Sick Kids

As the winter months arrive we often see sick children arriving at school. Below is an article from The West Australian last week which discusses this issue. I thought that this was worth sharing with the school community.

Article from Western Australian newspaper

How to post a comment

Some parents have reported not knowing how to insert comments on posts within this blog. The way you do this is to locate the small 'comments' link at the bottom of each post. If you click the link a 'comments' box will come up. You simply type your comment and then post it. Comments will be sent to me first. Once I have had a chance to review the comments and respond they will appear on the blog for others to see.

I hope this helps.

Principal's Report to P&C 21 March 2012

Fundraising Plan

I have presented a Fundraising Plan to the P&C Fundraising Committee. I consulted with staff in the production of this plan so as to ensure all fundraising activities are included.

School Board

The School Board met for the first time last Wednesday (March 14). At the meeting they endorsed the school Delivery and Performance Agreement, School Business Plan (content) and School Operational Plans.

The members of our School Board in 2012 include:

• Julie Hosking – P&C parent representative
• Pierra Sanders – elected parent member
• Sophie Farnan - elected parent member
• Maitland Somers – elected parent member
• Anne Barone – Community member
• David Michael – Community member
• Dianne Mount-Bryson – Staff member
• Tony Raschilla – Staff member
• Stephen Bevan – Staff member

Ian Ralph, Deputy Principal has expressed interest on being a member of the School Board. In order to maintain a parent ration which is greater than staff a new parent position will be advertised.

School Priorities and Planning

The priority areas identified in our Business Plan include:

1. Literacy
2. Numeracy
3. ICT
4. Sustainable Schooling
5. Implementation of the Australian Curriculum
6. Early Years Learning Framework

Request for Funding

ICT is a critical part of our school focus. As a staff we believe that skilled use of ICT greatly enhances the learning environment. Mr Ian Ralph has been employed as a Deputy Principal with the role of establishing our ICT infrastructure and up-skilling our staff in ‘best practice’ teaching and learning techniques. Already this year he has made significant contributions. With the release of the new iPad (3^rd generation) we have been able to source 15 iPad 2’s at a reduced price ($6000). Because this expenditure was not originally catered for in the budget we would like to request that the P&C provide 50% of the cost.

Harmony Day

This event was a great success. On behalf of the staff I would like to thank the P&C for their contribution on the day. The ‘Hungry for Culture’ publication is an outstanding project and I congratulate Julie and her team for making it happen. Copies of the publication have arrived and will be distributed with tomorrow’s newsletter.

The Australian Curriculum

The Australian Curriculum aims to deliver the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians and develop a world-class, 21st century Australian Curriculum for all young Australians, including those who may move across state and territory boundaries throughout their schooling years.

More information about the shape and design of the Australian Curriculum can be obtained from the ACARA website. 

The Australian Curriculum (version 3.0) can be viewed at here.

Over the next two years our teachers will spend a lot of time becoming familiar with the Australian Curriculum. The first phase of implementation involves the areas of English, Mathematics, Science and History. These curriculum areas must be fully implemented by 2015. 

Duty of Care

At Tuart Hill Primary School we strive to provide the best possible care for all students. However, one area that has concerned me in the past has been the large number of students who have been arriving well before our 8.40am start time. We are not able to provide adequate supervision for students until around 8.15am so it is important that they do not arrive at school before then (the ideal arrival time is 8.30am). On arrival, all students must go to the Hall and sit quietly until dismissed to their classrooms at 8.30am. Once in their classroom, students are not permitted to leave without their teachers’ permission.

Parents are reminded that teaching staff have a duty of care to their child while they are on school grounds. This means that staff can request your child to comply with school requirements e.g. sitting in the Hall before school, even if you are present. We ask that all parents respect the duty of care of our staff and follow any directions that are given to them.

Another concern that I have is with students who remain on school grounds after the siren goes. Once the final siren rings all students are required to vacate the school grounds as quickly as possible. Students who need to wait longer than 5 minutes for their parent’s to pick them up must sit in the office. Students are not permitted to wait outside the school boundary. Parents who like to meet and chat may do so on school grounds but only if they provide direct (line of sight) supervision of their child. Parents must ensure that their child/ren only engage in playing safe games. We do not have teachers on duty after school so no supervision is provided. No other children are permitted to stay on school grounds and no one is permitted to return to school buildings for any reason (e.g. to use toilets).

To ensure that our school is prepared for any emergency that may occur we practised our Evacuation Procedure on Tuesday and our Lock-Down Procedure on Wednesday. I was impressed that we were able to evacuate the school in around 3.5 minutes and achieve lockdown in less than 1 minute. While we are confident that neither of these procedures will ever need to be used it is essential that we are prepared (just in case).

Parents who notice any possible safety issues around the school or have concerns should contact the office immediately so that we can continue to provide the safest possible learning environment for our students. 

Dealing with Bullying

Last week, principal's across the state received a letter from the Director General of Education recalling the sad circumstances of a NSW teenager who tragically took his own life in 2008 after being bullied at school. She reminded us that we need to remain vigilant against bullying and respond seriously in respect of any incident involving the assault of children.

At Tuart Hill Primary School we have a no tolerance approach to bullying. All reported incidents are taken very seriously and managed in accordance with our Behaviour Management Policy. This policy outlines how we promote a safe, supportive, respectful and positive learning environment in which everyone is free from bullying, harassment, discrimination and violence.

If you would like a copy of our school's behaviour management policy please request one through the office.

Fortunately, we have very few reported instances of bullying at our school. I believe that this is a reflection of the positive way that we deal with student behaviour.

Harmony Day

What a wonderful day we had at school today. Many thanks go to Judy Gabrovec and Julie Growden for organising the event and to all the families who supplied such an amazing amount of food. Thanks also go to the parents and staff who helped with the set up and clean up of the event.

We certainly have a wide range of cultural groups represented at our school which was reflected in the various food that was on offer. A highlight of the day was seeing for the first time the recipe book 'Hungry for Culture' that the P&C created through some Federal Government funding. This publication is absolutely sensational and a credit to all those involved. Well done!

Did You Know 2?

There are various versions of the 'Did you know?' video, most of which are interesting to watch. Below is a link to another that I thought was worth having a look at. What do you think?

http://youtu.be/6ILQrUrEWe8

Did you know?

I came across this video a few months ago and it is worth looking at. The information contained within the video highlights the challenges that we all face in preparing our children for life in the future.
http://youtu.be/jp_oyHY5bug

Shared Community Values Statement

As part of our Business Plan I would like to include a statement on Shared Community Values. These are the things that community members agree to do to support our school. Areas that could be included are:

• respect for staff
• being proactive in support of school policies and procedures
• willingness to communicate
• dealing with problems proactively in order to achieve positive solutions
• maintaining confidentiality
• being courteous and friendly
• being accountable, open and approachable
• willingness to support school activities

Please think about possible Community Value statements that you would like to see included. Posted comments will be discussed at our School Board meeting on March 14.

Business Plan Draft

I would like to include a blurb at the front of our Business Plan which provides some school contextual information as well as a clear statement about how our school is distinctive. Below is a draft which I would like feedback on.

Welcome to Tuart Hill Primary School: Growth in Knowledge

An Independent Public School

The Tuart Hill Primary School community is committed to maintaining a positive heritage and rich history of quality education which has been developed over 100 years. Commencing as an independent public school in 2012, Tuart Hill Primary School has a clear vision and direction for the future with a strong focus on raising the literacy levels of all students. Our goal is for our students to be well prepared for their future, equipped to prosper economically, to be happy and secure in themselves, and ready to contribute positively to the community in which they live.

The staff at Tuart Hill Primary School are dedicated to providing all students with an opportunity to achieve success and reach their full potential. We desire that all our students leave Tuart Hill being well prepared for the future, equipped to succeed in subsequent schooling, to be happy and secure in themselves, and ready to contribute to their community.

At Tuart Hill Primary School we treat students as individuals, providing them with learning experiences that are challenging, motivating and that meet their needs. Teachers use classroom management strategies that build belongingness as well as cooperative learning strategies that enhance engagement and increase the depth of student learning. Our teachers believe that information, communication technology (ICT) is an essential part of a successful teaching and learning environment. The school has an ongoing commitment to developing and sustaining ICT infrastructure as well as providing staff with quality professional learning.

Families from many different cultural groups live and work in the Tuart Hill area which ensures that we enjoy a rich cultural diversity that enhances our school community. We provide an inclusive curriculum that provides for the needs of all students regardless of their background.

The staff at Tuart Hill Primary School genuinely care about every student. We provide strong support programs, processes and procedures that help all students, including those who are at risk, to improve across all areas of the curriculum.

Our school is open and friendly with parent involvement and feedback being actively encouraged. Our P&C is an active group which supports the school through fundraising and promotion. They also run a successful uniform shop and canteen.

Tuart Hill Primary School has a clear vision which focuses on literacy development. We believe that success in literacy will impact across all areas of the curriculum and provide our students with the building blocks for ongoing success in the future.

Our Mission

Tuart Hill Primary School provides a challenging, enjoyable and inclusive learning program that caters for our culturally diverse community. We empower each child to reach their full educational and personal potential in a safe, nurturing environment.

Our Vision

Our vision at Tuart Hill Primary School is to extend the literacy accomplishment of all students.