To The School Community,
It has been a fantastic week at school. the students never cease to amaze me with their enthusiasm towards learning and the way they show the Character Strengths in their day to day school life.
I am very appreciative of the students and today welcomed the new Foundation students to the school. They settled in exceptionally well and I congratulate the students and their families in the way they have engaged with us to make the transition process so effective.
The teachers in the prep team, Ms Kearney, Mr Harris, Mrs Wilding and Ms Booth have developed an excellent program and were extremely well prepared for today.
Allergies at School
At Barwon Heads PS we have 5 students and a staff member who have allergies that cause them to have Anaphylaxis. The allergies and anaphylaxis for these students are related to a wide variety of nuts in all cases.
At our school we have very clear policies and procedures about nut products and although they are not banned we strongly discourage students bringing nut products and would prefer that students did not bring any nuts to school.
another element of this is when students bring in treats for birthday celebrations, at our school we encourage NON FOOD celebrations where possible to avoid the risk of anaphylactic reactions and maximising inclusion for all students.
As a community, we need to be on board with this philosophy to ensure the safety of the students who are in a high risk category caused by their allergies. Below is a link to our website and anaphylaxis policy.
https://bhps.education/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/BHPS-Anaphylaxis-Policy.pdf
School Council Elections
All families should have received a compass post about School Council Elections during this week. I invite and encourage you to look at this post to understand the importance of School Council and what a fantastic opportunity it presents from those interested adding value to the philosophies and direction of the school.
Reading Intervention, Extension and Support
Teaching students to be independent, confident and proficient readers is a priority at our school. Our reading results as a whole school have been excellent with more than 60% of our students reading above the expected level with many being 18 months ahead. There are also students who find reading difficult and are below the expected level and at our school this is much less than in many school communities. It is our aim to support all students, no matter their level, in developing their reading right throughout their school years.
There are a number of ways that we do this:
1. Our model for teaching reading that caters for all students and follows a clear lesson structure using rich data about the students needs. This is gathered via standardised testing, conferencing that leads to goal setting and individual targets for students. this caters for students across the spectrum of reading abilities.
2. Reading Intervention – mostly in our P-2 year levels for the students who are at risk of being below standard. We are implementing the successful Levelled Literacy Intervention Program that has been purchased with the support of our community and fundraising from the school fair. The program will enable our school to build on the fantastic work in intervention over the last few years with more students than ever before having access to targeted support. we are also supported by some volunteers who read with students in older grades on a regular basis to support their reading.
3. Reading at Home – it is crucial that our students read at home on as many nights as possible. Home reading and practising goals set in class is a crucial part of reading development. The more words students read and are exposed to during Primary School the greater the chance they have to succeed in the latter years of their formal schooling and university.
Ground Contamination/Cancer Cluster Concerns
Further to my last Blog Post about this matter I have recently been contacted by Land Serv Environmental who have carried out some testing at our school informing me that they will provide a full report about the soil at our school shortly. I will be able to elaborate when I receive the full report but during my conversation, it was mentioned that on initial analysis of the data the school site appears to be a safe site. I will confirm this after the full report and also share any information that is presented.
Parent Teacher Meetings
All families are encouraged to book a Parent teacher meet and Greet Time via Compass. If you are unsure please refer to the post shared on Compass on Wednesday 6th Feb or pop into the office to seek assistance.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Fri 8th Feb – Grade 5 – 6 Students Victoria Open @ 13th Beach
Mon 11 – Wed 13th Feb – Grade 3 – 6 Ocean Awareness
Wed 13th Feb – Whole School Family Picnic & Managing Devices at home session (In the open Learning area – All parents welcome 6.15 pm 7.15 pm.)
Please visit “Blog Posts” page on the website if you wish to view any previous posts