Welcome to Week 9! - We look forward, with great anticipation, to welcoming parents and carers back in to the school over the last two weeks of Term 1, for the Cross Country Carnival, parent/teacher interviews, and end of term Easter celebrations. Community is such an important aspect of our school, and I’d like to thank the P&C, and many others, for their continued support of our school and students. Thank you to Sam and Prue Pincott (and their children) for collecting all 700 bricks that were donated by the Holbrook Hotel for our new garden path. Thank you also to Tim Glass, Richard Triggs and Liam Cardile who supported with coaching at last week’s Paul Kelly AFL Cup. Margot Pitzen has been supporting our swimmers, Georgie Millard coordinates all of the parent helpers for canteen each week, and many parents have helped with transport to events. Our relationship with the community is a reciprocal one, with the school enabling Community Use Agreements with the Holbrook Football and Netball Club, Murray Conservatorium and many others over the years. We also participate in various community events which add value to both the school and community. Ultimately, the more we can collaborate and work together, the better the outcomes will be for our students and the community of Holbrook.
Personalised Learning and Support Plans - There are many reasons why the school may request to collaborate with you to create an individualised learning plan for your child. All students who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander are required by the NSW Department of Education to have a Personalised Learning Pathway (PLP). Children in Out of Home Care (OoHC) and those who attract Integration Funding Support are required to have an Individual Learning Plan (ILP). Students with English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D), as well as those who have been identified in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data for Students with Disability (NCCD), require adjustments to their learning program, which we also show evidence of through the initiation of an Individual Learning Plan. If your child is listed under any of the above areas, a teacher will be in contact with you soon to request your support in the planning process. We look forward to working with you to ensure the best outcomes for your child.
Parent Teacher Interviews - On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Week 10 (29 – 31March), Parent Teacher interviews will take place. Information should have been received via the Skoolbag app and a hard copy will be sent home with students this afternoon. Parents and carers are able to make appointments using the Schools Online Booking System (SOBS). Should this platform present as a challenge when booking, parents are also able to contact our office to make appointments over the phone.
Strategic Improvement Plan - We have been in the process of preparing our Strategic Improvement Plan (2021-2024) since Term 4 last year. It is the result of an in-depth situational analysis, and collaboration with the P&C, executive team and staff. Whilst it is still in draft form, I have included the key components of the plan below for community consultation. I invite you to provide any feedback via the school email (holbrook-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au), so that it can be published on our website by the end of Term 1.
| Strategic Improvement Plan (2021-2024) - DRAFT |
| Vision At Holbrook Public School, we believe in an evidence-informed, student-centred, collaborative and holistic approach to education. We challenge and support all students to flourish as individuals, achieve their expected growth, and reach their full potential. This is achieved by creating a positive, high expectations culture, where students, staff, parents and carers work in partnership to enable each child to connect, succeed, thrive and learn. |
| Context Holbrook Public School is located between the regional centres of Wagga Wagga and Albury, on the Hume Highway, approximately 70 kilometres north of the New South Wales and Victorian border. Holbrook is the centre of a richly diverse rural economy boasting some of the best grazing land in New South Wales. In 2021, there are 152 students enrolled. This includes 21 students (14%) from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island decent, and four students (3%) who have English as an additional language or dialect. Students come from a broad range of socio-economic backgrounds. The school culture is one of a safe, positive and inclusive learning environment, where children can learn and develop as individuals. This is promoted through the school's core values of: Care, Courtesy, Consideration and Cooperation. The school is committed to a collaborative partnership with all stakeholders, and the pursuit of continued individual growth for all students, through a balanced, challenging, engaging and diverse curriculum. Students experience a variety of curricular and co-curricular opportunities at the school, such as sporting events at a local and regional level, leadership initiatives, such as Student Representative Council and Peer Support, music and arts initiatives, such as the whole school performance, djembe drumming, recorder, choir, debating and public speaking. Within the Holbrook community, Holbrook Public School is viewed as a school which values each student and seeks the best educational and wellbeing outcomes for all. The school has a strong reputation for its high expectations and success. Holbrook Public School is committed to active participation in a broad range of community events. Through our situational analysis, we have identified the need to use data-driven practices and explicit teaching to ensure all students have access to learning at their individual point of need. Through a NAPLAN and PAT-R/PAT-N gap analysis, it has been identified that the core focus areas of reading and numeracy will be further enhanced. Continuing themes from the previous school plan include: a focus on embedding evidence-based practice, wellbeing, enhancing data literacy and analysis to inform teaching, and continuing to make improvements to curriculum and assessment. Holbrook Public School has an active P&C, expansive grounds, excellent facilities, and a dedicated staff who focus on quality programs in literacy, numeracy and student wellbeing. Holbrook Public School is a proud and active member of the Morgan Country Community of Schools and the Albury Network of Schools. |
| Strategic Direction 1: Student Growth and Attainment | Strategic Direction 2: Wellbeing | Strategic Direction 3: Collaboration |
| Purpose: To build strong foundations for success through maximising student learning outcomes for every student in reading and numeracy. | Purpose: To develop a strategic and planned approach to whole school wellbeing processes that support all students to connect, succeed, thrive and learn. | Purpose: To create a culture of collaboration between students, staff and the community through sharing best practice, knowledge and strategies which accelerate learning and school improvement. |
| Data Skills and Use Ensure effective strategies and processes for data collection, analysis and reflection are used to inform responsive curriculum delivery and school planning. | A Planned and Proactive Approach to Wellbeing Develop whole school, evidence-informed systems and practices that are consistently communicated and implemented across the school, resulting in measurable improvements in wellbeing and engagement to support learning. | Assessment Literate Learners Develop collaborative classroom cultures, where students demonstrate assessment literacy, active learning strategies, and increased ownership for their learning. |
| Explicit Teaching Implement a whole school approach, and common language, to explicit teaching, which ensures the most effective, evidence-based teaching methods are used to optimise learning progress for all students, across the full range of abilities. | Positive Education Build the capacity of the school community in evidence-based wellbeing practices, leading to optimal levels of wellbeing, improved relationships and increased student engagement. | Collaborative Practice Create a culture of high-quality professional learning and collaboration, which harnesses the expertise of the collective to embed the most effective, evidence-informed classroom practices. |
Eastern Riverina Trials - Congratulations to Cooper and Isaac, who were successful in being selected to represent the Eastern Riverina at the Riverina AFL trials.
Football Boots - In our community, some families may have access to many pairs of football boots. For children who don’t always play games requiring these items, the lack of boots can be a barrier to their participation. If your children have grown out of theirs, please consider donating them to the school, so that we can encourage participation and equity.
Rugby League Trials - Congratulations to Isaac, Cooper, Ryder, Jack and Tom for being chosen to represent the school at the Albury PSSA Rugby League trials which will now be held on Tuesday, 30 March at Sarvaas Park, Albury. We had a strong team of eager boys from Years 4-6 at the trials, however, there were limited places. Good luck!
Final Day of Term 1 - The final day of Term 1, Thursday, 1 April, is shaping up to be a great day of fun with our community. Whilst there will be a specific COVID Safety Plan in place, requiring physical distancing, hygiene measures, sign in via the NSW Health COVID QR code and school sign in book. We are very much looking forward to inviting parents and carers back to the school for this event. Please avoid coming to any of our events if you are unwell.
12:00 p.m. - Year 4/5 assembly in the hall (still no parents allowed, sorry)
12:35 p.m. - Easter hat parade
12:45 p.m. - P&C community barbecue
1:30 p.m. - Easter raffle (pre-drawn)
2:00 p.m. - Special Religious Education assembly (no parents allowed)
State Swimming - Good luck to Cess Lieschke (50m Freestyle) and our Junior Boys Relay team (Cess, Will, Ollie and Chace) who will be competing at the NSW PSSA Swimming Championships at the Sydney Olympic Aquatic Centre, Homebush, on Wednesday, 31 March. What an experience this will be for these boys! Go Holbrook!
Rhythm 2 Recovery - This week our School Chaplain, Sonja Dionysius, is travelling to Sydney for training with Rhythm 2 Recovery, which is an evidenced-based drumming workshop, also known as DRUMBEAT (Discovering Relationships Using Music, Beliefs, Emotions, Attitudes and Thoughts). Rhythm 2 Recovery delivers therapeutic programs and professional development, that utilise fun and engaging rhythmic musical activities to support social and emotional development, based on the latest neuro-science. This approach has been shown to support increased emotional regulation, improved social connection and reduced levels of anxiety and other elements of psychological distress. We look forward to Sonja bringing this learning back into the school to share with our students.
2021 Major Overnight Excursions - At this stage, it is planned that our major excursions will go ahead in 2021. Please see the dates below:
Years 3 and 4 - Borambola Sport and Recreation Centre 27-29 October
Years 5/6 – Ballarat (Sovereign Hill) 15-17 November
ANZAC Day Service - There will be no town ANZAC Day service this year. The school will organise an ANZAC ceremony at the beginning of Term 2.
NAPLAN Online 2021 - The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in the annual NAPLAN tests in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.
Our school will be participating in NAPLAN Online between 11 and 21 May 2021.
In preparation for NAPLAN Online, our school will also be participating in practice tests between 22 March and 1 April. The practice test is a trial-run and key preparation activity for NAPLAN Online in May. It is not an assessment of student ability and the tests will not be marked. Excessive preparation for NAPLAN Online is not recommended. Students can use the public demonstration site (https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site) to familiarise themselves with the types of questions and tools available in the NAPLAN Online tests.
If you have any questions about NAPLAN Online, please contact your child’s teacher.
Nathan Fisher
Principal
