Nhamirri walal,
As we approach the end of Term 3 we farewell 2 valued NPS staff members. Zoe Dye has been with Nhulunbuy Primary School for over 4 years. She is well known to all our students from Preschool through to Year 2. Zoe has a gentle and calm manner, is a gifted and caring member of staff and she will be missed when she leaves. We wish Zoe well as she moves back home to be with loved ones and embark on her next exciting adventure!
Jacinta Mcfee is the classroom teacher in 5/6B. I know from hearing directly from students as well as parents how much Jacinta will be missed. She develops caring respectful relationships with the students in her class, identifies the strengths and uniqueness of each student and celebrates success in the classroom. As well as being a teacher, Jacinta is currently studying to become an OT and we wish her well as she continues her studies.
We are also feeling excited to welcome our new staff, joining us in term 4. Sioux Moresi and her family return to NPS after finishing their travels. Sioux will be the 5/6B teacher. Allison Wagstaff and her family will also be joining us. Allison is also a teacher currently working at Autism Spectrum Australia on the Central Coast of NSW. Allison is keen to share her expertise across the school.
We also have some new inclusion support staff joining us in Term 4. Chloe Crombie has recently relocated to Nhulunbuy where she has previously worked in schools. Chloe will be working in Preschool and Year 1 and 2. Tommy Wagstaff will also be working in Year 1 and 2 as an inclusion support teacher, he is a ‘chippy’ by trade and keen to be another positive male role model.
On Wednesday, we hosted the RUOK colour fun run, in collaboration with Nhulunbuy Corporation and Nhulunbuy Firies. Students were provided with the opportunity to be splashed with colour while the firies sprayed them with water. Our Nhulunbuy High School Peer Buddies were also there helping out too! Meanwhile, Adam Drake and his team from Balance Choice spoke to our Year 5 students about staying healthy and taking care of yourself. My thanks to Mike Rogers and NCL, as well as Nichola Fowler, for working together to ensure this fantastic event was a success.
On Thursday night our Year 1 and 2 students enjoyed their much-anticipated ‘special event’ for the year. The students voted on pizza, a disco and Year 2 sleep over. I am very thankful for all the support provided by our staff to help this special event go ahead. Thanks especially to our Year 1 and 2 teachers (Alicia, Nat, Nic and Sophie L), as well as Meg, Annie, Kirsty and Bridie all attended the event as well. It takes a lot of work (and good will) to turn up after hours and host a fun event for the same little people you’ve been teaching all day. I am very thankful for our staff and their efforts.
Our 46 Year 6 students, along with our staff Tania, Sophie and Sharon plus parents are presently on school camp in Darwin. They will spend 5 days at Batchelor completing outdoor activities as well as explore some of the National park and King Pin. The airport was buzzing when they left on Tuesday and the photos are already flooding back home to families. I look forward to hearing what a great time everyone had as well as how fantastic our kids were wherever they went– which is always a common theme.
Today I learned that we have been successful in winning an ‘artist in residency’ grant. The application was driven by one of our preschool parents Ineke Wallis with the support of our preschool. The grant will see our little people work closely with a Yolngu artist and partner with the Yirrkala school as well. It’s an exciting venture and we look forward to sharing more information with you as the work begins.
A reminder that Parent Teacher Interviews are presently underway. Whilst you are always welcome to meet with your child’s teachers, we formalise our NPS Parent Teacher interviews in Week 9 and 10. PTIs are one important way you can hear about your child’s learning, goals, friendships, and school progress. Partnering with families is an important part of nurturing a student’s learning journey and we really hope to meet with you!
Our attendance drive has been hotly contested again this week. 3/4B did a fantastic job with 95.20% attendance. The winner of the pancakes (again) with 95.66% was 1/2C! A reminder that notified sickness is included in attendance but unnotified absences, being on holidays and being late to school is not 😊
Kind regards,
Rachel Blundell
Principal
