Dear mums, dads, carers and colleagues

Our school is relentless in its search for improvement in what we do.  The staff is committed to this and this week saw us continue our work.  You will hear 'We are here for learning' in classrooms at our school.  Our students know that 'Learning comes first' but for teachers, this purpose goes further.  Our teachers know that - We are here for learning and learning comes first.- and we focus on learning with all of the people, all of the time.  A number of events across the past week has clearly illustrated this.

Last Saturday, 12 teachers spent the day exploring new ways of working in the 'student inquiry' area - an area of learning and teaching towards which we will be focusing.  The teachers treated themselves to a very inspiring day with Trevor MacKenzie , an award-winning Canadian educator and author who is considered as one of the leaders in this area.

On Wednesday afternoon, staff were privileged to learn from Leah, a curriculum leader from LORDS in Ormeau.  Leah shared the work of her Year 1 team with us around Human Centred Design Learning. Essentially this involves students designing a solution to a real life problem people within our community experience. Their approach to addressing Australian Curriculum was heart warming and simply inspiring.

2019 Australian Education Awards

This weekend, two school staff are attending the Australian Education Awards dinner event in Sydney. and Coomera Rivers has been nominated for:

• Best professional learning program
• Best use of technology (second consecutive year)

It is an honour to be a finalist in these areas alongside other schools of considerable academic reputation.  Well done to us!  As I repeatedly explain to the students, winning is just a nice bonus.  It is representing our school that is the real honour.

We share what we learn with others

The iOnTheFuture Conference is Australia's premiere deeper learning event run by teachers, for teachers on site in NSW public schools. This event is not-for-profit with all profits funding teacher research scholarships.  Mrs Caswell has been invited to present to other teachers at the conference.  This is an incredible honour and she very much deserves this recognition.   

And finally this week, I would like to thank those teachers who welcomed teachers from Gilston State School into their classrooms.  Over the next few weeks, Mrs Comley, Miss King, Miss Reid, Miss Parker and Miss Bray will be opening their classrooms for their colleagues to experience life in a 1:1 classroom before their own school's digital journey launches in 2020.

Chinese Speaking competition

Coomera Rivers is represented by four very focused Year 5 & 6 students who have been working hard preparing for the Chinese Speaking Competition that is being held this weekend at the Gold Coast campus of Griffith University. The students have learned a speech,which will be presented in front of two judges. They have been working to perfect their Chinese intonation and pronunciation as well as their general presentation techniques. Good luck girls!

Safety at school

Much has been posted on Facebook in the past couple of weeks about student safety.  Coomera Rivers is committed to maintaining a safe and disciplined learning environment for everyone - young and old - and we do a great deal to build and maintain this.  You can help by:

• Discussing personal safety with your children often.  Access the Bravehearts website for information on how you can do this.  I am shocked and appalled to learn that, according to Bravehearts, 1 in 5 children experience some form of sexual harm before their 18th birthday.  We all need to act if this percentage is to reduce.
• Ensuring that your children are educated by you on how to travel to and from school.  Crossing roads is dangerous and requires your explicit teaching.
• Ensuring that your children's internet activity is supervised.  Knowing you are watching will encourage them to make better decisions.
• Knowing precisely what bullying is and isn't (Click here) and teach your children about the difference between conflict, meanness, nastiness and bullying.  Notify the school of anything that is concerning to you.
• Ensuring that dangerous objects never come to school.  If you cannot carry it around Westfield, it cannot come to school.  Serious consequences must apply if this is breached.  Safety can never be compromised.  
• Never approaching children (other than your own) regarding matters of conflict at school.  Kids will disagree and this is very normal.  Try putting three children in the backseat of the car and see how long it takes for something to happen.  Then imagine this multiplied by 400.  School staff are very good at managing these incidents.  If you become involved, you will make it worse than it needs to be, despite your best intentions.  If you are worried about something that has happened to your child, please contact their teacher and we will immediately intervene.  If you inform us we will respond - every time.  

Well done to everyone on another magnificent week at school.

Kind regards

Vic