To the School Community,
I wanted to share with you the opportunities I have had to connect with my colleagues in the principal class and at a regional level.
Last Friday I was invited to attend a Regional Review panel discussion that highlights the direction, based on data, for the SWVR and the Barwon Area. I mention this because during the discussion our Regional Director, Stephen Fraser, made direct reference to the success we have had in maintaining growth for our students from year 3 – 5 reflected in the NAPLAN data. What was highlighted were the teaching approaches used but more importantly how the teachers at our school are able to analyse and act on information about the students, driving learning and teaching from a point of need. Our students and staff were congratulated on this success that will be followed by the way we work being showcased at the next Barwon Area Principal Forum on November 1st. Well done everyone!
Part of my role as a principal is also to contribute to our profession at a system level. For this year I have been the Network Chair of the Barwon South East Network who meet twice per term to develop our leadership capacity. As a group, we have contributed to the success in our area focussing on the top 40% of students and continuing their growth with our efforts contributing to significant area-wide improvements. What is exciting that the next focus we will have as a collective is to further understand the intricacies of how student Voice and agency impacts student learning and teaching. I look forward to the support of my colleagues in developing this further for our school.
SUN SMART
A reminder that during term 4 it is essential that all staff and students adhere to our Sun Smart policy that can be found at https://bhps.education/home/policies/ on our website. Students and staff not wearing the correct protection will be asked to remain in shaded areas of the school during outdoor activities.
Sun protection is compulsory for excursions and camps that involve outdoor activities. Hats can be purchased from the School Office $8 for a bucket hat and $10 for a broad brim hat.
Year 5 Camp
Next week our year 5 students will be off to school camp at Cave Hill Creek. This camp is high energy with a strong focus on leadership development for our year 5 students moving into year 6. I look forward to hearing about their experience when they return.
2019 Student Leadership
As a school community, we value leadership opportunities for our students that take many shapes and forms. For our year 6 students this comes in the form of more formal roles that are more visible in the school. As principal, I have discovered a great deal about the expectations of leadership at the school from the community and together with the students and staff, we have developed a more inclusive model for our year 6 leaders.
This has meant the development of roles beyond School and House Captains that have been designed and developed by students leading the way. They have created role descriptions and a suite of leadership roles that enables each student to apply for roles that suite their Character Strengths without the narrow focus on just the “School Captain” or “House Captain Role.”
This will continue to develop each year as students learn more about what has made an impact on our school culture.
Working Bee
I would like to thank the families who were able to attend the Working Bee last Sunday. It was a successful day where we were able to achieve many things.
You will probably notice that there has been a significant amount of mulching around the school, there is a bit to go if anyone can spare some time over the next few weeks, but what has been completed has given the school a real lift.
Added to the tasks completed were oiling the timber seating around the school, removing the satellite dish from the library roof which has now become a bay blade stadium, painting some areas in need as well as moving furniture.
It was a real pleasure to see the families connecting with each other which is the best part of events like this! Again thank you to all of those involved. A special mention to the Barwon Heads Golf Club for their support in providing some machinery to make our work easier on the day.
Bike Shed
Unfortunately this year we have had a few bikes go missing from our bike shed. Mostly bikes that were left overnight. Can I ask that families remember to collect bikes and not leave them overnight. I also encourage all students to lock up their bikes with a bike lock each day. I will consider some solutions for this problem but ask students to make the change to their routine and start locking up their bikes.
Parent Partners
We had a successful Parent Partners meeting last week. I would like to thank this group for their open-mindedness and commitment to building appositive culture at our school. In the coming weeks, you will hear more from the Parent Partners and what it means to take on this very important role! I hope that we can continue to build this concept in 2019 with developing the role and attracting teams of people who can work on this together. Stay Tuned.
Have a fantastic weekend!
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:
Monday 29th October:
- Year 5/6 Cricket ( Selected Students only)
Wednesday 31st October:
- Year 5 Camp – Returning on Friday 2nd November
- Grade 1 Sovereign Hill Excursion
- 31st will be the first day you can order lunch from our new school lunch providers
Thursday November 1st:
- Grade 6 Region Volleyball (Selected students)
- Grade 3 Bike safety Incursion
Monday 5th November:
- Curriculum Day (No students required at school)
Tuesday 6th November:
- New foundation students kinder visits (6th November – 12th November)
Wednesday 7th November:
- Cultural studies day of activities
Previous Bulletins can be found on the blog pages of the website.