Category: Leadership

Posted in Leadership

Leadership Update #15

Posted on by antheabartlett

Dear Families,

Welcome to Term 2, we hope to continue with our successful start to the year!

Sam Matthews, our Groundsman, has won a job in bio security with PIRSA. We wish him good luck with this endeavour. We are currently looking to fill this position for the rest of this term.

Anthea Bartlett will continue in her role as Deputy Principal for the remainder of the year as will Jackie Wood in the Reception/Year 1 class.

We welcome Danielle Butcher to our team who will be co teaching with Merri James in our Year 2/3 class.

We wish to congratulate Hazel Robertson on winning the position of Principal at Echunga Primary School. Mrs Robertson will be sorely missed at HVPS, we wish her all the best!

Hi there,

I wanted to reach out to you all and say a final farewell as I start my tenure at Echunga Primary. I have very much enjoyed my time at Happy Valley Primary and I want to say a big thank you for making me feel so welcomed. 

Happy Valley is a special school community with supportive families and Governing Council, dedicated staff and amazing students. I will miss you all and hope to pop in and visit from

time to time.

Wishing everyone a great 2021 and beyond.

Warm regards,

Hazel Robertson

Yesterday HVPS competed in the Southern Valley Cross Country Day. HVPS started really well dominating the under 10 girls and boys. The older kids put in a great effort representing our school and were very excited to hear that we took out the Small Schools Shield. HVPS would have come 3rd overall if we were in the large schools. We had 8 year olds Liana, Tilly and Jack win medals even though they were underage as well as Mia and Beau. The following students will now represent Southern Valley at the State Cross Country Championships at Oakbank later this term. Mia.W, Ava, Beau, Braxton, Della and Mia C.

What a terrific effort from everyone involved and thank you to the parent volunteers for driving and chaperoning students, we can’t do it without you! Big thanks to Dean Carter for his organisation, enthusiasm, dedication and support for our students.

This week our Year 6 and 7 students received some information about moving to secondary school and the process for application. Families would have received a unique email for the identifying the children’s preferred school. Please find an update about the process below.

This week our Learning Conversations started for all year levels. Thank you to those families who have already attended and we look forward to continuing to share our student’s learning. This opportunity for a 1:1 interview is highly valuable for students, parents and teachers as it provides everyone with the opportunity to reflect on progress to date and be able to identify goals to work towards for the rest of the semester.

The Department continues to require visitors to check in using the QR codes in Term 2 as part of COVID-19 procedures. These are positioned throughout the school and near classroom doors. Thank you for your cooperation.

This term our school will be completing the NAPLAN online testing from May 10 to May 21, parent information can be found below. We will also be conducting the Australian Early Development Census – the AEDC. It’s a national census that measures development in groups of children in their first year of full-time school.

On Monday of Week 4, 17 May, our students will be having their school photos. Order forms were sent home early in the week, please bring these on the day.

This term our school will be undergoing an External Review as part of the Department for Education’s ongoing commitment to improvement. We look forward to showcasing our school, its programs and facilities with the review team. This will occur in Week 5, with a pre-review in Week 3.

Here is a photo of Mrs Lawson and Mrs Taylor’s class enjoying the last of this lovely warm Autumn weather. We hope you have just as much fun over the weekend as they did today!

Kind regards,

Paul and Anthea

15_Yr 7 info

15_InfoNAPLAN testing 2021 for parents and carers

Posted in Leadership

Leadership Update #13

Posted on by antheabartlett

Dear Families,

We hope our families had a relaxing Easter break and you were all able to take some time to spend with family and friends. We recognise that our students have had a long and busy term and the mini break was just what we needed!

Tuesday night our school hosted two Kidz Biz Family Evening Sessions. Keryn Carter ran the sessions which focused on where babies come from and a second session for older students with a focus on puberty. Thank you for the families who attended, we had a fantastic turn out with 55 attendees in the first session and 40 in the second.  After the information sessions, Keryn had a range of publications to support families at home. Thank you Keryn!

The bookings for Learning Conversations have now closed. These will be conducted early next term. We look forward to the opportunity for our students to reflect on their learning with their families and teachers. If your circumstances change and you are not able to attend a booked session, please get in contact with your classroom teacher as soon as possible.

On Wednesday we had a visit from students and staff at Reynella East College. Our year 6 and 7 students met with the peer support students who delivered the REC Roadshow, an interactive presentation about what school life is like for students and the programs they offer.

This visit supports our year 6 and 7 students with their transition to high school.

The Department continues to require visitors to check in using the QR codes in Term 2 as part of COVID-19 procedures. These are positioned throughout the school and near classroom doors. Thank you for your cooperation.

Next term our school will be completing the NAPLAN online testing from May 10 to May 21.

In Weeks 1 and 2 of Term 2, our Year 4 to 7 students will be attending Growth and Development sessions as part of the Australian Curriculum.

Along with most schools around the country, our school has been asked to participate in the fourth Australian Early Development Census – the AEDC. It’s a national census that measures development in groups of children in their first year of full-time school.

In Term 2 we welcome Danielle Butcher to our teaching staff. Danielle will be working with Merri James in Room 18 on Thursdays and Fridays.

On Monday of Week 4, 17 May, our students will be having their school photos. Order forms will be available early next term. Please add the date to your diary.

Next term our school will be undergoing an External Review as part of the Department for Education’s ongoing commitment to improvement. We look forward to showcasing our school, its programs and facilities with the review team.

It has been a busy Term 1 with  JP Water Safety Week, UP Aquatics,  Sports Day, the year 4/5 camp to Arbury Park, MP Water Safety Week just to name a few. We look forward to continuing the learning in our classrooms. We will continue to focus on our school values of Respect, Responsibilities and Integrity.

We wish you all a happy and safe holidays. Take care and we will see you all on Tuesday 27 April.

Kind regards,

Paul and Anthea

Posted in Leadership

Leadership Update 11

Posted on by antheabartlett

Dear Families,

What a fantastic Sports Day we had last week! Special thanks to Dean Carter for planning and executing an engaging program. We acknowledge all the amazing community volunteers who participated before, during and after the event. We would also like to thank Uncle Tamaru, a Kaurna Elder, for Welcoming us to Country and performing a Smoking Ceremony.

Our Year 4/5 students had a wonderful time on camp at Arbury Park. They spent three days and two nights at the environmental camp, taking part in various activities including shelter building, making nesting boxes, hiking, observing fresh water life, orienteering and Aboriginal Cultural Studies. The students displayed team work skills, persistence and resilience. Thank you to our volunteers who assisted.

On Thursday schools across Australia participated in a coordinated practise test for NAPLAN. This was testing the capacity and readiness of the platform for NAPLAN Online which will be conducted in May.

Next Week is Water Safety Week for Years 3-5 students. Due to changing Covid-19 circumstances a number of notices have gone out to the community via SchoolStream, Seesaw and Class Dojo. Please check these communication channels for up to date information.

We are currently preparing for the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) which will be conducted in May.

The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) is a nationwide data collection of early childhood development at the time children commence their first year of full-time school.  The AEDC highlights what is working well and what needs to be improved or developed to support children and their families by providing evidence to support health, education and community policy and planning.

The AEDC is held every three years, with the ​2018 AEDC data collection being the ​fourth collection. The census involves teachers of children in their first year of full-time school completing a research tool, the Australian version of the Early Development Instrument. The Instrument collects data relating to five key areas of early childhood development referred to as ‘domains’, these include:

  • Physical health and well being
  • Social competence
  • Emotional maturity
  • Language and cognitive skills (school-based)
  • Communication skills and general knowledge

The AEDC domains have been shown to predict later health, wellbeing and academic success.

We wish you a fantastic weekend.

Kind regards,

Paul and Anthea

Posted in Leadership

Leadership Update 10

Posted on by antheabartlett

Dear Families,

Thank you to all those people who attended our Working Bee on Sunday the 28 February. We were able to finalise the upgrade to the Wetlands project. Volunteers spread rubble over paths, added large rocks to the area and did a general tidy up. It is looking fantastic!

On the Pupil Free Day, 5 March Happy Valley PS held training and development for staff focusing on the government priorities for World Class Education, the Literacy Guidebooks, the Best Advice papers and the Big 6 of Literacy.

The purpose was to develop the capability to explicitly and systematically improve the literacy knowledge, skills and understandings of learners across the curriculum. Using contemporary research, best practice examples and applied learning to develop a deep understanding of the connections between oral language and the big 6 of reading and writing.

Staff participated in both practical and theory sessions throughout the day with enthusiasm and hopefully went away with ways to improve the use of oral language across the school.

We have just been informed that our External School Review process will commence next week and our onsite ESR will be held in Week 5, Term 2. Leadership will be attending an information session regarding the ESR and we will update the community with any relevant information.

Sports Day is next Friday, 19 March. We look forward to seeing everyone. SA Health advice is that education sites are currently exempt from density requirements. No maximum limit, but consideration should be given to allowing adults to physically distance (1.5m). Whilst we have not put a cap on the number of people who can attend, please be mindful of others and maintain physical distancing at all times. All visitors will be required to check in via QR code stations, a paper copy will be provided for anyone without a device. Please find attached a copy of the Sports Day Flyer. 10_SportsDayProgram

The Wellbeing and Engagement Collection (WEC) will be open in Term 1 2021 from Weeks 8 to 10 and is open to year 4 to 12 students. Please find information about here. 10_2021 WEC_Parent letter

Aberfoyle Hub High School are holding an information night for Year 6s going into Year 7 at High School next year on Wednesday 5 May. Please see flyer attached. 10_Year 7 Parent Information Evening Flyer – 5 May

Regards,

Paul and Anthea

 

Posted in General news, Leadership

Leadership Update 7

Posted on by antheabartlett

Dear Families,

It has been fantastic to see our Senior students sporting their senior tops this week. We would like to thank Trudy McCard for her hard work in getting the art work and orders processed and then distributing the uniforms to students. This year marks our final year of having Year 7 students at Happy Valley and seeing our first cohort of Year 6s leave at the end of the year. We look forward to seeing our seniors lead our school this year.

This week the Junior Primary children have attended Water Safety Week at Noarlunga Swimming Centre. The focus of their lessons has been on being safe in the water and what to do if they get into trouble. The children have had a fantastic and very tiring week! Thank you to all of the fabulous volunteers who have attended this week – we couldn’t do it without you!

Next Friday, 5 March, is our school’s Pupil Free Day. The focus of this day will be on literacy and our school’s Site Improvement Plan. We look forward to sharing with the community about our day.

Please mark in your diaries Tuesday 6 April. Our school will be hosting  two Kidz Biz Family Evening Sessions. The two sessions, “Where did we come from?” (suitable for Year 2-4 students) and “What’s happening to us?” (suitable for Year 5-7 students) will be held in the Resources Centre. Session 1 will commence at 6.40pm and Session 2 at 7.40pm. Details on how to book places will be sent out shortly.

Remember to place all Special Lunch Orders by Friday 12 March for our upcoming Sports Day on Friday 19 March. We look forward to seeing families attend this year!

Last reminder for our school’s first Working Bee, this Sunday 28 February between 10am and 12pm. Many hands make light work! We hope to see you there!

Regards,

Paul and Anthea

Posted in Leadership

Leadership Update 6

Posted on by antheabartlett

Dear Families,

On Monday we held the Annual General and first Governing Council Meeting. The Annual Report was presented to the community, this can be found on the School website should you wish to see it. We look forward to another year of strong community engagement.

All schools and preschools have been provided with and should now be using a QR Code specific to their site. All adults, including staff and parents, are expected to COVID Safe Check-In when entering classrooms/buildings on site. At this stage it’s not necessary to check-in at the school gate to enter school grounds.  If you do not have a mobile device, please Check-In manually in the front office.

Please remember we are having a Working Bee on Sunday 28 February, 10am – 12pm.

Our school will be having a Pupil Free Day on Friday 5 March. Staff will be working with the Site Improvement Plan (SIP), focusing on literacy.

Next week our Junior Primary students will be attending Water Safety Week. Rooms 1 & 2 will be leaving before the bell and students will be required to be here at 8.30am sharp. Rooms 3, 4 and the year 2s from Room 18 will be departing at 9.30am. Please remember to bring all necessary items for lessons and ensure your child’s medication requirements have been met.

We understand parking can be difficult at key times before and after school, please remember to abide by all traffic and parking rules around our school district.

Term 1 2021 Wellbeing and Engagement Collection

The Wellbeing and Engagement Collection (WEC) will be open in term 1 2021 from weeks 8 to 10 and is open to year 4 to 12 students. Further information will be sent out via School Stream once we have received it.

In Week 4, Paul, Anthea & Katharine attended the first two days of a Reception to Year 2 Literacy course presented by Orbis at the EDC. The Literacy R-2 program has been designed to develop the capability of teachers to explicitly and systematically improve their literacy knowledge, skills and understandings of learners across all subject areas in the classroom. Using contemporary research, best practice and applied learning, this program is focused on developing a deep understanding of the interdependence between oral language, writing and reading that will support you to design engaging literacy learning in all subject areas. The university course will run for 6 months and will complement the work we are doing around our SIP in literacy.

We look forward to seeing our families attend Sports Day on Friday 19 March. Look out for hard copy Special Lunch Order forms or order via Qkr! Pre-orders of sausages, donuts & watermelon cups will need to be placed by Friday 12 March. These cannot be purchased on the day. It will be great to see the whole community come together again after a difficult 2020!

Regards,

Paul and Anthea