To view more photos of our 2-6 Athletics carnival please visit the album link to our Facebook page below.
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Last week I attended a Primary Principal conference in Sydney which meant I missed the primary athletics carnival. By all accounts it was a great day, made all the better by having the P&C provide a sausage sizzle for children, staff and families. Big thanks to the P&C fundraising committee for their initiative and hard work in adding this to the carnival atmosphere. The athletics carnival for our kindy, year 1 and year 2 classes will be held next week, - Friday 18th June – at the Old Bar oval. This is always a highlight for students, providing many fond memories in the years to come. Parents, carers and friends are invited to join us to cheer on our littlest athletes.
There was a recurring theme at the Principals’ meeting last week – staffing, or rather the lack of it! There is a statewide shortage of teachers that is having a real impact on our education system. We are luckier than many schools in that we have a full complement of teachers to cover all classes and support positions. We do however have limited casual relief which requires us to ‘split’ classes when we are unable to procure a casual when a teacher is absent. This is far from satisfactory but it remains our best solution. I apologise for the disruption this causes to students but I want to reassure you that we manage these situations to the best of our ability. Each teacher has provided us with workbooks with appropriate material for the students to work through during their day. We attempt to group the students with friends and distribute them across several classes to minimise disruption. There is no short-term solution to this problem but please be aware that teaching and support staff always have the wellbeing of students as a priority when these disruptions occur. If you know of any casual teachers in the area, let them know we need them!
I am continuing to field many calls about inappropriate behaviour on our school buses. Where possible, I will talk to the students (and their parents) involved and attempt to solve the problems. I do encourage parents to ring the bus company directly as they need to know what’s happening and take some responsibility for the care and safety of our students. It’s a tough gig! Drivers need to have all their senses focused on getting the children to their destinations safely and on time. I have had several talks to students about their responsibility as a ‘passenger’ and to insist that all children stay sitting until they reach their stop. I would appeal to all parents who have children catching a bus to reinforce the simple but important safety rules around bus travel. I have been told that from October all buses will be fitted with seatbelts. This is a long overdue initiative that I hope will help to alleviate some of the issues we have been dealing with.
Here we are just 2 weeks away from the end of term 2. Semester 1 reports are currently being edited ready for distribution in week 10. Please take the time to read your child’s report with them and celebrate all the wonderful things they have achieved since the beginning of the year. While highlighting their successes we also need to be aware for areas of further development. Looking at their work samples included in student portfolios will give you an overview of content covered so far and an indication of their progress since day 1, term 1. As always, if you have any concerns about any aspect of your child’s education, please call and make an appointment to speak with the teacher or one of our executive staff.
Have a wonderful week!
Deborah Scanes
