Well done to all the families who were able to make it to our school disco last night. The children certainly used it as an opportunity to let their hair down and cut loose. During discussions at our last P&F meeting, it was decided that from next year, we will split the disco into a Prep - Year 2 event and a Year 3-6 event with logistics for siblings across those two events to be worked out. As we grow, we can certainly see the benefit of two different events for the children. It is wonderful to see so much parent support with helping out with the BBQ and serving. Many hands make light work and it’s a great way to get to know other parents.

Transition

Over the last couple of weeks and the coming weeks, we expect to begin transition processes with a number of our students who need support in moving to their new year level, class teacher and classroom. This process is well coordinated by our Inclusive Education Coordinator, class teachers and parents. This will also include transition for our Kindy kids coming to Prep where they may join us for assemblies and for play a couple of times. Our goal is to ensure our students feel as positive as they can about the new year ahead.

All students will have a transition opportunity on Tuesday 30 November when we have Step Up Day. Step Up Day is where all students move to their new classroom for 2022 with their new class teachers and their new classmates. Classlists are currently being finalised. Teachers have put a lot of thought into the placement of children with consideration of their social, emotional and academic needs. I’ll provide a staffing list in next week’s newsletter.

Building update

We are hoping our library is ready for handover late next week and that we will be able to set up our new Orange Block classrooms before Step Up Day the week after. Progress visits have been very exciting and we are looking forward to having the extra space. We don’t expect landscaping to be completed before the end of term at this point but it is bound to be looking fabulous before we start back in 2022.

Have a fabulous week. 

Cheers

Penny Collins

Disco - Thanks to All

Our Disco was a great success this week.  It was wonderful to see the community come together and share time in a social setting.  A special thanks to all the parent helpers who assisted with the entry, cooking sausages, serving and set up / pack up.  The students had a great time, the sausage sizzle was a hit and the dancing was on point!  Many thanks to those who donated to our Swiss 8 partner charity.  Along with a small top up from the P&F we will proudly donate $200 to support Veteran Mental Health.  We look forward to more wonderful events in 2022 with our P&F.

Downhill Run and  Exhaustion

As we hit the last 3 weeks of the school year there is a mixture of excitement and exhaustion.  This often produces an adrenaline response, helping us to find the last bit of oomph to get us through.  This does impact on our ability to regulate our emotions, maintain focus and our behavioural choices.  This can be a tricky combination to manage.  But there are things we can do to manage.  Maintaining Sleep and Routines is the biggest key to helping manage these difficult days.  Good nutrition is also important in keeping our bodies managed.  Another important aspect is real and quality down time.  Oftentimes in our busy world, we are drawn to screens as our down time release.  As we know, this is not always the best way for our brains and bodies.  A great alternative is what is often known as ‘blue or green space’ - or spend time around water or in nature.  It’s a great way to reconnect with those who are in our circle.  Take some time to breathe and renew this weekend.

Year 3 Kookaburras have been having a lot of fun this week learning about growing number patterns. We have used many hands on materials and drawn representations of objects, numbers and letters. We have even been learning to extend ourselves and identify the rules used in each pattern!