With only 232 days until Christmas and 52 until the end of Term 2, it’s hard to believe how fast this year is going. Isn’t it always?

The new school council has met twice so far and with our new members (Paul Wallace, Nic Schijf, Jodie Palmer, Richard Lewis and Paul Coia), the council is fully engaged with the work in front of us. At our last meeting in April, the Council adopted the budget for 2016 based on final enrolment figures from the department. We also received the Annual Report which will be presented to parents at the Annual General Meeting at a date to be announced. For this year’s AGM, we have invited Wayne Craig to speak to parents about the work the teachers have been engaged in on ‘curiosity and Powerful Learning’. Wayne Craig is leading a nation-wide project through the Myer Foundation, which is focused on school improvement inclusive of universities and schools collaborating and engaging with the latest research and improving teacher practice. From what we have seen already in some classes, it is changing how teachers teach and how we engage students with learning. This is a great opportunity for parents to learn more about current educational practice and research.

Simon Normand’s sculptured landscape, Kaan Winya, is nearly complete and will be officially opened on 18 May. It features a mosaic by the Grade 6 art project as it’s centrepiece. We hope to have a local elder perform a smoking ceremony to celebrate this unique feature of our school’s grounds.

Having completed that project, Buildings & Grounds will move onto the next project in the Grounds Master Plan. It’s terrific to see the community’s extraordinary fundraising success translated into tangible outcomes. There’s some great stuff in the pipeline about which it’s too early to report. Watch this space!

Speaking of fundraising, I’m delighted that Tali Ross and Doug Galbraith are returning with a 2016 Music Trivia Night on 18 June 2016. If you were there last  year (or if you just heard about it) you’ll be there this year!