Dear Parents and Caregivers
On Wednesday you should have received your child’s Semester 1 Report. It has been an absolute pleasure to read them over the last week as they outline the great learning that has occurred in all classrooms at Lithgow Public School throughout the course of the Semester. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the students of Lithgow Public School for all of the hard work they have put into their studies that led to these wonderful reports. I would also like to thank all of those parents and carers who take the time to work in partnership with the school, supporting, encouraging and motivating their children to be the best learners they can be. Finally, I would like to thank the teachers for all of the hard work they have put in to the production of the reports. They have worked hard throughout the Semester to provide the best possible education for your children. If, for any reason, you didn’t receive a report, could you contact the school’s office and we will organise for a report to be sent to you.
Multicultural Perspectives Public Speaking Competition
On Friday last week I had the pleasure of attending the Regional Final for the multi-cultural public speaking competition at Bathurst West Public School. This is the first time that Lithgow Public School has participated in this competition during my time as Principal. This competition is coordinated by the NSW Department of Education Arts Unit. The competition aims to develop awareness of the benefits of a multi-cultural society as well as to provide our students with an opportunity to develop their public speaking skills. I was so proud to watch the four school representatives, Ella, Xara, Dayna and Baasil confidently deliver multi-cultural speeches to the audience at Bathurst West Public School. Whilst all 4 of them did an amazing job, a special mention goes to Baasil who received a highly commended and was placed second in the senior draw of the competition. I look forward to our students engaging in this competition again next year and building on the skills they gained in this year’s competition.
Term – Week 10 – Special Award Assembly
Today, Lithgow Public School hosted the Term 2, Week 10 Special Award Assembly. At this assembly we acknowledged students who have consistently demonstrated safe, respectful, responsible learning behaviours, both in classrooms and on the playground. Congratulations to those students who received 25, 50, 75 and 100 awards at this assembly. The student’s names are listed below:
25 Awards: Sophie, Aoibheann, Lily, Charlee, Mahalia, Joshua, Miley, Kane, Taleah, Joshua, Rebecca and Izzabelle.
50 Awards: Patrick, Marlee, Hayley, Max and Chelsea.
75 Awards: Summer, Cody, Annabelle, Alec, Liam, Kaden, Emily and Poppy.
Please be advised that our Special Award Assemblies will be held in Week 5 and Week 10 in Term 3. Please note that these assemblies will be held on a Thursday, not Friday to accommodate the Swim School.
Attendance Matters
Thank you to our students and families for the continued focus on student attendance. Our school attendance rate is currently sitting at 91% for the term and whilst this is a slight increase on last fortnight it is unfortunately below our target of 95%. It is important that we all continue to focus on attendance as days missed from school are days that cannot be made up in a child’s education.
Given this, I thought I would take the opportunity to clarify the explanation of absences. Justified reasons for student absences include:
· being sick, or having an infectious disease
· having an unavoidable medical appointment, evidence is required
· being required to attend a recognised religious holiday
· exceptional or urgent family circumstances (e.g. attending a funeral)
When explaining the reason for an absence it is recommended that parents provide a specific reason rather that a broad or general reason. For example, ‘appointment with paediatrician’, instead of ‘appointment’, or ‘sick with stomach bug’ instead of sick.
Principals may decline to accept an explanation provided if they don’t believe the absence is in the best interests of the child. In these circumstances the absence would then be recorded as ‘unjustified’. Multiple unjustified absences may lead to Home School Liaison Officer intervention. Principals may request medical certificates or other documentation when frequent or long term absences are explained due to illness. If you have any questions about absences please contact the office.
COVID-19 – Update
The COVID-19 situation remains fluid at this point in time. Advice as of today indicates that Lithgow Public School and all schools not falling within the Greater Sydney region will continue to operate as they have throughout Term 2. Please note that this advice could change over the coming holiday break so please monitor Skoolbag alerts and our Facebook page for any updates that might be forthcoming during the break period.
On that note I wish all of our parents and wider community a safe and enjoyable Winter break with your children. School resumes on Tuesday 13 July, with Monday 12 July being a School Development Day.
Kind regards,
Mark Davies | Principal
