Principal's Report
Dear Parents and Guardians,
This week our Grade 3 and 5 students participated in NAPLAN testing. This was a big year for both teachers and students in navigating the online system for testing. I am happy to say we had minimal issues and the problems we did have were technical issues that were fixed reasonably quickly. The students seemed to enjoy using the computer to complete the test. I would like to thank all parents of our Grade 3 and 5 students for supporting their children to be confident and comfortable completing the testing. We appreciate for some children it is quite a daunting experience and we were very proud of the way our teachers and students tackled the testing! In addition, a special thank you to our teachers who engaged in a variety of creative ways to support students in feeling happy and excited about beginning the tests like special morning teas, fruit platters and mindfulness exercises.
The main thing I want our students and parents to know and understand is that we value our students no matter how they perform in NAPLAN testing. We value that our students are creative, kind and caring individuals who have learnt so much about life that is not tested in NAPLAN.
School Association
Last Wednesday night we held our AGM followed by our normal School Association meeting. It was great to see some new faces at the meeting and some new additions to the committee. Congratulations to Brock Kerslake, Mark Padgett, Krystle Kaine, Frith Mabin, Kate Alcorso, Mel Reeves and Megan Purton who are our parent members of the committee. Also a big thank you to teachers, Jo Bent, Bec Frerk and Clara Baker who are all taking up the teacher positions.
Thank you to our retiring committee members: Lucas Edwards, Mel Wilcox and Alice Calvert. Your contribution to our School Association has been greatly valued.
At our last meeting, we discussed the possibility of holding a Trivia Night; we are looking for any interested parents who are keen to be responsible in co-ordinating the running of this event. We have existing members that are happy to support, however, we would love someone new who has a possible interest in this area to help us run the night. If you are keen to be involved, please contact the school office.
Mother’s Day Stall
I would sincerely like to thank Frith Mabin and Mel Reeves for all their work in co-ordinating and making items for the successful Mother’s Day stall. Also a big thank you for the volunteers who gave up their time assist on the stall. Frith is the co-ordinator of the Fundraising Committee this year and is looking for parents to be involved in fundraising initiatives with her. If you have any ideas or time, please either let Frith or the office know.
Cross Country Grades 3-6
Last week we held our Cross Country Carnival at Waverly Primary School. We were so thrilled with participation that we gave out rewards (icy poles) to all those students who participated. We know it is a very long run for some; however, we were proud that everyone tried their hardest whether they walked, jogged or ran the distance.
Next Thursday, 23rd May our Kinder to Grade 2 children will participate in their cross-country event, this will be held at school from 1:30pm to 3:00pm. We love seeing our parents supporting and cheering on our younger children, so please mark this date in your calendars. Our focus again is on participation for this carnival and our Grade 6 Leaders will also be out on course to support our younger students.
School Photos
School photos will once again be taken by MSP Photography on Thursday, 30th May. Please remember that your child will need to take their photo envelope with them on the day to the photographer, these do not come back to the office. Please try to have children here on time as photographers stick to tight schedule. Children are expected to wear their sports uniform on the day. The majority of family photos will be taken at 8:30am.
Enrolment in Kindergarten in 2020
If you have a child who was born in 2015, they need to be enrolled in Kindergarten for 2020! Our numbers for next year are increasing week by week. If you have a child who is the sibling of a student already enrolled at our school it would be greatly appreciated if you could please collect an Enrolment Form from the office, complete and return it as soon as possible so we can begin to prepare for your child's 2020 class allocation. If you are aware of any other families living within our area with children of kindergarten age please encourage them to enrol soon. As our school is nearing capacity all out of area enrolments will need to go through the formal out of area enrolment procedure as set out by the Department of Education Act.
New Staff Member
Mr Sutton has decided to reduce his workload for the remainder of the year by one day a week. As a result Mr Tim Piper has joined our teaching staff and will be working on a Friday teaching on 5-6 Sutton. We would like to welcome him to our school community.