Hello everyone, Time seems to have flown by this year and now, suddenly, we are in the last week of school. It has been a big year of teaching and learning across the school. In a school, every day is a day filled with little victories; mastering the 7 times tables for the first time, playing the first clear note on the violin or cello, reading a book all the way through to the end for the first time, delivering an oral presentation in front of an audience, making a new friend, completing Ric's dreaded 'beep test' in PDHPE, performing at a showcase, sitting a first exam and completing a major work for Year 12. These are the little victories that happen every day as part of the learning journey and we rarely get the time to stop and celebrate them. I would like to thank our beautiful students for their work and dedication and also the parents for supporting their children on this journey. I would like to particularly thank our dedicated, talented and amazing teachers, who deeply care for…

Hello everyone, The last few weeks have been very busy for everyone at school, as well as being disrupted by the bushfires. The increased smoke in the air, constant talk of fires and evacuations and changes to routines definitely seemed to lead to an increase in anxiety levels within our community, and none more so than in our children. Our teachers have been working hard to restore a sense of calm, rhythm and routine with their classes and it is good to see everyone breathing a little more slowly now. If you have young children at home, you might find they are particularly sensitive to the heightened feelings swirling around when these kinds of events occur. Young children often lack context for the anxiety and so simple reassurance that they are safe and secure can be helpful, as can reinstating known rhythms and routines as soon as possible. We are constantly looking at ways to make our school more environmentally supportive. Whilst we use recycled paper wherever possible, we still…

Hello everyone, It is lovely to see all of our staff and students back from the term break.  Our Year 12 students are currently sitting their HSC exams and I know the students and teachers all really appreciate the way our community respects and supports the students by being quiet when moving around the exam rooms. Friday was World Teachers' Day and I would like to acknowledge our wonderful teaching staff for the dedication and genuine, deep care they have for our students.  Many people don't see the hidden parts of a teacher's life, the hours spent planning and marking, the extensive preparation that goes into every Main Lesson, the night time and weekend phone calls and emails, the deep and often challenging conversations and actions around student wellbeing and constant reflection and revision teachers need to do to keep their practice current and relevant to their students.  I would like to take this moment to sincerely thank all of our teachers.  I would also like to take…

Hello everyone, As I write this, our school is abuzz (excuse the bee pun) with excitement about our Spring Fair. The team are working tirelessly to have everything ready for tomorrow and there is an air of excitement. Preparing for the Spring Fair is a big task taken on by the Class Three parents and a lot of time and energy is invested to ensure the day is a wonderful community event. I would like to thank and congratulate this year's team, supported by Emma, for what they have achieved. These moments in the year when we come together as community are so very important. Not only do they help each of us to feel more connected, but they benefit the overall health of the school. Please do come along and enjoy our Spring Fair, I look forward to seeing you there. Today, I was able to slip away from the preparations for a little while, along with some of our teachers, to support our students who were involved in the climate action in Byron Bay. It is so very important that our young people's…