Speers Point Public School Newsletter

We’re coming to the end of the school year and clichés aside it has been a creative challenge to maintain end of year celebrations to enable us to properly recognise and celebrate student growth and achievement over the year.

Our Children’s University ceremony last week was a welcomed test run for how seating plans and distancing within the hall would work leading to presentation assemblies.

As communicated, to enable parent inclusion to events, we have split presentation assemblies into Kinder this Friday, Infants (Yrs 1-2) and Primary (Yrs 3-6) on Monday over two sessions. Year 6 graduation certificates are going to be included in the Year 6 Farewell on Tuesday night as a further measure. This means we were able to invite all of the  Kinder parents for this Friday, all of the Year 6 parents for the last half hour of Tuesday night. The presentation assemblies remain as by invitation only for parents of award winners. I sincerely appreciate the community understanding that we’re just not able to have open attendance at presentation assemblies.

This also means that RSVPs for presentation assemblies are extremely important as we are required to create a seating plan which is being generated from the RSVPs. We are not able to include walk-ins due to limitations.

I’m still working on the livestreaming option (I will figure this out) and we will have the link available for viewing for those unable to attend. 

It has been a great tradition of our school that at the end of each year that the graduating Year 6 students are celebrated as they ring the old brass school bell before walking through the gates for the last time as Speers Point Public School students. Parents usually line the verandah around to watch and cheer. With restrictions we have altered this a little to allow for Year 6 parents to attend, and to ensure Year 6 of 2020 do not miss out.

Rather than up in the top section, we will be using the Bell St entrance on the zig-zag path for Year 6 students to come down, and we will be bringing the bell down for students to ring as they walk out the gate. Year 6 parents will be able to enter and stand behind the sandstone blocks on the grass so they are able to cheer and grab photos of their child. 

During this term there has been a number of surveys and information out building up to our new school plan. The new plan outlines the directions for our school over the 2021-2024 cycle and will drive our continuous cycle of improvement. One of the key strategic goals of the Department of Education is that every student, every teacher, every leader and every school improves every year. Our new vision statement that encapsulates our school, to be leaders in inclusive, individualised and innovative learning, has been unanimously supported . Over the last term we have led a deep evaluation into where we are, and where we are going. With this, evidence has pointed to several key areas which will make up our three strategic directions. This first has already been mandated for every school, while the second two are now open for consultation and discussion:

Student Growth and Attainment: This includes increasing the number of students in the top 2 bands in NAPLAN.  For our inclusive school however, it is about every student making the gains against their learning needs, great practices in teaching and learning and extending our higher performing students.

Leaders: This proposed strategic direction has 3 key areas. First, raising the capacity of students and all staff as leaders. Secondly, increasing the innovation in learning with particular view in how we are using technology to enhance learning, using new learning spaces and the 4c’s (collaboration, creativity, communication and critical reflection). Thirdly, increasing Aboriginal Education and Aboriginal cultural competencies.

High Expectations Culture and Transference: From our evaluation we have seen that we need to not only have high expectations, but build a culture where we all share these high expectations and that they are clearly known. This includes aspects of student academic growth (complementing the first), student wellbeing, improving student attendance and promoting parents as active partners in learning. Transference is about the transfer of learning, setting students up to recognise that school provides a “toolkit” of skills and abilities that can be applied not in isolation, but across a range of situations, problems and experiences. 

We’ve recently had several positions filled through the merit selection process. As previously notified, Mrs Sara Metse was successful in being appointed as our new Assistant Principal, now giving our school two APs in mainstream, and one across Special Education.

Following the process for fill the new permanent teacher position, we congratulate Mrs Cara Cowburn who was successful at interview for this position.

With Mrs Metse moving into the Assistant Principal role. The Instructional Leader role became vacant and following the process, Mrs Kristy Doodnath will begin 2021 as our new Instructional Leader. 

At this stage our classes for 2021 have not been completely set as we wait to confirm final numbers. We will begin 2021 with a interim arrangement whilst confirm numbers and set classes appropriately. This will avoid the disruption of forming classes, and then re-configuring if numbers are different to current expectations. We are still able to take new enrolments as we’re are aware of some families moving into area so please contact the school if you are wishing to enrol for 2021.

With that, I will finish up our last newsletter for 2020. I’ve been late enough with this newsletter but we all know what a sensationally action-packed time of year it is. If I don’t get the opportunity to see you in person before the year finishes, I would like to thank all of our community for their incredible understanding, patience and support in a year of “creative challenges.” Like the Book week parade, we found ways to make things happen and there have been some amazing highlights from the year. Please look after yourselves and your family and we can’t wait to see you back in 2021.

Chris Payne

Principal   

If anyone has any uniforms they no longer require. It would be greatly appreciated if you could donate them to the school to add to our second hand uniform pool. 

Please bring all donations to the Office.

Thank you

CLASS BORROWING 

No more borrowing for the year.

Could you please return all outstanding library books.

Thank you.

Our SPPS Family Cookbook is on its way to the school. Please look out for Facebook/Skoolbag alerts for when they have arrived at school. The pre-order forms will be filled and placed in your oldest child’s school bag asap.

The 2020 P&C would like to wish our departing ‘Class of 2020’ Grade 6’s all the VERY VERY best for their future. In a tough year from a face-to-face perspective, we have still enjoyed watching their feats, their laughs and their achievements across many different platforms. You are always welcome back to our P&C fundraisers.

So Long, Farewell and Thank you!

CANTEEN – Final Day

Canteen will be finishing for 2020, this Friday 11th December.

We need some help clearing the Messy Monkeys – Chicken or Burger flavour, so you can have them in your lunch order or over the counter for 50c WOW! What a deal ?

It is our goal, as a Canteen Sub-Committee, to begin Term 1, 2021, with a cashless option for ordering the kids lunches. We have already done extensive research and are hoping to discuss the adoption of an ONLINE ORDERING APP at the P&C meeting this Monday.  So please if you have any ideas or feedback about cashless ordering for the canteen please email our Canteen VP Elisha at speerspointcanteen@gmail.com  

The canteen will be opening an EXTRA DAY next year. From Week 1, 2021 we will operate Monday, Wednesday and Friday. If you are interested in joining our wonderful crew of volunteers and seeing the beaming faces of our fabulous students, the Term One roster has now been released. Get in now and grab the dates that suit you best. You can sign up at the link below:

https://signup.com/go/dXnwbtJ

Thank you to our amazing P&C Volunteers this year – we had record numbers across canteen, events, meeting attendances and administration. We have had a great year given the circumstances, so we look forward to working with you all again for a Bigger and Better 2021

Friday 11 December  - Kindergarten and Support Classes Presentation Assembly - 9.30am

Friday 11 December - Year 6 Fundraiser - Sponge an Executive

Friday 11 December - Last Day of Canteen

Monday 14 December - Years 1 - 2 Presentation Assembly - 9.30am

Monday 14 December - Year 3 - 6 Presentation Assembly - 12 noon

Monday 14 December - P&C Meeting

Tuesday 15 December - Movie Day

Tuesday 15 December - Year 6 Farewell

Wednesday 16 December - Last Day of Term - Students

Thursday 17 December - Staff Development Day

Friday 18 December - Staff Development Day

Wednesday 27 January 2021 - Staff Development Day

Thursday 28 January 2021 - Staff Development Day

Friday 29 January 2021 -  Year 1-6 students return to school

Friday 29 January 2021 - 'Best Start' - Kindergarten

Monday 1 February 2021 - 'Best Start' - Kindergarten

Tuesday 2 February 2021 - 'Best Start' - Kindergarten

Wednesday 3 February 2021 - Kindergarten first day of school