This edition, we shift our focus to highlight some of the adults in our school. This past week has been SASS Week (School Administrative and Support Staff). We paid tribute to our invaluable staff and acknowledged how integral they are to the school community. We simply couldn't do what we do without them, and we know that every single thing they do is to enhance the education and lives of our students. 

Thank you, Caroline, Kris, Kish, Ella, Gary and Lou! 

In our ongoing pursuit of excellence in teaching and learning, our teaching staff have also been participating in on-the-job professional development. 

One critical strategy for learning is to share best practice models. We were fortunate to be invited to view some demonstration lessons by Australian Education and Research Organisation (AERO) Explicit Teaching expert, Jeanette 'Frosty' Frost.  It was a great opportunity to see theory in practice and gain insights into a selection of possible strategies to best meet the needs of every student. It also provided a great reflective moment to appreciate that we are already using so many effective practices as part of our daily routines at Bobs Farm PS. 

We thank Wirreanda PS and Frosty for their ongoing collaboration in ensuring that public school students consistently receive the highest quality teaching and learning in Australia. 

Students have engaged in a range of different learning opportunities this past fortnight, including an athletics focus in our Sporting Schools sessions and learning the factors to consider when building survival structures. 

Congratulations once again to Ella, who has continued to represent the school in a range of extra-curricular activities. Ella hotly contested the Port Stephens & Callahan Zones Public Speaking competition, wowing the judges and entertaining the audience with her speech on running. The eventual winner was from Maryland PS. We hope you're proud of the way you conducted yourself, Ella, and feel satisfied knowing you gave an outstanding performance. Well done!

We also farewelled our visiting Chinese student, Zilou and his family. It was a wonderful experience to host them and make connections with people from a different culture.  We know Zilou enjoyed experiencing a totally different lifestyle and education system. 

This week, we are initiating an exciting community event where families and students will collaborate on a design for a new school shirt. Jill from BME Clothing Group will be hosting a workshop to facilitate the design process. Please join us for Breakfast Club to be a part of this historic opportunity! If you can't make it, you will still have a chance to be involved. Your child will bring home a design template that you can use to share your ideas with us. Please see your email for details. 

As we edge towards the end of another term, we continue our goal to lead the Port Stephens network in daily school attendance. Let's finish with a bang and hopefully crack 100% attendance every day for a week! 

Mrs Baxter