Sample School — Issue 3

Whole School

From the Principal’s Desk: Celebrating Academic Excellence & Community Pride!

Dear Parents, Carers, and Community Members,

I share this week’s update with immense pride and gratitude. Following our recent regional education performance review, our school has officially been recognized as a High-Achieving School!

This prestige recognition highlights the outstanding progress of our students across literacy, numeracy, and critical thinking initiatives. It reflects not only the exceptional dedication of our teaching staff—who continuously refine their practice to deliver engaging, evidence-based learning—but also the hard work, curiosity, and perseverance our students bring into their classrooms every single day.

What This Means for Our School Community

Being designated as a high-achieving school is a collective milestone. It is a direct result of the strong three-way partnership between our students, dedicated educators, and supportive families:

Targeted Classroom Support: Our explicit instruction model and data-informed learning programs ensure that every child, regardless of their starting point, achieves genuine academic growth.
Strong Community Partnership: From ensuring regular, punctilious attendance to supporting home reading and school events, your everyday encouragement at home plays a vital role in this success.
A Culture of High Expectations: We remain committed to fostering an environment where every student feels safe, valued, and empowered to strive for their personal best.

While we take a moment to celebrate this achievement, our journey doesn't stop here. We will continue to innovate, expand our STEM and creative arts offerings, and nurture the wellbeing of every student in our care.

Thank you once again for your ongoing support, trust, and partnership in making our school community such a vibrant place to learn and grow. My door is always open, and I look forward to celebrating more milestones with you throughout the term!

Warm regards,

Jenni, Principal

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Year 2

Big Steps & Big Fun: Grade 2 School Sleepover on September 10th!

⛺ The Countdown is On! ⛺

Excitement is building across our Grade 2 classrooms as our students prepare for one of the most anticipated milestones of the year—the Grade 2 School Sleepover on Thursday, September 10th!

For many of our young learners, this event serves as their very first gentle introduction to the outdoor education and camping program, fostering independence, resilience, and peer bonding in a safe, familiar environment.

What We Have Planned

Our teachers have put together a action-packed evening of collaborative fun and learning:

4:30 PM – Arrival & Bed Setup: Students arrive back at school in comfortable casual clothes to roll out their sleeping bags and set up their mattresses in the school hall.
5:30 PM – Fun & Games: Organised team-building activities, scavenger hunts, and outdoor group games on the oval.
6:30 PM – Pizza Dinner & Ice Cream: A delicious community dinner supplied by our Parents Association (dietary requirements fully catered for).
7:30 PM – Torchlight Walk & Movie Time: Exploring the school grounds with flashlights before settling in with popcorn for a G-rated movie in pyjamas.
Friday Morning – Breakfast & Departure: After a cozy night's sleep, students will enjoy a warm breakfast of pancake slices and cereal before being picked up by parents at 8:30 AM on Friday morning.

Important Reminders for Parents

Permission & Medical Slips: Please ensure all digital consent forms and updated medical/dietary information are completed on the school portal by Friday, September 4th.
Packing List: A detailed equipment checklist—including sleeping bag, pillow, pyjamas, flashlight, toothbrush, and a favourite soft toy—has been uploaded to the "Quick Links" section of our school app.

We can’t wait to share this wonderful milestone experience with our Grade 2 students!

Whole School

Paws & Progress: Welcoming Our New School Wellbeing Dog!

🐾 A Furry New Addition to Our School Family! 🐾

We are absolutely thrilled to announce an exciting new addition to our student support team! Starting next week, our school will be introducing our official School Wellbeing Dog, a gentle and fully accredited Labradoodle named Archie.

Research consistently shows that wellbeing dogs in educational settings can significantly reduce anxiety, improve emotional regulation, enhance attendance, and foster a warm, welcoming environment for all students.

Archie’s Role at School

Archie will be working alongside our Wellbeing Coordinator and trained handlers. His day-to-day duties will include:

Morning Greetings: Offering a friendly, calm welcome at the school gates to assist students who experience morning separation anxiety.
Classroom Visits: Sitting in on quiet reading sessions to boost student confidence during 1-on-1 reading practice.
Emotional Support: Providing a soothing presence in the wellbeing office for students who need a quiet moment to ground themselves during the day.
Yard Duty Walks: Joining duty teachers during recess and lunch to encourage positive social interactions across all year levels.

Safety, Hygiene & Allergies

We understand that families may have questions regarding allergies or dog anxiety. Please rest assured that student safety and comfort are our top priorities:

Hygiene & Low-Allergen Coat: Archie is hypoallergenic (fleece coat) and undergoes regular grooming and health check-ups.
Controlled Environment: Archie will always be on a lead and supervised by an accredited handler. He will never roam freely through classrooms or playground areas.
Opt-Out Option: If your child has a severe dog allergy or a phobia of dogs, please inform your classroom teacher or complete the quick preferences form on the school app so we can ensure Archie maintains a comfortable distance.

Archie is currently completing his final campus orientation sessions and cannot wait to meet everyone! Please join us in giving him a warm school community welcome.

Preliminary NAPLAN Results

We are delighted to share that our preliminary NAPLAN results for students who participated in March this year indicate strong performance across several key areas and reflect encouraging growth in student achievement. These improved results are a credit to the hard work, commitment and collaboration of our students and staff, particularly our teachers and education support officers, who work so diligently each day to support learning. I congratulate all our staff, teachers, education support officers, students, and families for the way we continue to work together in partnership to achieve the best possible outcomes for our children. We are very proud of this collective effort and the positive progress it represents. The charts below provide a snapshot of our preliminary NAPLAN results.

simple-english-naplan-parent-carer-information.pdf PDF · 0.5 MB

Whole School · Year 3 · Year 4

Grade 3/4 Learning Updates

Literacy In Literacy, we have been learning the all, oll and ull spelling patterns. We have also learnt that we often use a double f, l, s or z at the end of a word after a short vowel sound. Students have been using their letter boards and whiteboards to build their reading and spelling skills.

Maths We have recently finished our unit on addition and subtraction and have begun learning about measurement using informal units. Students have been measuring with tile blocks and Jenga blocks and comparing their heights with one another.

100 Days of School The Foundation students from Wheat and Chickpeas enjoyed celebrating 100 Days of School by making crowns, completing a 100-step challenge, and enjoying fairy bread and mini muffins. It was a wonderful day celebrating this exciting milestone.

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Whole School

Welcome to Our New Groundsperson

Welcoming Our New Groundsperson We warmly welcome Paul Chapman as our new groundsman. Paul will be working three days per week, undertaking regular maintenance and school improvement activities across our site. He is highly resourceful, brings a wide range of practical skills, and has already made a significant contribution to enhancing our school environment.

Whole School

Uniform Shop Roster Next Week

Day	Person	Time
Monday	Mark Davis	8:30-9:30
Wednesday	Irene Sharp	2:00-3:30

Whole School

Book Week Celebrations

We are celebrating Book Week Friday, 28th August.

Theme: Symphony of Stories

Date: Friday, 28th August

School Activities:

Come dressed as your favourite book character for the Book Week Parade at 9:00am in the hall, followed by classroom activities and a Disco in the hall from 2:15pm.

Whole School

What our new Wellbeing Program Looks Like

Year 3 · Year 4

Creative Canvas: Grade 3/4 Art Exhibition Coming August 9th!

🎨 Mark Your Calendars! 🎨

Our talented Grade 3 and Grade 4 artists have been hard at work all term preparing for their upcoming Annual Art Exhibition, and we are delighted to invite all parents, carers, and friends to attend this celebration of young creativity!

The exhibition will take place on Wednesday, August 9th, in the School Performing Arts Centre from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM.

Exhibition Highlights

Throughout Term 3, students have been exploring a wide range of artistic mediums, techniques, and cultural perspectives. The showcase will feature:

Vibrant Canvas Paintings: Inspired by impressionist land and seascapes.
Textured Clay Sculptures: Hand-crafted ceramic creatures and native fauna.
Mixed Media & Collage: Bold, abstract collage pieces focusing on colour theory and geometric balance.
Digital Art & Illustration: Interactive displays showcasing student digital designs created in visual arts classes.

Event Details & Entry

When: Wednesday, August 9th | 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Where: School Performing Arts Centre (PAC)
Entry: Free entry! Afternoon tea and light refreshments will be hosted by our Parents Association.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to vote for the "People's Choice Award", with winners announced during Friday afternoon’s whole-school assembly.

We look forward to seeing you there to support and celebrate our incredible Grade 3/4 artists!