APA News
It was lovely to see everyone back bright and eager to start the term. It has certainly been a cold start!
On the Pupil Free Day at the beginning of term staff continued to build our knowledge around student wellbeing. One important domain within the framework we are developing is the importance of the environment, and how that contributes to creating a context for students’ wellbeing to flourish. As the building project continues to change the landscape of the school setting, it is foremost in our planning to consider how the areas we create are welcoming, inviting and engaging for our students and offer choice.
Due to the hard-working building team this term sees the opening of spaces in the school that enable a number of changes for the students. The completion of the lower years building work has enabled the college oval to be cleared as a work site and the children now are able to use a much larger area play space. This has created a shift in the playground times, access to new areas and a longer uninterrupted play of 30 minutes during second break. Years 4-6 now play on the college oval together at break times. The Years 2 and 3s now have access to the primary oval and the Year 1s now spend their breaks in the Junior Years Playground with the Prep students. The students appear to be enjoying the change, in particular the Year 1 students who now have access to the sandpits, cubby houses and new playground in the Prep area.
The new Learning Support area in the lower classrooms has enabled a larger area for the Wellbeing Room which is located in this space. Opening Mon, Wed and Thurs, this area offers another choice for students who may need some quiet, down time during break time.
The new library space continues to evolve due to the hard work of Mrs Anderson and Mrs Milton. This is also a space students can access during second break on Mondays and Tuesdays.
The builders are now very busy working on the final spaces on the primary oval and the Stop, Drop and Go. It is very apparent the extra space that has been afforded to the oval with the replacing of the retaining walls along Ruthven St on which the fence will lie. We will be considering in the future how we regenerate the green space that lies below the fence line. The other exciting changes currently under way include the rebuilding of the peace garden with an Indigenous yarning circle.
Thank you for the flexibility all the school community has shown with the Stop, Drop and Go. The temporary waiting area in front of the College Boarding School while the builders work on our more permanent waiting space on the oval has meant changes for where students wait, and where they can meet their cars. Just a reminder in the morning to please be mindful of the zebra crossing that fronts the walkway. When it is unattended by an adult that may ask cars to stop, normal rules of giving way to pedestrians apply. Another reminder that would benefit your child is that when using the Stop, Drop and Go they need to walk on the inside of the dotted lines beside the building and not in the lanes.
Stay warm!!
Katie Hauser