Dear Parents and Carers 

Welcome to this edition of The Wonga Bonnoo for Term 3.

Can you believe that we are already two weeks into the term!   The students across the school have settled back into school extremely well and I want to say a big ‘thank you’ to parents that managed to get their children back into the school routine, uniforms looking smart and tidy, and haircuts after the chilling out of the holidays – thank you! 
 
As I said in my welcome back video, this term is action packed and you can see from our Facebook, Instagram and our newsletter the fantastic activities that have already taken place.  I had morning tea with our three students that went on the service learning trip to Samoa to get their thoughts and insights.  They had much to tell!  They commented on the trip being so worthwhile and how much they learnt about the Samoan Culture.  The trip wasn’t without some challenges as our students went with other students from Anglican Schools around Australia and the first time they met each other was at the airport in Sydney!!  It was clear this trip was character building and changed their lives and insights into another culture.  The relationships they developed with the staff and students of All Saint’s in Samoa and the other students from ASC Schools was priceless.  I was so proud of our students and yet again a demonstration of how well our students present themselves.  Well done!

Halls Head Primary School have been busy in the bush planting trees. What a wonderful sight to see so many students planting trees.  You may have noticed that they are looking after another bush space around the campus and they have great plans to name this space.  It is a beautiful space and I simply love seeing students full of joy exploring their natural surroundings.  Our students love of nature and sustainability is impressive. We have been awarded the accreditation of being a WasteSorted School, demonstrating our commitment to reducing waste and looking after our environment. Over the coming weeks we will see more trees being planted across the school and more demonstrations of our commitment to reducing waste.  How lucky we are. 

When I visit different activities around the campuses, I feel such excitement and wonder at what the students are doing and how much they enjoy it. While we are always continuing improving how we teach and what we teach, I can see great demonstrations of students immersed in the adventure of learning and I love it. I have shared with students the need to set their goals for this term and semester and I encourage them to work hard on achieving their goals with the teachers and their families help. I want to give a big shoutout to the staff and students for really getting into Term 3 with enthusiasm and joy.   

You may have heard the quote “standing on the shoulders of giants” by Isaac Newton. This quote refers to the people that have come before us, their standards, progress and achievements. Who we are today needs appreciation of those who have come before us.  Students of Frederick Irwin Anglican School are well known in the community for their manners, confidence, demonstration of our values, hard work, effort and for their pride in our school in how well they represent the school and smartly wear the uniform – these things matter and sets them up well for their lives after school. We have much to be grateful for and to celebrate as a community.  We are all part of the fabric of this wonderful school and I feel extremely thankful to lead it. 

God bless
Tracey Gray
Principal - Halls Head & Meadow Springs