Dear Parents and Carers,

I was away last week for two days at a Principal’s meeting and Directors day. The days provided some food for thought on several topics. The first day centred around how we analyse and respond to our My School Survey data (The survey Staff, Parents and Students complete in September each year), how we build community and also several legal issues that are currently impacting education. The second day saw a great presentation from Dr Neil McGoran Director, Catholic Education South Australia, about their mission, vision and what kind of skills will be most important for our students to have to be prepared for the future. He had some great insights into the future of education and skills. The two most important sets of skills, as outlined by an OECD report on the future of Education and Skills in 2030, that students will need to possess to succeed in the future are:

• Personal and Social Skills- Self-regulation, metacognition, ability to connect and build relations ships a well as empathise.
• STEM Skills- Scientific thinking, critical and creative thinking, system analysis and complex problem-solving.

Both of these sets of skills resonated with me as they are something that we prioritise in our learning at STPP. If you have a spare minute, the future perspective from the OECD report on the future of Education and Skills in 2030 is a worthwhile read.

On Friday the director, Mr Ross Fox, is due to visit our school. He will be at school from 9-11:30 and during this time, he will meet with members of the leadership team, have a tour of the school and pop into classrooms to observe learning. He will then have morning tea with staff. We welcome Ross to the school on Friday morning.

School Production

Our Bi-annual Stage 3 production had its final screening on Thursday night to a packed house of friends and family. The students did an amazing job, and I was incredibly proud of every one of their achievements. The group displayed such maturity in learning lines, auditioning for parts and rehearsing this very polished production. We thanked the three directors of the production, Mrs Kain, Mrs Neit and Mrs Hitchings who were instrumental in delivering this opportunity for our students. I have also included a list of others who had a significant part in helping to organise the production.

We look forward to our next production in 2021! 

THANK YOU

There are many people we would like to thank for all their generous help in the lead up to our performances

Staffing News

Congratulations to Mr Jake Kucher who has recently obtained a permanent teaching position at St. Joseph’s in O’Connor from the beginning of the 2020 school year. We thank Mr Kucher for his years of service to the STPP community. In the same breath, I am pleased to announce two new staff members who will be joining our teaching staff in 2020. Ms Bronte Dunn will be filling the extra position that was created when we had a 12^th class approved for 2020 and Mr Luke Gubler who will take Jake’s teaching position from the beginning of next year. I am sure you will join me in welcoming them to our school community in 2020.

80th Birthday

Our beloved groundsman Mr Kerry Marsham will turn 80 in early November. To celebrate this momentous occasion, we are inviting all members of our school community to get involved in a dress like Mr Marsham day to celebrate this big birthday on Wednesday 13th November. We will celebrate with a whole school song and the naming of our school garden the Mr Marsham Garden. Attached are some photos of Kerry in his usual attire boots jeans and a fluro shirt or top. Thank you for helping us celebrate this massive occasion.

Disco

We are very excited for our resident DJ Jungle Jerry to drop some beats for us at our disco on Friday. A reminder the session times are as follows:

6.15pm – 7.00pm   Kinder, 1, 2

7.15 pm – 8.15 pm Years 3-6

Tickets are still available on Qkr! and close at 3.30 today. A ticket will entitle the user to a sausage sandwich and drink as well as prizes awarded throughout the session for outstanding dancing. A special thanks to OSHClub who have sponsored nibbles for parents to be served in the courtyard while the disco is on. We will have some food platters and soft drinks for parents to enjoy so please come and mingle and enjoy the tunes.

OSHClub Contract

Late last term we sought community feedback about our before and after school care service. I am pleased to say that after receiving positive feedback from parents that we are in the process of renewing their contract to continue to be our service provider into the future. Thank you to those parents who took the time to provide valuable feedback.

School Working Bee

We are seeking helpers from our school community to get involved with our Spring Working Bee on Sunday the 24^th of November from 10 am-12 pm. Some landscaping, timber maintenance and more are on our list of things to do. The more, the merrier (and the quicker we get done!) A pizza lunch will be a reward for any brave volunteers.

Classes for 2020

Thank you to the parents that have written to me regarding class placements for 2020. A reminder that these need to be finalised by the end of this week. Shortly, we will begin the process of examining class lists for 2020. As you can imagine, this is quite a complex process, and I have included some of the considerations teachers as professionals take into consideration when looking at placements. When forming the class lists the following factors are taken into consideration:

• Gender;
• Special Needs;
• Work Habits;
• Cognitive ability;
• Friendships;
• Behaviour;
• Health considerations;
• Religion (to assist in achieving a balance between classes, especially in Sacramental years) and
• Common names.

Ideally, we aim for an equal spread of both positive and challenging characteristics. Where practical, parental requests based on educational concerns will be considered. Parents who wish to discuss particular concerns regarding the placement of their children in particular classes should put their concern in writing and address it to the Principal by Friday of Week 4 (Term 4). All Parent concerns will be seriously considered during the process. It must be clearly understood, however, that no definite guarantees can be given regarding parental requests.

Sean Rutledge

Principal (Acting)