Dear parents,

I am currently working with staff to allocate students to classes for the 2021 school year. Students will be asked to nominate five friends they would like to be with in 2021.  While we try to have every child with at least one friend, there are times when this is not possible.

To take any perception of favouritism away from class placements we use a program called ‘Class Creator’ to place students in classes.  Initially the head of the diverse learning team, Karen Garrity, and I sit down and work out the best placement for our students with high needs.  We then talk with the class teachers involved.

Before class lists are generated teachers populate a survey outlining a child’s academic ability; their social skills, behavioural issues, friends, and students they may need to be separated from.  In addition to this, the program also ensures we have a balance of boys and girls.  The program then generates four classes that take the information into account and comes up with four closely balanced classes.

Parents, including staff, are not able to request a certain teacher for their child.  If students have had issues with a fellow student previously, we will consider keeping them apart.  If a staff member and a parent have clashed in the past I will consider where we place the child.  It would be pointless putting both the teacher and the parent together if the beginning of the school year is going to be marked by negativity, as it would make for a long year.

We send class lists home with the semester two reports at the end of week nine.

Next week I will be absent from school from Wednesday to Friday as I will be accompanying the year six students and their teachers to Camp Cooba.   We all have our fingers crossed for fine weather.

Maths Problem

Congratulations to Brody Press who was this week’s winner as his was the only entry. This week’s problem is below and is aimed at our younger students.

African penguins are a small breed of the only penguins that lay their legs in Africa. To nest, they dig burrows on land, and the female usually lays 2 eggs in it.  Both parents work together to keep the eggs warm and to feed the chicks when they hatch.  If you saw 6 eggs, how many mother penguins would you expect to see?  If you saw 24 eggs, how many mother penguins would you expect to see?

God Bless

Peter Hughes