What a fortnight it has been here at Havenview Primary School. Over the last week, we have been immersed in pink – pink clothes, pink hair, pink cupcakes, popcorn and a Pink Disco – all in support of Pinktober for the McGrath Foundation. I would like to express my gratitude to our Student Council, with support from Ms Maartensz for their dedication in organising and running these events for our students. We raised an incredible $210 for the McGrath Foundation, which again shows our communities willingness to go ‘above and beyond’ for others in need.

On Tuesday this week, we also enjoyed a visit from cartoonist Jeff “Joffa” Taylor who along with showing students how to draw cartoons worked with them to increase their resilience and support their understanding of, and benefits of having a growth mindset.

Dream Big business visits are still happening this term – with our students heading to a veterinary clinic and mechanic workshop. Next week some of our students will find out more about becoming an actor. I acknowledge and thank Allison and Burnie Works for their hard work in organising these visits. I believe all students have learnt heaps about possible career pathways.

PAT testing is almost complete for our students for 2023. This is one of the important ways in which we acquire the data that will inform our planning to ensure we are meeting the learning needs of all our students. I huge thank you to all teachers for their flexibility and adaptability in timetabling this testing and to Mrs Fenton for her leadership in this area. 

Friday’s Student Free Day gave our staff the opportunity to complete some important Professional Learning. We completed another session organised by DECYP with the Australian Childhood Foundation on trauma-informed practice called  ‘It starts with us: Using Co-regulation to support students.’  This learning fluently led into a review of our Whole School Agreed Inclusive Practices document. We mapped how the Zones of Regulation, Berry Street Education Model and trauma informed practices all work together to address the requirements of this document. Staff also reviewed our Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey data which will be used to inform our Annual Review and 2024 School Improvement Plan.

It is hard to believe that we are now heading into Week 5 of our final term for 2023, but here we are. And as we all know, things do not slow down from here, so please keep an eye out for relevant information regarding upcoming events. It’s sure getting exciting!