27 March 2025

From the Principal

At the start of this year, all of our classes have been inquiring about what makes a good learner?

The answer to this question might vary a lot between individuals and classes, yet there are most definitely some consistencies. Being a good learner, thinking about what it takes to be a good learner and knowing what you personally need to be a good learner are extremely valuable things to wonder, question and deepen our knowledge about. I certainly wish my primary school had taken the time to talk about what skills and dispositions I might need to be successful, rather than just the knowledge. 

It'll be no surprise that a large chunk of our learning has been aligning with EAGLES. Each assembly this term, sharing has focussed on the outcomes from this inquiry. Our staff has also looked into this question. Soon (some are up now) you will start to see displays around the school windows and rooms showcasing the class responses to this question. If ever lost for questions to chat to with your child, try asking them what makes a good learner? We will put some photos in the next Newsletter.

In the first week back next term, we will host Professor Guy Claxton again at our school! On the Friday, Guy will be working with our staff and a team of other educators from schools around the state, to explore more about how dispositional development teaching can best improve student learning. It will be exciting and rewarding to have Guy with us again. Guy is an extremely esteemed international educational leader. It is a huge privilege to work with him again.

Redevelopment Update

We are edging closer and closer to the finish line of Stage 1 of our Redevelopment. While we will receive a closer estimate on Thursday of this week, currently we would expect most building to be finished by the start of next term! There will be some finishing to be done and paperwork to be lodged afterwards. Some outside areas and landscaping will no doubt be continuing after this, it is going to take a long time for the lawn to grow back during Winter! Yet, from early next term, we will begin to move our classrooms around to fit into our new spaces. We will take our time to move our classrooms over the course of Term 2.

Our Library will move back into its old home (for those who have been with us long enough), and our 1-2 rooms will sit in pairs either side of the Library (the rooms currently being renovated). Preps will move across to where the 1-2s are now and 2-3s will move into the current Prep rooms.  Finally, our Kindergarten will move back into their new space. And we will have three spare rooms for the first time in a long while. I know Sally Sari is very excited to finally have a space to set her art room up in. It will be a slow and deliberate move throughout the term. During the move and Term 3, we will be internally painting eight classrooms and looking to replace some floorings where needed.

Entrances and exits from the rooms currently under renovation will be predominately via their outside verandahs. For this to occur, we need to prepare and pour a lot of paths. As such, from next week, there will be varied access to the Kindergarten building (including the 2-3 A room) via the gate on the back of the basketball halfcourt. More on this via an individual email to hit your mailboxes soon. We need to close the current access at some stage for the works to go ahead to prepare and then pour the paths. We will be clear as to when this is occurring and give you notice. We have found out just this week and are having our builders prepare the appropriate safety paths for access.

Most other works are very much on track. With a lot of finishing off over the holidays, a finish line is very close!

Reading

Each newsletter we will write a bit about reading. The more you know, the more you can support your child at home and in reading development. Over the last little while I have written about Home Reading specifically and, over time, we will incorporate new and emerging research for us to build on and improve our combined reading approach between home and school. Additionally, keep an eye and ear out for some workshops that we will run here at school aimed at providing you with practical things you can do at home to support and to build on your child’s reading ability.

Here at our school, we have spent nine years shifting our practice to better align with contemporary research. Teachers have been mastering improved instructional routines, especially in phonics, phonological awareness and fluency.

Now, this year, we are adopting two programs for “Word Recognition” that will help with beginning reading and writing skills and then older reading and spelling skills. In our classrooms with students from Prep to Grade 3, we are implementing UFLI Foundations Australasian version (pronounced U-FLY). It comes from the University of Florida Literacy Institute. We have de-implemented a series of instructional practices that we previously used that were effective yet were not one coherent program. Now, using one specific program, the main difference is the systematic scope and alignment from Prep to Grade 3.

From Grades 3 to 6, you will soon hear about “Word Origins” as our systematic and explicit program for developing vocabulary and spelling. Our teachers are working very hard to learn more about this program and how to best implement it. For our students, knowing more words and more about them ensures that they are able to read better as well as spell better. English is a really complicated and frustrating language to master, it’s hard work to get better at reading and writing.

Our results have proven that we don’t have an emergency with our reading. Over the last few years, we have had between 11% and 14% of students not at the standard that we would want. This has dropped from around 22% 10 years ago. We also have around 22% of students on a learning plan – students who have a diagnosis that they need extra support in some way. This is a way of us saying, our work in support is better than some would reason, and yet we are being honest that our aspiration is for every child to be successful at literacy. We have growth to make to achieve our aspiration and are working towards it.

Our real area for growth currently is from stretching the middle up (around one in five students at school). We have a large number of students who are going OK with their reading but have room to be much better. Combining this group and those working harder to reach benchmark, we are wondering what we can do to get them reading more, more often. We can’t get better readers unless students read.

One of my favourite quotes for leading schools is by an American expert author named Candi McKay, “You don’t have to be bad to get better.” We want all our children to get better outcomes in reading. There is a strong link to reading abilities and later life outcomes. Simply put, the better the reader you are, the better off you are later in life. That’s what large data sets tell us. That’s why we care so much about it and why I write at length about it.

While reading is extremely important, it is also fundamentally important that all of us adults don’t reduce the love and joy for and of reading that your children and our students have. This is where reading the right book (it will be easy to access) is important at home and reading harder books together (a parent reading to a child so they can access more complex vocabulary and increase their background knowledge) is critical. We have a plan, a good plan for the instruction of your children at our school. We really need to make sure reading is for joy at home.

This year, we will take the time to share more of a story about our data and about our specific work in reading. Our statewide focus on reading is not going away anytime soon, and it is important that we take you along on the journey.

Just so we all know, reading isn’t rocket science, it might be even harder.

All the best with reading, see you soon – Courtney

Volunteers Needed

Do you like Democracy Sausages?

If you do, can you spare some time in May? We don’t know the date, but when the Election is called for May, we’d like volunteers to help out with a BBQ. Our local Fire Brigade will be helping out, and if you can do a shift, a bit of time or whatever you can, it would be appreciated!

If you can help – please contact our school office and drop your name.

Validation Forms

Thank you to all the families who have returned 2025 Validation Forms. If you have not yet returned the forms for your child/children, please can you do so as soon as possible. Students who have not returned these forms do not have permission to go on excursions.

Redevelopment Works – Kinder and Gr2/3A Access

Please be aware that there will be some changes to the VOS temporary fencing over the next two weeks, due to scheduled concrete works. Access to the Kinder and Gr2/3A rooms will be affected. At this stage we do not know the exact dates, but we will endeavour to keep you updated as soon as we get information from VOS.

Mothers’ Day Stall

Our annual Mothers’ Day Stall is just around the corner, and we would love your help to make it a special event for our students and their special someone! The stall will be held on Wednesday 7 May.

If you are able to contribute, we welcome donations of small gifts that children can purchase for their special loved one.

Popular items include:
Candles
Hand creams
Jewellery
Stationery
Chocolates
Small plants
Handmade crafts

Donations can be brought to the front office by Wednesday 30 April. Your generosity will help ensure that every child has the opportunity to find the perfect gift for their someone special.

Thank you for your support, CPS Fundraising Committee

Lost Property

Lost Property is currently in the Office due to the building works happening in the main corridor. Please ensure clothing is named.

World Sleep Day

Assemblies in Term 1

Assemblies are held in the MPR and start at 1.40pm. All are welcome to attend. This term’s remaining Assembly will be on:

Friday 4 April

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Ingrid in Gr5. Her painting was awarded second place in the Junior Exhibitors (9-12 years) section at the recent Bream Creek Show. Well done Ingrid!

Let’s Celebrate!

Community Notice Board