Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome to Week 10. It is hard to believe that it is almost school holidays again!! The students and their teachers have worked extra hard this term and are looking forward to a restful break. Please take note of the activities at the end of the newsletter that are conducted by the Bland Shire Youth Centre, these activities are sure to keep your children occupied during the holidays. If your child is spending excess time on mobile devices during the holidays please take note of the online safety brochure attached to the newsletter. If you are travelling away please travel safely and we look forward to your return for a busy Term 4.

Please remember that your child cannot be collected at the end of the day from the Church Street Carpark. This is a safety issue!!! Please collect your child from the grass area adjacent to the learning support building. Students are not to be waiting for collection in the carpark.

On Thursday, the weekly assembly will be held at the special time of 12:00. After assembly we will gather as a school community to celebrate the Season of Creation, a time when Christians around the world are invited to prayer and action to protect Earth, our common home. All are invited to attend.

After reflecting on the answers from the ‘Tell Them From Me’ survey there was a consistent response. Many parents were unsure of some of the language staff use for assessment e.g PAT Testing = Progressive Achievement Testing or Dibels data = Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills. Many parents were also interested in receiving feedback on how their child had performed in these tests. Whilst all teachers refer to this data in parent conferences, moving forward they will also endeavour to provide this information to parents via seesaw or other communications.

On Sunday we held our working bee planned by Sarah Curry and our Community Council. Many thanks for those who gave up their time to help with the removal of the old asphalt and the planting of the new gardens. It was even great to see some students getting in and helping out!!! Particular thanks to Andrew Connellan and Matt Nicholson for their assistance in providing the earthmoving equipment. I can’t wait to see it finished!!!  

Remember my door is always open.

Principal

Damian Collins