Dear Parents/Carers,
I would like to extend a warm welcome to all our new and returning families to Mareeba State School for the commencement of 2024. I am very pleased to see our students and staff return with a sense of positivity and excitement for the coming term and year. I am looking forward to working with staff, students, parents/carers and the wider school community throughout the year to build on this positive start to 2024.
Over the holiday break, the school experienced some damage due to the flooding event following Cyclone Jasper. This created some disruption to the commencement of classes, with two teaching blocks requiring new carpet and ceiling repairs before students and staff could gain entry to these rooms. All repairs have been carried out and classes are now back in their designated rooms. Thank you to staff, students and parents/carers for being patient with these disruptions.
At the start of 2023, the Department of Education launched a significant new strategy: Equity and Excellence. The student free days at the beginning of the year provided an excellent opportunity to review this new strategy and define our 2024 Annual Improvement Plan so as to address the pillars of Educational Achievement, Wellbeing and Engagement and Culture and Inclusion within the strategy. As we move through the year, we will provide updates of our action planning and the outcomes for achievement within these areas.
To commence the year, we held a parade for Years 1-6 to welcome students and staff to the new year. During this parade I outlined my expectations for students at Mareeba State School for 2024.
These expectations are focused on the student engagement, attendance and behaviour. Simplified, my expectations are for every student to be at school, focused on learning, being respectful to themselves, their family, friends and staff and to seek improvement in all areas of their school work. These messages will be revisited each parade and in individual classes.
As a school, we will support every student to achieve their best. However, to do so, we need to have every student at school – every day, to support their learning engagement. I encourage you all to work with your students and with staff to support your students' attendance and engagement for learning and improved outcomes.
This year, there will be a change to the PayWay Reward system within the current Positive Behaviour For Learning strategy. This year, the focus for our school is to develop teamwork amongst students and across year levels. Students will aim to collect PayWays to go towards the class total. The class goal for the first term is set at 500 Payways, with individual classes determining what their reward will be when they reach this amount. This allows all students to contribute to achieving the class reward as well as developing a sense of personal achievement during the term. As the change process is developed further, updates will be provided when finalised.
We have a number of new and returning staff joining Mareeba State School teaching and learning community this year. We welcome Ms Tammy Threlfall, Ms Lisa Capes, Ms Elise Timmons and Ms Shenika McDowell to our staff and Ms Robynne Anderson, Mr Dan Samanes and Mr Scott Anderson who are returning to us this year. I would also like to welcome to our staff Ms Shannan Clemments who is our Family Liaison Officer and Ms Samantha Cutler stepping into the Publicity Officer role this year. I wish them all the best for the coming year and look forward to visiting their classes as I wander around the school.
Finally, I look forward to working with the parents/carers, students and staff throughout the year and wish you all the best for the year of schooling ahead.
Regards
Kylie