God and others.

Almsgiving/Service: During Lent, we show our love for others by helping. We might choose to donate money to projects or charities in our community. We might choose to donate our time in the service of others. Some things we could do: Donate clothes, shoes, books, food to people in need. Show an act of kindness to a family member each day. Cook a meal for someone who needs it. 

In all our efforts we are guided by the Catholic Social teachings. 

Junior House Leaders: Congratulations to all the Year 2 students for their House Leader applications. Please see below the allocated positions of leadership and some beautiful photos.  

Prayers for Willow and Crazy Hair Day: During Friday’s assembly, Remy Bonde, a Year 3 student, bravely spoke about her sister Willow’s recent leukemia diagnosis. Willow is one of our Prep students. Click here for Remy’s speech on Friday and the link to donate to cancer research if you would like to. We ask that as a learning community, we keep Willow, Remy, Deb and Jordan Bonde in our thoughts and prayers for a successful treatment and a return to school in Term 3 all going well.

On Friday 10 March we will be having a Crazy Hair Day with a gold coin donation to support the family during this time. We ask that  your child(ren) comes to school with sprayed coloured hair or a crazy hair style in support of Willow and her sister Remy. 

2023 Annual Action Plan and Professional Learning: Please see below our 2023 Annual Action Plan which stems from our 4 year School Improvement Plan.This was developed last year after our School Review which happens every 4 years. 

We continue to consider what it is we are wishing to improve or get better at.

We have 3 Priority Areas which are Identity, Dialogue and Agency. 

You will notice some actions which have a focus on Coaching, building teacher capacity in Mathematics, increasing voice and agency in our student's learning and Indigenous Perspectives. All this while we embrace the theme Beacons of Hope.

Last week, all our leadership team and Literacy and Mathematics Leaders participated in a very beneficial three day coaching course. After being identified  from our Review as a high performing school, using coaching as a  strategy with staff is our next step. This action is part of our “Identity: The Star Way” priority. Coaching is recognised as having a huge impact on teacher capacity and ultimately student outcomes as it picks up on the reality of our context and action focused. Our school has a supportive organisational structure with our hubs including  extra human resource to enable opportunity for coaching.  We look forward to seeing the benefits. 

Our recent Staff Professional Learning day picked up on and action from our Agency priority. The goal being to build agency by giving all learners the tools to make choice and take action in their learning. We had a wonderful day engaging in professional learning in metacognitive and reflective practices to enable staff to make them visible in the learning process to deepen student learning. This included the importance of explicitly teaching all students the dispositions they require for learning and life. For those interested this article helps explain the importance of dispositions to your child’s learning and life. Click here also for the dispositions and an explanation. This document may help you in your learning conversations with your child as they learn about them across the school Prep - Year 6. Jeni Wilson will be returning in Term 2 to continue to build staff capacity in this space which ultimately improves outcomes for your children.

Alongside this, all teachers have developed personal goals for professional learning and a professional learning hub goal. As we strive for improvement, Nationally and internationally, there is unequivocal evidence that the quality of teaching is most significant in school factor affecting student outcomes. Effective teachers can be a source of inspiration and, equally importantly, provide a dependable and consistent influence on young people as they make choices about further education, work and life. We thank all our teachers and leadership staff for striving to achieve these goals set and working collaboratively for the benefit of all students.

Mural update and Art Show: Our school mural is progressing well. Here are some progress photos.

We are also thrilled to be having an Art show this year. We have pencilled in Thursday 9 November  4-7pm. The PFA will support Rachael and other staff members with this night. If you have any talent or suggestions in this space please come along to the PFA meetings which are held in Week 2 and Week 8 of each term in the staff room.

Bike Safety and Bike Shelters: It is wonderful to see all the active travellers in our school which as a travel smart school we strongly encourage. We ask that you have further conversations with your children about travelling safely and particularly be mindful of traffic at the aquatic centre entrance. It is important in these conversations that you reiterate to your child that you may be able to see the car but the car will not always be able to see you and extra care needs to be taken. We also have some good news regarding the bike shelter. We have a date locked in for installation which will begin next month. 

Absences: In the event of absence from school, please ensure that you email your child’s classroom teacher by 9am. Please also email the day before if your child is being collected early for an appointment so the teacher can have them ready at the office for you. You can now also put in your child’s absence on PAM. A new initiative in 2023 and beginning this week, if your child has not arrived at school by 9.30 and you haven’t let us know, an SMS will be sent alerting you to this. This is part of our Child Safe Practices.

Wishing you all a hope filled fortnight ahead.

Kerryn