As the year comes to a close, our teachers are completing all the important Term 4 tasks including assessment and reporting, class lists for 2016 and end of year awards and concert items.

This takes an incredible amount of work but we are nearly there and like you, are looking forward to the holidays in a few weeks.

Orientation morning is on Monday 30 November. This is the time when we give students the opportunity to move with others in their new class to meet their teacher for 2016.  In most cases, they will go to the room which will be their classroom for next year.

Teachers have been working together as a year level team with Mrs Mitchell and myself to determine the class lists for 2016. Teachers’ professional judgements have been combined with a number of parent considerations which were submitted in writing some time ago and we have made every effort to take these requests into consideration wherever possible. Thank you for the reminders about issues with students in previous years. These have been factored into our decisions regarding class lists.

However, please understand that in some cases it has been impossible to give students a friend of their choice for next year which we believe is very important for them and also fulfil every request from parents. As explained in Term 3, there are important educational, social, emotional and behavioural constraints which must be balanced first before requests are considered. There is also the gender balance which is very important. Just one change causes a domino effect in terms of this balance.

In many cases teachers had pre-empted the issues and these were already reflected in the class lists for 2016. However, in some other cases it has been impossible for us to accommodate every parent request for a student as these would override our professional responsibility to have balanced classes.

Please understand that Mrs Mitchell and I have had lengthy discussions with every year level team and that the class lists on 30 November will be final.

End of year P-2 Carols Night (30 November) and Year 3-6 Concert (1 December)

An invitation will be sent out very soon with the menu from food vendors which the P and F has organised for these nights as well as the prices for food items.

The staff and students have been working very hard preparing the items and costumes for both nights. I am sure your children have been sharing their excitement with you throughout the term. These two nights are some of the highlights of the year as families, neighbours and friends share an evening together where they can enjoy dinner from a variety of food vendors, a free concert and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

God bless

Cheryl Bryers, Head of Primary