Hi All and welcome to Term 2. I hope everyone had an opportunity to relax and enjoy the fine weather over the break. It was awesome having the extra time to rejuvenate and rest up ready for what will again be another busy term.

Term 2 events

As our school continues to grow, we find ourselves with ever increasing opportunities available to provide diverse learning experiences for our students. Listed below are just some of the events that will occur during Term 2:

Youth Week (Year 9)

Cross Country (Whole school)

Student Leadership Group activities – MND fundraiser, Jocks Ball (Whole school)

Itrack (Year 9 & 10)

Work placements (Year 10)

RYDA (Year 10)

PCYC  (Year 8)

Children’s University  (Year 7 & 8)

First Aid Course  (Year 7)

NAPLAN (Year 7 & 9)

Don’t Meth with Me (Year 10)

SASS (Year 9 & 10)

Letters and information will be sent to parents prior to a number of these events, to inform them of the program content. Staff are also busy with mid-year reporting including parent/teacher/student interviews. I encourage parents to check the school calendar on our internet site for events.

On Monday we held an ANZAC Day service with thanks to Micah Jewell for playing the Last Post and Rouse, Danielle for her poem and Bella for her speech and for representing Parklands at the Anzac Day service at the Burnie Park.

Transition

Our transition programs are also commencing this term with an initial information assembly relating to Year 10 Transition and the opportunities available to them as they move into Year 11 in 2022. The school works closely with Hellyer College and also the Hellyer Regional Collective (which Parklands are part of) sharing additional and complementary options for Year 11 across our regional secondary schools.

During this term we will be organising visits to our feeder schools to commence the Year 6 – 7 transition with our parent information evening being held on Wednesday, 16 June.  

Staffing

Over the holidays Damien Gale was successful in winning a leadership position at another school. Whilst we congratulate and wish him all the very best, we do now find ourselves requiring a teacher and Grade Coordinator. Currently, Damien’s teaching load is being supported by Susie Sushames and other staff, whilst senior staff are supporting the Year 7 team. We have advertised for a Year 7 Coordinator and hope to finalise our staffing as soon as possible. If Year 7 parents have any concerns or questions in relation to staffing, please contact the office to arrange an appointment.   

We also farewell Julia Brown who has worked in a support teacher role during Term 1. We wish her all the best as she completes her teaching degree.

Uniform reminder

As with any organisation we have values and expectations that support our school, staff and students to be the best they can be. Our values of respect, relationships, responsibility and high expectations are the framework that promote a positive school culture and also support in preparing our young people for the work force.

As we come into the cooler months we are seeing an increase in students arriving at school out of uniform. This has prompted us to send out a friendly reminder of our school uniform policy and exceptions. The policy (as with all school policies) has been written by our School Association aligned with the Department of Education expectations and requirements. If parents have trouble accessing uniform items please contact the school office or your child’s Grade coordinator.  

We are looking forward to a great Term 2