From the Principal and Deputy Principal

As we complete Week 8 of the Term we would like to thank everyone who has been able to find the time to participate or assist in the running of our Distance Day, Sports Day, SRC/Sports Captains Induction, Interschool, Field Days and Blue Yakka, along with our regular school events including NAPLAN which is currently running as well as a number of camps.  We greatly appreciate the support to keep so many items on the go as we head into the last three weeks of term.  

The start to NAPLAN has been fantastic and we thank Bianca and Todd for their IT skills along with all the staff for ensuring our laptops, lockdown browsers and systems are working. We have visited all students prior to testing and ensured they are clear on the purpose of NAPLAN and the need to use all of the allocated time to check and re-read their work in order to get their best result. Please chat to your child/ren about this for all future tests and assessments.   

Outdoor Ed Camp: Our Stage 1 and 2 Outdoor Education class have had a wonderful week paddling the Glenelg River (including a thunderstorm to keep them entertained during the night). We thank the Lucindale Lions for their support with the mini bus and cannot wait to hear more about the adventures next week.   

Governing Council: We had our first meeting on Tuesday 28th of March at 7pm in the Hybrid Learning Room with our newly formed Governing Council. As per the Edsmart notice earlier this week we do still have one vacancy to be filled prior to the meeting if you or anyone you know would like to fill a 12 month casual parent vacancy. Please contact the administration team if you are interested in assisting.   

Premiers Reading Challenge: Now into its 20th year it is a wonderful chance to celebrate and support engagement in reading. Given reading is an essential life skill we really appreciate families taking the time to support children with reading, listening to them, reading with them and discussing what it is you have been reading. Please encourage your child/ren to take part in the challenge and keep making time to engage in the skill and artform of reading.  

Attendance at School: While family holidays are important, we ask that every effort is made to have children at school as often as possible. Before Covid, we had school attendance rates of around 93% to 94%. This has dropped considerably during Covid and thus far this year our school attendance rate is at 90% for the first 8 weeks. The more time students spend at school the greater the chance of ongoing learning success across all curriculum areas. Let’s all work together to try and have students at school as often as possible and see if we can get back to attendance figures above 93%. 

Vaping/Smoking: Vapes, also known as e-cigarettes, are becoming increasingly popular among young people, and it would be naive to think that all students are immune to the temptation e-cigarettes pose. The extent of the harm both nicotine-free and nicotine based vaping products pose is unclear, but evidence suggests that vaping is not risk-free.  

SAPOL has advised that schools are within their rights to confiscate and destroy vaping products found in a young person’s possession, locker or school bag. Any students vaping at school will undergo counselling and behavioural consequences to try and change the behaviour and we seek your support to work with us if you have concerns about your child/children vaping or smoking.  

Field Days:  Was a very successful two days, and we thank you for all your help and support from table cleaning, marquee setup and the Blue Yakka trail, through to gate rosters and hay carting. I would also like to thank all the parents and volunteers. Without your help these sorts of events wouldn’t be possible. Well done to the Lucindale Lions Committee for hosting another successful and rewarding Field Days that benefit the entire region.   

21st of March was Harmony Day: Our diversity makes Australia a great place to live. Harmony Day is a celebration of our cultural diversity – a day of cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home.  Which is held every year on 21 March. This year our school has celebrated Harmony Day on Friday, 24 March.   

The message of Harmony Day is ‘everyone belongs’, the Day aims to engage people to participate in their community, respect cultural and religious diversity and foster a sense of belonging for everyone.  

Since 1999, more than 70,000 Harmony Day events have been held in childcare centres, schools, community groups, churches, businesses and federal, state and local government agencies across Australia.  

Why orange?  

Orange is the colour chosen to represent Harmony Day. Traditionally, orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations. It also relates to the freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect.  

Our cultural diversity: Australia is a vibrant and multicultural country — from the oldest continuous culture of our first Australians to the cultures of our newest arrivals from around the world.  

Our cultural diversity is one of our greatest strengths and is at the heart of who we are. It makes Australia a great place to live. Multicultural Australia is an integral part of our national identity. All people who migrate to Australia bring with them some of their own cultural and religious traditions, as well as taking on many new traditions. Collectively, these traditions have enriched our nation.  

Learning Potential: The Australian Government had compiled some useful information to assist parents to be engaged with and support their child’s learning. Learning Potential, a free app for parents, families and carers, is packed with useful tips and inspiring ways to be more involved in your child’s learning. The following link will take you to some simple yet effective strategies for high school students on the app:  

https://www.learningpotential.gov.au/explore-by-age-level  

Yours sincerely,  

Adrian and Louis