Three weeks have now passed since the start of term and much has happened. Despite the shortened first week, the students settled very quickly into the routines of their new classrooms and the newly-enrolled students were made to feel at home very quickly.

The Year 6 students have now moved into their learning hub and the Prep students seem very at ease with their new surroundings. Our involvement in the INSPIRE Numeracy project has begun in Prep - Year 2 and in all learning spaces, Visible Learning practices are apparent. We have commenced our assessment of the students in the areas of reading and numeracy in particular and this data will provide the starting point for establishing the learning journey of individual students this year. 

In our first Primary assembly of the year, I talked with the students about the need to use their time wisely. The ancient Roman God Janus had the ability with two heads to look back in time as well as look forward, and is therefore known as the God of beginnings, gates, transitions and endings. He is also the God after whom January is named. With 86 400 seconds in every day, we should be looking to make every second count, whether it be in an academic sense, spiritually or in our relationships with others. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and often we wish that we had the capacity to make decisions based on it.  Instead we need to base our decisions on our judgement of what is the right thing to do and this ability comes from our morals and our values.  As human beings we don't always get it right but it is how we deal with these situations of wrong choices that is important. The Gospel values of love, compassion, forgiveness and dignity on which our school is founded, help us to respond in an appropriate way.  It will be these values that guide us and support us as we work with the children this year.

There is a very positive atmosphere around the campus, with the students engaged with their learning and interacting well with their peers. I look forward to being able to share the continued great work of the students and the teachers on the Primary Campus with you as the year unfolds.

Sarah Yates
Assistant to the Principal Primary