Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Welcome back to the 2020 school year. I trust that all of our school community had a wonderful Christmas and holiday break with family.
I am delighted to be able to report that all of our students have returned to school with enthusiasm and have settled beautifully into their new classes. It has been wonderful to see how quickly this has occurred, with each and every classroom I visit fully engaged in their learning. All students have smiles on their faces and are keen to talk with me about their enthusiasm for the year ahead.
It has also been great to welcome our staff back to school for the 2020 school year. I have attached an overview of staff and classes to this newsletter. They all report that they had a restful and enjoyable break, despite the fires that surrounded them, and feel re energised for the work ahead.
I would like to acknowledge and introduce the staff who have either returned to Lithgow Public School from a period away, or started here for the first time. Mr Adam Gill has returned to Lithgow Public School after successfully applying for an Assistant Principal’s role. Mr Gill will the lead Stage 3 team and I welcome him back to the Lithgow Public School community. I would also like to welcome back Mr Paul McMahon who is joining our Stage 2 team as a classroom teacher. I would like to welcome Mr David Knight and Ms Naomi Hunter who are joining our teaching staff for the first time and are also in the Stage 2 team. Finally, I would like to introduce and welcome Ms Ellie Craft who joins our Stage 1 team. I wish them well and welcome them to a team committed to improving outcomes for the children in our care.
Monday Weekly Update
Weekly updates began on Monday 3 February and will be sent out via the Skoolbag Application at approximately 11.00am. The weekly update contains information about events that are scheduled within any given week, and at times highlight important events further into the future. They provide parents and caregivers with a snapshot of events that are occurring so that everyone is aware of scheduled items such as assemblies, Community Café, meet the teacher meetings etc.
P&C Meeting – Monday 17 February – 6.00pm
The first P&C Meeting for the year is scheduled for Monday 17 February. This meeting will be in the school staff room and all of the school community are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Building Capacity for Quality Teaching in Australian Schools
Lithgow Public School is continuing to participate in a research project in conjunction with University of Newcastle. This year’s phase of this research will asses the impact Quality Teaching Rounds on teaching and student outcomes, with a focus on teachers implementing Quality Teaching Rounds in their classrooms. Further information on Quality Teaching Rounds is available at:
This year, the whole Stage 2 team will be involved in this research project. If your child’s teacher is involved you will receive information, as well as an opt-out form in the event that you don’t wish your child to participate in the project. Further information will be communicated to the community as the project continues.
Meet the Teacher
On Wednesday last week, we held our first Meet the Teacher session for the year. We had approximately 70 parents and caregivers attend these sessions across the school and I hope that everyone found the sessions informative and valuable. Thank you to those who were able to make the sessions. Please remember that our staff are always available to discuss the progress of our students with notice. If you would like to speak with a staff member, please make an appointment through the office. Please remember that it can be difficult for teaching staff to conduct discussions before or after school without an appointment due to both teaching and meeting commitments, so making an appointment is the best way to secure time to speak with our teachers or Executive staff.
School Swimming Carnival
Yesterday I attended the school’s Swimming Carnival. Whilst the day was wet, the pool was warm and it was great to see the competitive spirit as the students raced, as well as the support the students provided to one another throughout the day. Congratulations to those students who will now move onto the District level. This carnival will be held at Portland Pool on Friday 21 February. Good luck to all of the competitors at this carnival.
Leadership Induction Assembly
On Friday 14 February, we will hold our Leadership Induction Assembly which will commence at 9.10am. If your child has secured a leadership position within the school for 2020, you will receive and invitation to attend this event. Please note that all members of the school community are also welcome to attend. We look forward to seeing you there.
Staffing 2020
This year, the school has made the decision to use some of its flexible funding to ‘buy’ two additional teaching positions above our entitlement. One of these teachers is teaching in Stage One and one in Stage 2. This decision was taken to reduce the class sizes of all of our classes across the school. This will have an impact on the way we employ casual teachers throughout the year. Rather than employing a casual teacher when there is a single staff absence, we will split a class within that stage. Each child throughout the school will have their regular class and a home class. This home class will be the class they will go to if they are split. This class will have furniture and equipment for their home class children and they will follow exactly the same class program as they would in their own room. This arrangement has allowed us the flexibility to employ these two additional teachers and keep our class numbers low.
School Gates
As you are aware, with the installation of the new fence and changes to our foyer, we have been reviewing our procedures in regards to how the school is accessed during the school day. Our priority in refining our procedures is at all times is to ensure that we provide the safest environment for our students.
After trialling our procedures in regards to the opening and closing of gates, we will be implementing the following measures:
· All gates, including the gate off Bridge St will be opened at the commencement of supervision at 8:30am, and closed at 9:15am.
· Access to the school during the day is provided by the front office. Please contact the office if you require ramp access.
· Gates will now be opened in the afternoon at 2:55pm and closed at 3:10pm.
· Access to Before and After School Care will continue to be provided via the gate on Eskbank St.
Now that Kindergarten start and finish times are in line with the rest of the school, please be advised that parents and caregivers should wait until 2.55pm to enter school grounds to pick students up from school. All visitors to the school that access the playground before 2.55pm are required to sign in at the school office and wear a visitors badge whilst they are on site. They are then required to sign out before they leave. These procedures are in place to ensure our school is as safe as possible for all students during the school day and we appreciate your support in following these routines.
Novel Coronavirus
You will have heard the news regarding Novel Coronavirus on the television, radio, internet or social media. While this news can be upsetting for many people it is important that we work together to support those who have been in the impacted areas. It is also very important that we don’t assume people who have a Chinese or other Asian background are linked to the spread of the Novel Coronavirus. Anti-Asian language and behaviour, or any other form of racism is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our school community.
Have a great fortnight.
Kind regards,
Mark Davies | Principal
