Dear Parents and Caregivers

After an extraordinary term, I know that staff and students alike are ready for the spring break.

Year 12s

However, our Year 12s who are studying ATAR subjects have their Trial Examinations in the second week of the school holidays and we wish them all the best in their endeavours to do well.

Communication Protocols

Core Activity 4 – Community Relationships and Engagement of our Strategic Plan (2017 – 2020) refers to ‘developing a comprehensive Communication Strategy to enhance communication between the School and parents….’ As part of this, we are introducing the Communications Protocol for Parents/Carers and Staff. This document has been developed by a working party of Anglican Schools Commission principals, of which I am a member, and will be customised for each school. Our customised document has been endorsed by School Council and has now been uploaded to our website. Please click here to access the document. I hope that it is of assistance to parents/carers and staff alike.

Uniform

Next term we will be trialling girls’ formal summer shorts as part of the school uniform. As this is trial there are only a limited number available at the Uniform Shop. Students who purchase the girls’ formal summer shorts will be able to continue to wear them as part of the summer uniform, even if the trial is not continued or the style of shorts changes as a result of the trial.

Farewell

It is always with sadness that we farewell students and staff at the end of a term. To those families who are moving on from Frederick Irwin Anglican School, we wish you all the best for future.

The following staff members have come to the end of short term contracts:

Mr Jordan Jones – English
Mr Aashay Pratish – Science
We thank them for the work they have done with our students over the past three terms and wish them too all the best for the future.

School Holidays

To all of our school community – we hope that these school holidays are refreshing and we look forward to welcoming back our students and staff at the start of Term 4.

Kind regards
Kerry Robertson
Principal

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Term 3 draws to a close today, and it’s hard to believe that three quarters of this strange year is over. I hope that everyone has a well-earned rest and enjoys a couple of weeks away from the rigours of school.

Holidays are an ideal time to get hair trimmed and to ensure that uniform items are ready for the new term. The students will return on Tuesday 13 October in their summer uniforms. If the weather is cold or inclement, students can continue to wear their winter uniform for Week 1.

This term, we have seen the return to some events that generally occur in a regular school year. Assemblies have made a welcome return, and the students have enjoyed the chance to showcase their talents to their peers in class assembly items. The return of Worship Services has also seen us visiting the Chapel, and this dimension of our school life is welcome and provides time for reflection during the busyness of our days. The Athletics Carnivals last week were also events to celebrate and it was lovely to welcome parents back to these two events, albeit distanced wherever possible. Congratulations to Gordon House who were the winning House in 2020.

Term 4, is traditionally short and busy. We hope to reschedule our Founders’ Day fun activities and to celebrate Book Week with reading activities across the Primary. The B Division Inter-School Athletics Carnival will be held at the Meadow Springs campus on Friday 23 October. Next term, Year 5 students will be invited to put forward an expression of interest for House Captain positions in 2021. More details will be provided to the Year 5 students early in Term 4, but it is good planning to be considering whether or not to put in an application.

Thank you to community members who have offered their time to assist with the events held so far as your help allows these opportunities to run as smoothly as possible.

If you are travelling within our great state, I hope you enjoy your time away and travel safe! I look forward to welcoming everyone back in a couple of weeks for our final term together.

Kind regards

Sue Skehan
Head of Primary - Meadow Springs

Dear Parents and Caregivers

We have reached the end of Term 3 and I would like to recognise the hard work that our students have given towards achieving their learning goals. I’m equally appreciative of our staff and am so proud of the experiences that they plan and provide for our students. I spoke with students today about being proud of themselves and explained that the School break was a wonderful opportunity for a rest. I also spoke to them about their learning and the importance of having and setting goals. Reflection is an important part of taking responsibility for learning and is something that we value instilling in our students. I hope that everyone in our community is able to spend some time with loved ones and wish everyone a safe and enjoyable break.

Mud Day
On Wednesday 23 September the Kindergarten and Pre-Primary students participated in ‘Mud Day’ and were involved in everything from mud slides to mud paintings. I myself didn’t get muddy, but was so pleased to see the joy on our students’ faces as they got dirty. A large part of our Approach is the understanding that we value indoor and outdoor classrooms and understand the importance of allowing students to connect with nature. I thank Mrs Bond, Mrs Stoker, Mrs Simmons, Mrs Creed and Mrs Nie for their organisation and enthusiasm throughout the activities. I also thank our parent helpers who helped make the afternoon a success. The afternoon ended with a resounding request from students, 'Can we do it again next year?'

Outdoor Day
Today the Upper Primary students participated in ‘Outdoor Day’ which is yet another example of the priority we put on connecting our students with their environment. The day involved building shelters, creating bird feeders and participating in geocaching. The students had a fantastic time and I appreciate the efforts of Mr Tudor, Mrs Charlesworth, Mrs Chalwell, Miss Skehan and Mrs Taylor in their organisation of the day. I imagine this will be another event that we look to replicate for our students in the future, as their enthusiasm, learning and excitement was certainly on display.

Athletics Carnival
I would like to say thank you to our community for helping to make our first Athletics Carnival on our campus as special as it was. The atmosphere on the day was wonderful and the feedback I received was overwhelmingly positive. Our students’ sportsmanship, camaraderie and House spirit were on display and I believe we have found a very good structure to replicate for years to come. The organisation of the event was very thorough and I thank Mrs Kirke, Mrs Dawkins and Mrs Baker for their efforts in Mrs Shepherd’s absence. It was lovely to see our students accomplish personal achievements but equally impressive to me was how well our students handled loss and showed respect towards their peers. It was a supportive, positive and inclusive environment, and I believe the day reflects how special our school and community are.

Learning Enrichment
I have been informed that the Year 5 and 6 Creative Edge Extension team placed second in their division. I would like to congratulate Mitchell Ward, Isabel Boonzaaier, Emily Forsyth, Rhiannon Moody, Mekenzie Hall, Kylah Bond, Jack Wade and Amelia Hartland for this wonderful achievement. The students will be formally recognised at an assembly, but I wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate them as well. I once again thank Mrs Rudland for all of her support and passion for the programme. It was a very rewarding experience for our students and lovely for them to be recognised.

Upcoming Events
We will be travelling to the Meadow Springs campus on Wednesday 28 October as a School to participate in the Founders’ Day activities that were postponed due to weather. We are really excited to come together with the other campus again and more detailed correspondence about the day will be coming home soon.

The Year 3 to 6 Inter-School Athletics Carnival will be held in Week 2 of Term 4. Organisational details are still being finalised and more correspondence will come to parents at the beginning of Term 4.

Noah Clark
Head of Primary – Halls Head Campus

Please see below the Uniform Shop Hours for Term 4 and additional information related to blazers and uniforms for 2021.

MEADOW SPRINGS CAMPUS

DAY	TIME
Monday	12.30pm – 3.30pm
Tuesday	8.00am – 12.00noon
Wednesday	8.00am – 12.00noon (from 4 November until end of Term 4)
Thursday	8.00am – 12.00noon
Friday	12.30pm – 3.30pm

HALLS HEAD CAMPUS

DAY	TIME
Monday	8.00am – 9.30am
Tuesday	2.00pm – 3.30pm

Blazer 2021
Blazers are a compulsory item of the winter uniform for ALL students from Years 7 in 2021. If you have not already booked an appointment please call the uniform shop as soon as possible.

If your current Secondary School child is also in need of a new larger school blazer for 2021, please also call into the Uniform Shop before the 4 December 2020.

Blazers ordered after this date will have to be ordered individually and therefore will not be subject to the lower price afforded by the large order. Also, blazers not ordered by this time may not be ready for Term 2 of 2021, when the blazer is a compulsory uniform item for all Secondary School students.

2021 Year 5 Students
In February 2021, your current Year 4 student will be moving into Year 5 and you may need to purchase additional formal uniforms, as the formal uniform will be worn for the whole week (full 5 days) and students will change at school for timetabled sports. Please call the Uniform Shop as soon as possible.

2021 Year 3 Students
In February 2021, your current Year 2 student will need to purchase the full formal summer uniforms, to be worn for 3 days with 2 full days of sportswear. If you have not already booked an appointment please call the Uniform Shop as soon as possible.