Week 7 is done and dusted. We survived a warm week as we race towards the final three weeks.

This week seemed to pass in a blur as students and staff were caught up in NAPLAN assessments and navigating different schedules and settings. Thank you to the wonderful students who embraced the assessment program and did their best. It went relatively smoothly and we have few students who need to catch up on missed tests. We resume with the final two tests on Monday – Language Conventions and Tuesday -  Numeracy. We then have a few days to catch up those who missed the tests before we close out the assessment period on 27 March. Thank you to Mr Forsyth who administered and managed the testing process and to the staff who were generous in their support of the students. A reminder that all iPads should be fully charged before the students enter the exam room.

A reminder that if a student is feeling unwell our process for safety reasons is that they present at the Front Office and the staff contact the parent if required. Please do not encourage your child to contact you initially without the Office staff’s knowledge. This ensures that the student is always under direct supervision when they are feeling unwell rather than staying in the toilets without anyone being aware that they are sick. All presentations to sick bay are recorded on COMPASS and parents will receive a notification of any issues.

It is also important that parents order lunches from the Canteen by 9.30am each morning if ordering online. This allows time to prepare all of the lunches ready for an 11.05 lunch. We have regular order numbers of 130-140 lunches on peak days and if you miss the cut off there is not an opportunity or resources to make late meals.

We are striving to promote strong work habits for all students who are away from school, for any reason, by insisting that they make time to catch up on work that is missed. Teachers generally post missed work on Google classroom and if the student is away from school for any length of time the student or parents should inform the teachers of their absence. This helps to have continuity with the subject material and skills covered sequentially in class. Obviously, there are many legitimate reasons for missing school but in most cases we would assume that the students (in the later years of primary and secondary) would make an effort to cover work that was missed. Unfortunately, a few students are away and do not make catching up a practice or a priority. This has a negative flow on effect in being able to comprehend and retain the necessary content for their classes. To encourage good habits we are closely monitoring students work and assignments to ensure that they are eligible to attend representative or cultural events. This basically means that they are up-to-date with their work and assignments and are deserving of the various opportunities to represent the school. There are still quite a few sporting opportunities left for this term. Our elite swimmers are still training for the State meets and we have FUTSAL, Netball, League Tag and Rugby 10s before the end of the term. We hope that all students who wish to attend have completed the minimum requirements of them in terms of their class work.

Next week parents and students will have the opportunity to meet with the teachers on Thursday 23 March for the first round of parent/Teacher interviews. The COMPASS booking portal will open on Monday morning for you to book times with class/subject teachers. Please note the messages regarding specific teachers’ availabilities. If you miss out on a session then we encourage you to make an alternative time, at a later date, to meet with your child’s teacher to be informed on how they are progressing at the start of the year. Please ensure that you can log on to COMPASS to access this feature. If you are having difficulties, please contact the school. A second date Tuesday 28 March will also be available for parents to access for interview times.

School are changeable on any given day and things seem to change by the minute. Already today we have had to implement a change to the date of the Cross Country. It has been shifted to Friday 24 March and this means there will be alternate dates for the Literacy Celebration. keep an eye out for this new date. We have shifted the school photos until term 4 so no need for haircuts next week unless the mullet is getting a little long in the back. There will also be a swap in the days for the regional Retreats. Year 9 will now be on Wednesday 29^th March and Year 8 Thursday 30^th. This was an external change determined by another school’s commitments. More information will be sent out via COMPASS asap.

Thank you to our families for their patience with the finance transformation. It has been very challenging to say the least for many reasons beyond our control. Fee statements were sent out and we are still refining precise details. We appreciate the continued support of all families in making regular payments on their fees. Please see me if fee payments are becoming unsustainable and we can discuss what remissions and adjustments are available in line with CE recommendations. This is a confidential discussion at all times.

The final weeks will involve lots of learning and teaching and we want to see as many students in their classrooms as possible. Attendance is a key to academic and social progress. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have challenges with school attendance.

Remember there are always opportunities to be kind. Strive to have the courage to be kind whenever possible.

God bless

Ms Nicky Trinder

Principal