School updates

As our year draws to a close with only two weeks to go, I’d like to take this opportunity to give you a few updates. Before Christmas we’ll have a two-classroom demountable building being installed behind the tuckshop as additional space for Outside School Hours Care. We’ll construct  a pathway that goes from the hall to the new building. This building will support the growing number of families who are accessing the Outside School Hours Care service.

Over the holidays we hope to create an extension to our eating areas with some additional shade as we go into 2019 with 85 new students across Prep to Year 6. We are also hoping to receive the Minister’s final approval for our building project application due to start mid 2019. Next year we will build two more classroom blocks with four classes in each ready for 2020 where we will introduce an additional Year 3 / 4 class to mix up our current Year 1 and Year 2’s.

This year our Year 1 students have been exploring the idea of whether ‘Nemo’ could live at our school, which we know from their assembly this week, they have found that he couldn’t due to our environment not meeting his needs. The Year 1’s have however decided to build a fish pond and have spent time designing a pond that would create a point of interest in the early years area, provide an environment where fish could live and also be a outdoor prayer space. I spoke with the Year 1 students this week about other considerations we would have to make, so we discussed safety features like a grid, surrounding rocks to sit on and including some greenery for food and shade for the fish. As we can’t get the fish pond built until the holidays, I have suggested that the Year 1’s continue to look after this project going in to 2019 so they can establish the expectations of how to look after the fish and the fishpond until our new Year 1’s are ready to take over, which they were readily agreeable to.

In 2019 our Year 5 / 6 class will engage in a project where the students will design our new middle to senior years playground. At this stage we would hope to be installing this playground by the Easter holidays near the drop off area towards the lower oval. This will be a great spot close to the senior classrooms, near OSHC and behind where our future parish centre is master planned to be built.

I realise that those are probably all the things we are most excited about but the part you will be very happy about is the extension to the carpark due to happen mid 2019. It will require some patience going into the new year with our growing community all wanting spaces but know there will be improvements ahead. The grassed area directly in front of the Kindy will be merged with the carpark closest to the Kindy to look more like the other end and there will be extension at the far end towards Joe’s shed. We are playing with options for a second entry point so we can possibly separate the drop off zone line but this is proving a little tricky so far. We shall try to persist and get a bit creative.

Extreme weather conditions

Please note that we are well aware of the expected extreme weather next week and have been making plans about alternative play options for the students and will be stressing the importance of staying hydrated. Please ensure all children have a water bottle as we know they tend to drink more with a bottle than sips out of the water cooler.

Farwell

As you know by my letter earlier this week, I will be off for the remainder of the term. Thank you so much for the support and encouragement I have received from you all. While I am saddened to miss our end of year celebrations, I know that the school is in very good hands and have complete faith in the Benny’s team and our community to bring our first year together to a fitting end. All my acknowledgements and wrap up will be presented at our End of Year Liturgy on Monday 3 December. I hope many of you can make it because as the inaugural community we would like to acknowledge your contributions as well.

All the best to you for the final weeks. May God bless and your families over the Christmas break and I look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

Have a fabulous week

Cheers

Penny