To The School Community,
First term has really flown by with next week being the last week of term 1.
Our last day is April 5th with the school day finishing at 2:30 pm. A reminder that assembly will be at 9:10 am in the gymnasium with a special presentation form the Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads RSL regarding the upcoming ANZAC Day ceremony on April 25th ( First week back at school after the holidays).
School returns on Tuesday April 23rd followed by the ANZAC Day public holiday on the Thursday so a very short week.
Attendance at School
Going through the process of collating data for our school review our attendance data is still well below the targets we set for students attending school.
The family holiday during school term still has the greatest impact on the number of absences. We are fortunate that many of our families take opportunities to travel which are rewarding for their children but I ask you to consider the timing and duration of travel when making your plans. Statistically once a child has more than 6 days absent from school the impact on learning begins and every day after this increases the amount of curriculum that needs to be recovered that blocks the opportunity to move onto new learning. We always do our best to plan for this and support the students in filling the gaps but it can at times be challenging, especially when absences are for long periods of time.
Regular absences also make it difficult for children to maintain and build friendships or relationships with their teachers. If a student is present 90% of the time you might think that sounds not so bad but 90% means 20 days of school absent. That’s ½ a term of school.
If the 20 days is repeated, each year for the life of primary school that is more than 3 terms over the course of their school life. Of course, some absences are unavoidable and we understand this but I would like you to consider these statistics and your child’s attendance.
Respectful Relationships
An important part of our curriculum is the Respectful Relationships Curriculum that delves into many important areas related to equity and how we treat each other regardless of gender, race, religion or sexuality.
Jess Kearney – Prep Teacher- has supported the staff in acknowledging and increasing awareness of the statistics related to domestic violence against women by enabling the staff to participate in the White Ribbon Cheese for Change campaign. You can access further info at https://www.whiteribbon.org.au/cheeseforchange/
School Council
I would like to congratulate the School Councillors on a successful first meeting of the new School Council. We discussed many matters and filled the office bearer roles for 2019.
President – Stephen Gill will be the president for 2019. I look forward to working with Stephen in this role to continue to engage the councillors in their duties as part of the group.
Vice President – Jane Price will continue in this role for the second year.
Treasurer – Emma Webb will take up this very important mantle in convening the Finance Committee meeting and working closely with Tracy Davey and myself in understanding the school’s financial position
With others taking the mantle of president and treasurer this year, I would like to acknowledge:
– The commitment of Cathy Crane who is a long time councillor and president for the past 3-4 years. I have appreciated working closely with Cathy who should be very proud of how she has conducted herself in the role of president.
– Rob Mackie for his leadership and support of the finance committee. Rob has been able to support us in giving clarity to School Council regarding the financial position of the school.
Some of the discussion points at Council were:
- A reminder that the final soil testing report related to our school and possible contamination are available at https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/ct/documents/item/8d69b230343ca7c.aspx
- OHS – the school has completed their responses to an OHS audit to ensure that we comply with expectations.
- School Review – Discussion around the methodology of the review and discussion about feedback from parents.
- PLEASE REMEMBER TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY: https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/ct/documents/item/8d69b230343ca7c.aspx
Important Dates
Remember to check our Website and Compass for calendar events.
Remember that next Thursday is our Annual Cross Country. We are looking forward to the House Chants being unveiled and the students getting into their house groups for the first time this year.
Enjoy the weekend
Important upcoming dates:
Tues 2 April: Regional Swimming – Selected Entry
Wed 3rd April: Senior Girls AFL Round Robin
Thursday 4th April – Whole School Cross Country (Village Park)
Friday 5th April – Last day of Term
Saturday 20th April – Sheep wash Classic Fun Run – Click here to register
Tuesday 23rd April – First Day Term 2
Thursday 25th April – ANZAC Day Pubic Holiday
Important Information for the last day of term April 5th:
Assembly will be held at 9.10 am.
There will be a music concert held at 1.30 pm from some of our classes with High Voltage Rock School. The following grades will be performing: 12A, 12B, 12C, 34A, 34D, 34E.
The Choir will also be doing a short piece.