Principal News
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
We continue to be very mindful of the many people still significantly impacted by the rain event and flooding and we continue to hold them in our thoughts and prayers. This applies to the wider community as well as to some of our own families who have been flood affected. We are also mindful of the people of northern New South Wales who are now also experiencing severe floods.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY - Tuesday 8 March
In 2022 the International Women’s Day campaign #Breakthebias is a call-to-action for driving gender balance across the world. This is not exclusively a women’s issue; everyone has a part to play - all the time, everywhere. On Friday of this week, our Year 6 school captains will accompany me as we attend the International Women’s Breakfast hosted by St Saviour’s College.
Individually, we're all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day.
We can break the bias in our communities.
We can break the bias in our workplaces.
We can break the bias in our schools, colleges and universities.
Together, we can all break the bias - on International Women's Day (IWD) and beyond.
School Update:
Current Building Project: Unfortunately, we still wait to move into our new classrooms for another week. We are awaiting joinery completion and certification of the classrooms. It is hoped that we have moved in before the Easter break.
The school administration is coming along nicely and the hope is that we will all be settled into this area also before the Easter break. Thanks to our staff and students who have been amazingly patient throughout this extended building project due to COVID and weather issues. We can’t wait to have a staffroom once again and be learning in our new classrooms!
Future Building Project: I am currently working with the architect on the next stage of our master plan which involves planning of the new library/resource facilities, another four new general learning areas and play facilities. As a school we will submit an application for a Block Grant from the State which is due at the end of March this year. This next stage will support our ongoing enrolment growth and sustain three classes per year level.
School Tours: Throughout yesterday, the Leadership Team took many new families for 2023 on tours of our school facilities and offerings. We look forward to our OPEN Morning Information Session for 2023 interested families on Thursday March 24th at 9a.m. in the Mercy Centre.
Covid 19 Update: We continue to encourage children to practise ‘good hygiene’ as we do away with mask wearing. We currently have two staff and seven students with the virus and another 8 students in isolation. Thank you to everyone for continuing to keep our school children and staff safe as best we can during these times.
What is the legacy for each child who attends SSPS?
Over the weekend, I had a friend ask me what do you want the legacy for each child to be who attends St Saviour’s Primary School? My answer at the time was general and upon reflection, a little disappointing. Here’s what my answer in response to that question should have been:
I want students to remember, above all, staff were compassionate and that they truly cared not only about their learning but, more importantly, about them as individuals.
I want the SSPS children to remember how much each staff member - or at least one staff member - really loved being their teacher and that this teacher or teachers (I hope) thought it was one of the most important jobs in the world.
I want the children to remember that many staff had a sense of humour and that they learnt that staff were human and were able to laugh at themselves when they made mistakes. After all, mistakes are an important part of how we all learn and grow, so it’s alright to make mistakes.
I want students to remember that the school thought education was important and that learning should never end.
I want each child to remember that their peers would drop everything to lend a hand and that we all took pride in our school environment.
I want the children to remember how they could collaborate with staff and how sharing ideas and support of one another strengthened our community.
Lastly, I want the children to remember the SSPS community as a caring community where every person helped to make the school a safe and inviting place to be.
Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the founding father of Scouting was famous for saying, “Leave this place better than when you found it.” Baden-Powell said these words in 1941, but I feel as if he missed a few important things. In the context of our school, I think each child should try and achieve this:
Leave this place better than when you found it. Leave this place as a better person than when you were first here.
Take nothing but photographs, memories, friends and who you have become. Leave nothing behind but footprints, your legacy and traditions for those to follow.
And know that although you will journey to many new places and meet many new faces, this place and these faces will always be part of what makes you, you.
Thanks for reading everyone.
Have an enjoyable weekend.
Madonna Sleba
Principal