Dear Parents/Carers,

Here we are already at Term 4 and I can’t quite believe we are here. The year has been a blur to say the least.  A year where our resilience and flexibility has certainly been tested. As I write, I am celebrating five years since I commenced at Craigslea at the start of Term 4 in 2015. At that time, the current Year Six cohort were in Term 4 of Year One. I have been challenged, learned and achieved so much at Craigslea during this five years and still feel I have more to learn and do and look forward to this with energy and enthusiasm. I wish to thank the parents, children and staff that have made my work so productive and meaningful to me these past years. I would like to particularly acknowledge the Deputy Principal Narelle Green. Her skills, loyalty, effort and care for our students, staff and community has inspired and supported my work at this school.  I also want to mention Courtney Neale and Gena Sheppard as the consistent front office staff these past five years. They are amongst the most professional, efficient, patient and supportive administration officers I have worked with in my twenty years as a Principal. They are very well-supported by the school’s business manager, Karen Rye. We achieve a great deal as a team but take the time to enjoy all the special and funny moments that working in a school environment offers-especially in our interactions with our little people.  

Parking
Please do not park on yellow lines in the streets that surround the school. It makes it very difficult for our neighbours and local traffic. Additionally, please avoid using the high school carpark if you are not attending on-site meetings there. They are having difficulty catering for their own school community at present in terms of space.

Cross Country
Our Cross Country and Athletics Carnivals went ahead with the weather being unusually kind to us! Obviously not having our parent community join us was a big piece of the puzzle missing. However, it was lovely to see staff and students enjoy themselves and participate in such great spirit on the day. Let’s hope 2021 sees such events return to some normality at least by the second half of the school year.

Inquiry and Investigation
Our teachers in the first two weeks of school are being led through a Twilight Book Study on Tuesday afternoons.  The book is “The Power of Inquiry” written by Kath Murdoch. This text provides the philosophy and practical strategies that schools can use to ensure classrooms are places which promote curiosity, creativity, inquiry and investigation. In Week 3, we have the privilege of engaging online for the day with Kath Murdoch to ask questions and gain feedback on our journey of Inquiry at Craigslea thus far.  Our Investigations in Prep and One continue to be a very embedded part of our teacher planning and an age appropriate strategy to teach early phase children.

Upcoming Events
We continue to welcome our 2021 Prep students in small groups on our Prep Experience Days into next week. There will be four Prep classes next year which mean our spaces will be used to capacity.

Class newsletters will be distributed towards the end of Week 2.

There will be buses arriving in the bus zone at 2.45pm to bring students back from excursions on the following dates:

• Tuesday October 13, Year 5 students returning from the Kododa Challenge.
• The next four Fridays (16, 23, 30 October & 6 November), Year 5 & 6 students returning from Interschool Sports.

We’d ask that all parents picking up their children from Hamilton Rd by car, arrive after 3pm as there will not space for cars in the part of the zone that runs in front of the hall.

During Week 3, Year 6 students will be having their “School Night In” where they will undertake the Kokoda Challenge at Mt Cootha, sleepover in their new classrooms and undertake some school-based activities. Though this is no substitute for a trip to Canberra, on the bright side it allows more students to participate. I sincerely thank the teachers for ensuring Year Six have an engaging activity to mark the completion of their primary schooling.

Facilities
The top oval has been aerated, top-dressed, fertilised and watered. It is closed off for another week so that grass takes properly which has been an issue since it has been laid at Christmas. It looks a great deal better and we are hopeful that it will now be as it was intended.

Year 5 are back in their classrooms now that the roof has been replaced, the Admin Block Roof was also replaced over the holidays.

Finally, the Year Six building refurbishment is coming along beautifully and should be close to completion by the end of next week.  We are so chuffed about how it looks thus far.

Have a good week,

Kathy

CLASS ALLOCATION PROCESS 2021
(PLEASE DO NOT NAME STUDENTS WHO YOU WANT IN YOUR CHILD’S CLASS. THERE ARE TOO MANY FACTORS INVOLVED WHICH MAKE SOME OF THESE REQUESTS DIFFICULT. TEACHERS WHERE POSSIBLE WILL BE MINDFUL OF PLACING STUDENTS WITH AT LEAST WITH ONE OTHER STUDENT WITH WHOM THEY ENJOY LEARNING AND WITH WHOM THEY LEARN EFFECTIVELY. THEY WILL ASK THE STUDENTS FOR THIS INFORMATION)

During Term 4, teachers commence the process of class allocations for next year. Teachers have considerable expertise and motivation in allocating students to classrooms where they think they will learn best particularly when they have worked with a group of students all year. The first priority is to attempt (with the best knowledge we collectively have), the creation of balanced class groups according to social, emotional, academic and behavioural characteristics. Teachers are not allocated to the class until well after the class groups are formed. Teachers (through a set process appropriate to each age level), will take into account the friendship networks of the student (based on student perspectives and teacher observations) as another part of the placement picture bearing in mind that students may not always work best in a classroom with particular friends. At certain times, a change from being in a classroom with a particular friend or group is necessary for student growth and classroom balance. The teacher is best placed to make this decision.

If parents wish to express a point of view about your child’s allocation, this needs to be put in writing to the Principal strictly by Sunday 25 October (end of Wk 3). In order to be considered, this point of view must be framed in terms of an educational reason focusing on your child’s social, emotional and academic needs rather than requesting placement or non-placement with particular students or teachers. In short, please do not name students or teachers in your submission. In a school of this size, it is not possible for students to all be placed with a teacher or student favoured by themselves or their parent. Conversely, it is not possible for parents to request avoidance of a particular student or teacher. There are just not enough options when placing large numbers of students and more often than not, everyone wants the same thing. The information on which students and parents make these requests can be flawed.

Teachers are also aware that some students may not be compatible within a classroom environment or require a ‘break’ from each other in order to foster their learning. Additionally, there is no guarantee that certain teachers will be attached to their 2020 year levels. This is due to the fact that there are a range of external factors that can affect this from year to year. It has been our practice to move teachers around and the state-wide transfer process can impact belatedly on how classes are staffed from year to year.

I’d ask parents to understand that there are many complexities involved informing classes and although parent views are definitely taken into account other circumstances can affect their child’s class placement. In most instances we have 75 to 100 students to place. Parents choosing their child’s class is not a workable solution for any school. Therefore, in fairness schools can’t offer choice of placement to particular parents as it is impossible to offer to all. I can assure parents this is a lengthy process that is given a great deal of time and effort and thank you in advance for your understanding and adherence to the guidelines outlined above if you decide to submit information before the due date.

Please note that information submitted after the due date cannot be considered as this process is done as part of a number of scheduled meetings and the opportunity for teachers to meet again to discuss late submissions is not possible at this time of year. In order to assist us with class allocations, please complete the online form (click here), stating your child’s return or non-return for the 2021 school year. We do understand that circumstances do change but an indication will help with making plans.