We are at the mid-point of term 1 and so far it has been a busy and productive start to the year. There are many positive activities happening across the school, first and foremost being the teaching and learning happening in classrooms; I am always impressed with the application and effort displayed by our students. I have also been very pleased with the level of student attendance. So far this term our average weekly attendance has been 98% which is outstanding. Regular attendance is a crucial foundation for learning and success at school. Children and young people who do not regularly attend school miss out on planned learning experiences, sequences of instruction and class participation. Teachers formally record attendance every day therefore if your child is absent, we require families to SMS 0476 857 370 or phone 83562117 to state why the child is absent.
Along with regular attendance, punctual arrival at school is also important. If a student does arrive late, they need to sign in at the front office; please be aware that student lateness will be marked as unexplained unless they bring in a signed note or if the office is contacted by a parent/carer.
COVID-19 Update
Henley Beach PS is a member of a network of schools in the western suburbs that meet to collaborate and keep informed of departmental priorities. A recent partnership meeting it was emphasised the importance of schools staying prepared in regards to managing any COVID-19 scenarios. If the need arises our school has a management plan ready to implement, including the potential instance of a school closure. In preparing for this scenario, last week a request for information was sent home to families which is a high priority; if you have not returned this information yet, please do so as soon as possible.
Currently there are a number of practices that need to be maintained including visitors using the QR code on site and parents/carers to not come into classroom spaces. A further expectation of families is that they maintain physical distancing from students/children of other families. This is an important consideration and will influence our planning for Sports Day in week 10. Final arrangements for this event will be shared with families once confirmed.
External School Review
The External School Review process concluded last week. Across the two days the review officers met with students, staff and families to gain an insight into the school with the purpose of identifying areas of strength and areas for future development. Whilst a formal report of the review’s findings will be published towards the end of the term, initial feedback, based on the interviews with students, parents and staff commented favourably on on the school’s positive student culture and the impact of work done in the early years around the Initialit literacy program and strengthening kindy to school transition processes. Other aspects which were identified as strengths included the presence of processes to support school improvement priorities. Along with these aspects, some recommendations were also provided as future goals for the school which included building our capacity to stretch our students in their learning and ensuring site improvement actions are focused on a narrow set of priorities that are then translated into classroom practice. It was noted that the school is in a sound position to work toward achieving growth in these areas.
Parent Teacher Interviews
Parent-teacher interviews will be held in Week (commencing March 22nd). All families are encouraged to make an appointment as interviews provide an excellent opportunity to discuss your child’s progress at school. Information on how to make a booking has been provided in this week’s newsletter. Please do not hesitate to ring the school if you have any queries or need help to make a booking. Specialist teachers will be available on Tuesday for families to informally chat with, alternatively, parents/carers can contact them directly to make an appointment.
Grievances Process
We recognise that sometimes things go wrong and you may feel that your expectations are not being met. If you have an unresolved complaint it’s important to work together, talk, listen and find solutions in a courteous and respectful manner. If your concern cannot be resolved at the school level, families have the option of contacting the Department for Education. For further information about this grievance process please refer to the information provided on the school’s website.
School Assemblies
Our school assemblies are held every fortnight on Thursdays from 2.15pm. It has been great to see families come along as a part of our audience. At this stage, due to COVID-19 perspectives only family members of the classes presenting are able to attend. Your child’s teacher will inform you via Seesaw if this is the case; we request only one parent/carer per child attends.
School Sport
School basketball has commenced with 4 teams being nominated: Yr 6/7, Yr 5, Yr 4 and Rec/Yr 1. A big thank you to the parents/carers who are helping out with coaching and managing these teams; parent/carer support is integral to the success of all school sport so we really appreciate volunteer help in this aspect of school life. Nominations have also been received for school soccer and football which will commence next term.
Today we had 15 students from yr 4-7 represent our school at the local SAPSASA Swimming tryouts.
It is great to see such positive participation amongst our student population.
