Dr Carmel McGrath

Parent Teacher Information Sessions

This week classes are holding their annual information sessions.  At the sessions, teachers will discuss their timetables, curriculum, positive behaviour expectations and procedures, homework, specialist information and other specific class information.  Parents should also expect to receive a term class newsletter each team in the first few weeks.  This should have gone home either last week or this week at the information session.

Enrolment Census – Day 4 & Day 8

We have now finalised our student enrolment for 2020 with 558 students in total.  This is an increase of 54 students from this time last year.  I now expect no changes to the classes we have formed as this total fits within the 23^rd teacher allocation.  While we continue to enrol students throughout the year, our staffing numbers will now remain unchanged for the school year. 

Swimming begins this week – thank you to all parents who have sent through their child’s permission and receipt of payment.

Excursions and Incursions

Year 1 – Due to the wet weather, this week’s Yr 1 Incursion is postponed with a new date to be confirmed. 

Prep -6 - Tuesday at 2:30pm in the hall all classes will attend the annual Chinese New Year Lion Dance performance. Thank you to Mrs Chen for arranging it.

Year 1 Nudgee Beach excursion is scheduled for Mon 17 (1SM, 1SC, 1G) and Tues 18 February (Yr 1SR)

Prep Sensory Unit excursion is scheduled for Friday 28 Feb (PB & PM) and Friday 06 March (PNav & P Nash)

Term 1 P&C Meetings – all parents, staff and community members are welcome to attend.

Tuesday 18 February – 6-7pm in A Block library

AGM Tuesday 17 March – 6-7pm A Block library

Health

Some medical conditions require exclusion from school or childcare to prevent the spread of illness among staff and other children.  Please see attached a copy of the ‘Time Out’ poster, which indicates the recommended minimum exclusion periods for schools and care facilities.   See attached.  Coronavirus fact sheets are currently available on our website also.

Our 2020-23 Strategic Priorities include:

• Innovation
• Inclusion
• Well-Being
• Curriculum

Our 2020 Explicit Improvement Agenda is improving educational outcomes for all students in Reading and Writing.  Our work in this area is responsive to student needs and aligned with our school and regional targets.  In each year level team, teachers will work together to know their student reading levels and develop high quality consistent practices. 

In Prep – Year 3 staff are trained in the Read Write Inc Sythetic Phonics program.  Sandy Chambers is leading the support and coaching at the school level with teachers and teacher aides having opportunities for honing their skills and provide targeted teaching in specific achievement levels.  Sandy has already held one parent information session on the newly introduced approach to ‘reading’ and will continue to offer more through this term.  I encourage parents to come along and find out more about the approach so that they can also support at home.

In Year 4-6 teachers are training in the How Language Works Functional Grammar Program to improve the grammatical understanding of students’ language choices in writing.  The program enables teachers to provide explicit feedback on how students can improve their writing.  Teachers receive ongoing in class support and after hours professional development training.