Dear Parents and Carers
Planning for 2024
Planning for the following school year begins early – Personal Requirements Lists (often referred to as ‘booklists’) and the Voluntary Contributions and Charges Schedule are being finalised to be reviewed by the School Board; teaching and learning programs, including supporting resources such as specific online platforms, are being evaluated; and teachers are identifying which students work well together.
As I have done in the past, I invite you to make me aware of any information that you believe is likely to impact significantly on your child’s learning and/or wellbeing next year. If you have provided this information to me previously, I respectfully ask that you still send me a quick email, as circumstances change over the years, as do relationships among children. If you would prefer to speak over the phone or meet with me, please make an appointment via the front office.
Please contact me directly rather than speaking informally with your child’s teacher. Information will be recorded and maintained in the office and will be the single reference point for planning and checking class lists. All information to be considered should be received as soon as possible, and no later than Friday 10 November 2023.
Please note that this is information about your child or children and does not include requests for a specific teacher.
School starting time
We ask students to arrive from 8:15am onwards, to ensure they are adequately supervised in the quadrangle prior to entering classes at 8:30am.
Please use the PATH leading from Catesby St to the school building, NOT the staff driveway
School Board
Members of the School Board represent the views of the broader school community, and as such it is particularly valuable to have diversity among parent members – in so far as this is possible in a small group! The tenure of the current Chair, Steve Hendry concludes at the end of this year, creating a vacancy from the beginning of 2024. Continuing parent members include Felicity Maher, whose children will be in Year 6 and Year 4 next year; Bronwyn Grieve, whose daughter will be in Year 4; Suzie Richards who will have children in Year 1 and Kindergarten; and Glen Bennett whose children will be in Year 2. Tenures may be one, two or three years and are set to ensure as much as possible that concluding tenures are staggered and continuity is maximised.
I will email some further information about the School Board, its remit, roles and the nomination process by the end of this week. Some of you may have this information from earlier this year. In the meantime, I’d be grateful if you would give nominating your consideration. Thank you.
ICAS
Approximately 60 children from Years 2-6 participated in this year’s optional ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools) assessments. The assessments are independent of the school based assessments that are part of our teaching and learning programs, and they are designed to be particularly challenging. The certificates are awarded to students who achieve a high distinction, distinction or credit are presented at assemblies, provided they arrive to us in time – they are a little late this year! The remainder are presented to, and celebrated at, a class level following the assembly. Families will receive notification, as they do for merit awards if a child is to receive a certificate at an assembly.
Assembly
We are all looking forward to this Friday’s assembly hosted by the children in 3H and 3BC. It is also World Teachers’ Day, and I’d like to remind everyone that children are invited to wear a ‘special’ hat (that is, a hat that is special to them) in line with this year’s theme ‘Hats off to Teachers’. While there are a few things in place to thank and celebrate our teaching staff, a quick email from you if time permits would also be gratefully received. ?
Best wishes
Elizabeth Blackwell
Principal