It only seems a short while ago we were starting a new term and here we are at the end of the term celebrating our students’ learning and achievements!
New staff
We would like to extend a very warm welcome to Caroline McClelland, who has joined us as the teacher in the Primary Learning Hub for the remainder of Term 2.
Caroline has spent a few days in Week 7 getting to know the students and their families and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in special options to our school.
A huge thank you to Kate Oatway, who has been working with Eden and the Year 7/8 class. Kate has been a pleasure to have at our site and has fit in effortlessly with our middle school cohort. Thank you for your contribution to our school, Kate. We wish you all the best for the future and hope to see you back at CYS again soon. Thank you to Miss Eden Caputo, who has been the supervising teacher for Kate this term.
Professional Learning
In Week 6, all staff participated in a professional learning session called “Australians Together.” It certainly brought up a lot of confronting and concerning ideas that were thought-provoking.
As a staff, we are committed to providing every child in every class the support and help they need to be positive members of our community. This session gave all of our staff the chance to reflect and learn about how we can best support our students. I would like to thank Miss Kath and her team for organising this opportunity for us all.
Illness
There is a lot of illness going through the school at the moment, and it is important to look after yourselves in times like this. Just a reminder that if a student, staff member, or volunteer tests positive for COVID, they are required to be away for a minimum of 5 days.
We all need to be vigilant to ensure we are not unnecessarily spreading germs around the school. I encourage all parents to keep sick kids at home and communicate with your class teacher if your child is sick.
Rex Minerals Visit
Rex Minerals visited the site in Week 7 to speak to Year 10 students about opportunities in the local area.
Thank you to Charlotte for supporting this in her lesson. Opportunities like this and the Doorways to Construction, which is held at Yorketown, ensure all students at CYS have the opportunities to follow their chosen career paths.
Recently, I have been speaking to outside service providers to look at implementing our own specialized trade learning opportunity here at CYS. Initial discussions have been exciting, and I am looking forward to sharing news with you very soon.
Basketball Court Upgrade
Soon you will see an upgrade to the netball and basketball court area near the pool and oval.
I have been working with the Governing Council, Ventia, and a construction group to create an upgraded play space for all students.
The upgrade will involve resurfacing the old court area to a high-tech AstroTurf surface suitable for basketball, netball, soccer, and hockey.
The design of the court will be multipurpose and provide community groups the opportunity to access the area and continue to engage with our school community. We expect this work to commence in Term 3 and to be completed by the end of the school year.
At CYS, we are constantly looking to upgrade our facilities and opportunities for our students. We love having community groups use and share our facilities. CYS is a place where our community can come together, so if your sporting group is interested in accessing our amazing facilities, please do not hesitate to contact us for a chat.
SAASTA achievements
Congratulations to Mrs. Schmidt and the SAASTA crew for their remarkable results at the Power Cup. They were awarded the Curriculum Excellence Award, and the girls’ team won the Football Award, going undefeated at the carnival. Unfortunately, the team didn’t make it onto Adelaide Oval on Thursday night, but everyone should be very proud of what has been achieved in SAASTA so far this year.
Reconciliation week
Well done to Miss Nixon and her team for their visit to the Maitland Hospital as part of Reconciliation Week. It sounds like a fantastic new connection has been built there and a great opportunity to link with our general capabilities and learner dispositions in the future.
During Reconciliation Week, Point Pearce hosted an excellent event for students in Year 2-10. Thank you to Miss Kath and the crew for hosting such a great and inclusive event. I can now say that I have tried kangaroo tail, and I had a great chance to meet some more local community members and also police staff who can support us in different areas. It was great seeing the kids engage in a range of different cultural activities.
Playgroup
I have enjoyed popping into Playgroup and seeing some of the fun and messy learning that has been happening. Alain has been providing some excellent activities for our youngest CYS community members and creating a safe and welcoming environment. It was so great to meet the mums and dads there last week.
With holidays coming up soon, I hope you all have a great break and some time away.
Best wishes,