New Teacher on Staff

I forgot to mention in the newsletter that we have a new staff member. Mrs Matthews will be teaching in Room 9 on a Friday. Mr Kettell has decided to reduce his time in 2012 to 4 days. Mrs Matthews is an experienced teacher and we welcome her to our team. 

Principal's Report to P&C 15 February 2012

Welcome back to school for 2012. I am looking forward to seeing all the initiatives and strategies that the P&C have been working on to support our school take shape over the coming year. I hope that we will continue to improve communication between the school and the P&C as we work to make a difference for your children/our students.

 All Principal reports to P&C will now be housed on my blog. Links to relevant information will be included to enhance communication and keep you informed. Feedback and comments can be made on the blog or at meetings where the report will be discussed.

IPS + Staffing The IPS initiative has already shown its worth through the quality staff that we have been able to employ. This includes:

• Mr Ian Ralph (Deputy Principal) – Ian will be focusing on supporting staff to utilise ICT (computers etc) so as to enhance teaching and learning opportunities for students 
• Mrs Julie Growden (ESL Support Teacher) – Julie will be working with many of our students who have English as a second language. Julie has also volunteered to be our school Promotions Officer
• Miss Carrie Bradley (Year 5/6 Teacher) – Carrie is replacing Ms McQueen who has won a placement at Meekathara District High School as Deputy Principal 
• Mrs Gurdeep Dhaliwal (Education Assistant) – Gurdeep will be providing support to teachers and students with need in the school 
• Mrs Donnelle Stevenson (School Officer) – Donnelle will be working one day per week to support our office staff with new work that is required as an independent public school 
• Mr Steven Ioannou (has been appointed permanently)  
• Miss Carrie Bradley (Teacher)
• Miss Bree Roller (Art Teacher)
• Miss Rachel Price (ECE teacher)
• Miss Chelsea Marron (Teacher)
• Mrs Denise Dewing (Teacher)

Focus 2012 This document outlines the focus areas that our school system will take over the next 12 months. It forms part of the Classroom First Strategy.

Changes to Assembly Assemblies in 2012 has been changed from Friday to Thursday. This change was required as our LOTE program, which is run on a Friday, was regularly interrupted by assembly in 2011. We have attempted to get LOTE changed to a different day but Mrs Leckie works on all other days and a change was not possible.  

Teacher/Parent Information Evening Our information evening was held on February 8. An average of 10 parents attended from each class. This is a reasonable turn out but could be better. Feedback regarding the benefits of this time and ways to improve it are requested.  

Year 7 Camp To subsidize the camp we are asking that they P&C fund $25 per student again in 2012. At present we are expecting 26 students to attend at a total cost to the P&C of $650.  The camp will be held at Ern Halliday again this year.


Swimming Lessons Lessons will be conducted between February 20 and March 2 at Tuart College. This venue benefits our students as it is free and we can walk there.  

Australian Curriculum The formal implementation period for Phase 1 of the Australian Curriculum begins in July 2012 and continues until July 2015 (click here for timeline).. Phase one learning areas include English, Mathematics, Science and History. Admin staff have recently attended a two day professional learning session to look at how we will plan and implement this important change. Information about the Australian Curriculum can be found online (Google Australian Curriculum and you will find the site) or click here Part of the implementation process will include information sessions for parents and community members so please watch out for these.  

Communication and Public Relations As part of our school development day planning earlier this year, staff talked about ways we could enhance the school's image and promote itself in the community. One suggestion that was put forward was to ask the P&C to run a weekly afternoon tea in the kitchen e.g. on a Wednesday around 2.15pm parents come to the kitchen and get a coffee/tea and biscuit. This would be a good opportunity for relationship building and the sharing of information from the P&C as well as the school.

Paying Voluntary Contributions

At the end of last year you would have received a form outlining the voluntary contributions required by our school. While these contributions are voluntary they do form an important part of our yearly budget and are used to directly support the teaching and learning programs offered at our school. We ask that you try to pay these contributions as soon as you possibly can. We are happy to receive the contributions in smaller payments if you prefer.

Attendance at School

Regular attendance at school is fundamental to your child’s learning. Consistent attendance and participation are essential for your child’s social and academic learning. As parents or legal guardians of an enrolled child, you are responsible under the School Education Act 1999 to ensure the attendance of your child at school every day. It is important to assist your child’s achievement and learning by making regular school attendance a priority in your child’s life. The Department of Education’s Student Attendance policy requires parents/guardians to provide an acceptable explanation to the school principal for any absence of their children. Principals must authorise all absences. The Act defines health, religious and cultural observances as reasonable cause for a school absence and the absence would be recorded as ‘authorised’ by the principal. As the parent/guardian you must obtain the principal’s approval for any planned absence. We accept both verbal or written explanations for any absence. A note, email or phone call are all acceptable. We monitor each class to see which has the best record of providing 'explained' absences. Please help you child's class to win the race to be the best class at providing explanations for absences by phoning or writing to tell us why they are away from school.

Welcome Back to School 2012

Welcome back to the 2012 school year. I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday and that your year has started well. This year is our first as an independent public school. The IPS initiative has already benefited the school through the various staff selection processes that we have been able to complete. We welcome the following staff to our school in 2012: • Mr Ian Ralph (Deputy Principal) – Ian will be focussing on supporting staff to utilise ICT (computers etc) so as to enhance teaching and learning opportunities for students • Mrs Julie Growden (ESL Support Teacher) – Julie will be working with many of our students who have English as a second language. Julie has also volunteered to be our school Promotions Officer • Miss Carrie Bradley (Year 5/6 Teacher) – Carrie is replacing Ms McQueen who has won a placement at Meekathara District High School as Deputy Principal • Mrs Gurdeep Dhaliwal (Education Assistant) – Gurdeep will be providing support to teachers and students with need in the school • Mrs Donnelle Stevenson (School Officer) – Donnelle will be working one day per week to support our office staff with new work that is required as an independent public school Last week, on one of the School Development Days, School Board members worked with our staff as we developed a draft Business Plan. This plan will shape the direction we take as a school over the next three years. We thank our School Board members for taking time off work to contribute to this important planning session. Parents and community members are a valued part of our school community. One way that you can contribute actively to the life of our school is through participation in our Parents and Citizens group (P&C). This group plays an important role in supporting our school through fundraising, running the school canteen, managing start of year book/equipment orders and through the running of the uniform shop (as well many other things). I encourage all parents or carers to become a member of our P&C and to join us at the first meeting which is next Wednesday at 7.00pm in the staffroom. At Tuart Hill Primary School we recognise that communication between home and school is essential. Our newsletter is one communication tool that we use to let you know what is happening. We also send home notes and flyers. ICT that we utilise include: • School Website: http://www.tuarthillps.wa.edu.au • Schools Online: http://centoff-wdw1.int.det.wa.edu.au/schoolprofile/home.do (type school name in search box) • Principal’s Blog http://mbevan.blogspot.com.au and Twitter “@Mister_Bevan” • SMS: Please make sure we have your current mobile number • Email: All staff have email addresses and are usually happy to contact parents using this tool Parents are encouraged to stay in contact with their child’s teacher throughout the year. Problems, issues or concerns are usually resolved quickly when communication is regular, open and clear. We love to hear ideas and suggestions and will always accept praise or thanks for the work that we do. As I tell the students, we are like a big extended family so we need to relate well to each other even when we may disagree. I am looking forward to another great year and wish everyone all the very best for 2012.