Just like that we have blinked and found ourselves starting week 4 with our first 5-day week for the term. With these short weeks it's easy to understand why our days have been actioned packed. Looking forward to the term ahead things don't appear to be slowing down either.
Yesterday saw the start of our 2022 NAPLAN online testing block for our Year 3 & 5 students however Year 3 students do still complete a written writing test. For our first time NAPLAN families, NAPLAN is a point-in-time assessment that allows parents to see how their child is progressing in literacy and numeracy against the national standard, and compared with their peers throughout Australia. As a result of moving to a technology-based test, NAPLAN will run over the next 2 weeks with students timetabled to complete tests intermittently. Good luck to our students participating in NAPLAN.
Last week I had the pleasure of attending the FNQ Principal's Business meeting with my fellow Principal colleagues from across the region. This was the first meeting since our Regional Director and Assistant Regional Directions met with the relatively new Director General Mr Michael De'Ath. As a result, our region was provided with a number of key messages with the very loud and clear message that student achievement is our number one priority. Upon reflection with our staff this week there is no doubt that at Mareeba SS we strive to ensure we provide as many opportunities as possible to see every child succeeding, opening the door of choice for each of our learners.
But it wasn't all work with no play, this past fortnight saw our Year 3 students head out on an excursion to the Mareeba Swimming Pool while the Year 1s enjoyed a visit from the 'Zoo to You' team who brought along a number of feathered and slippery friends. Coming up this fortnight our Year 2 & 4 students are heading off on excursions around Mareeba and the start of our 2023 Prep transition program with our annual Prep Information Evening, Observation Morning and Open Morning kicks off Tuesday 17th May from 4:30pm. Providing these opportunities for our Mareeba families and our newest learners allows them the chance to meet our staff, visit the 'big school' and begin to get familiar with our routines and expectations.
Mareeba SS prides itself for having high student and staff expectations across every facet of the school, focussing on 3 core expectations; I Respect Learning, I Respect Safety, I Respect Me & You. Along with our 9 focus expectations, this helps to ensure our student behavior reinforces and promotes a safe and supportive learning environment for all students. Our expectations are reinforced each morning before school starts and during parades held each Monday and Friday morning at 9am. Our Head of Behaviour Mrs Cherene Trimble leads the way in this field which includes positively promoting our student PayWay and Respect & Collect shop where students have the opportunity to purchase prizes with their earned tokens.
Just a reminder that our next P&C meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 18th May at 5pm with all encouraged and welcome to attend. For more information about NAPLAN, Zoo to You, Expectations, our Prep Transition program and the P&C Association, check out my Sizzling Spotlights found on our website https://mareebass.eq.edu.au/calendar-and-news/principals-blog