I can hardly believe that we are already at the end of Week 6! It has been such a busy but exciting year so far, and I am so excited about everything that is happening both in and out of the classrooms. Staff have been working hard on Tuesday afternoons, participating in new Professional Learning to support the improvement of learning outcomes for every student in our school. Last week we investigated how to improve our questioning skills to help improve our students’ creative and critical thinking skills. 

 

Early next week you will receive your child's Primary Progress Report. This is an indication of attitude, effort and behaviour for the first part of this year and is a very brief snapshot of student work habits to give you an idea of how they are settling in. If you have any concerns, please make a time to discuss these with your child's classroom teacher.

Next week we have the very exciting “Soft Opening” of our Loose Parts Play container. Loose parts play is a type of play that supports invention, divergent thinking, problem solving and offers a sense of wonder to children. We will be rotating materials in the container that can be moved, carried, stacked, redesigned, lined up, and taken apart and put back together in multiple ways. They are materials with no specific set of directions that can be used alone or combined with other materials. We have trialled some of these materials in the courtyard and have been amazed at what the students’ imaginations have created. On Monday our students will explore our expectations around using the space respectfully. Look out for some photos in following weeks.

Next Wednesday we have over 50 students competing in the Inter School Athletics carnival at the Domain. I know that all of our students will represent our school values of courage, growth, aspiration and respect. Mr Christie and Miss Barnes will be accompanying our students on the day and welcome any parents who would like to go along and cheer on our team.

Last week I sent home a letter regarding communication and how are trying to streamline our communication with parents. I want to say thank you to all the parents who have written, called and spoken to me and the senior staff team about this. We value this feedback and will continue to refine our systems and processes to ensure you are all up to speed with what is happening in and around our school. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage all parents to subscribe to our Schoolzine app, which is the first and main form of contact for our school community.

On Monday 25^th March at 7pm we will be holding our Annual General Meeting for the School Association Committee. This will be followed by a regular School Association Committee Meeting at approximately 7:30pm. Over the past couple of years our Parents and Friends Committee amalgamated with our School Association and therefore the purpose of these meetings has changed. School Association Meetings do include discussion around fundraising and events, however these meetings are also an excellent opportunity for parents, staff and community members of LPS to participate and be involved in supporting the school in a lot of other ways. The Association works with me to achieve shared outcomes for learners and the whole school. The SA ratifies new school policies, endorses school events and is the first place to hear about new initiatives, whole school policies, and creates a collaborative culture. All parents of our school are automatically members of the School Association. As a member of the Association everyone can:

• attend General Meetings of the Association
• nominate for the Association Committee
• where they exist, you can join a Sub-Committee of the Association Committee
• support Association events or fundraising.

If you would like to become a member of the committee where you will have voting rights, I encourage you to nominate using the form further down this newsletter by Wednesday 20^th March. Our new executive (Chair/Vice Chair/Treasurer/Secretary) will be voted on at the Committee meeting directly following the AGM, and I encourage anyone who has any questions about nominating for any of these positions to please contact me and I will talk you through the process.

In closing, I would like to let you all know that during Term 2 I will be taking Long Service Leave. This had been booked for Term 1, however, when I was appointed to this position I pushed it back so that I could be here for the beginning of year planning. I will be taking this time to be a stay at home Mum, looking after my nine month old son full time, doing lots of parent help and hopefully some much needed catch up on home jobs! The DoE advertised my position yesterday and we should know who will be Acting Principal by the end of this term. I have full confidence that whoever steps into the position will be able to work alongside our very capable staff to continue with our improvement journey.

Kind regards,

Kel Innis

Principal