Dear Parents and Caregivers

P&F FUNDRAISING
Due to the enormous efforts of our dedicated P&F fundraising initiatives and the wonderful Liwara community who support all their planned events in 2022, we have: 1) Recently installed new backboards and nets on all the basketball and netball poles in the courts. 2) I am currently receiving quotes for air conditioning units that will be installed in the Music and Instrumental Tutorial rooms.  3) Mrs Evans is coordinating the new buddy bench and getting our students involved in choosing the colours and design for the bench as well as helping to decide on where the students think the best position for it is. 4) It was also decided on at the P&F meeting that some of the fundraising money from 2022 will be put towards the upgrading of the oval, our students favourite play area, now that the works on the bore and pump are being attended to. We have recently had the  redevelopment and recommissioning of the groundwater production bore.  Mr Ridout was very excited when the oval sprinklers began to almost double the distance they sprayed, once the bore had been recommissioned and the loan pump put in.

SCHOOLS UPGRADE FUND – TARGETED ROUND
I shared the good news with those present at the P&F meeting on Tuesday evening about the amount of $65,000 which has now been deposited into our school bank account.  Anne Aly was instrumental in securing us the total of $65K through her endorsement of Liwara as part of the 2022 Schools Upgrade Fund.  These funds will be going solely towards the extension of the recently installed playground on the oval. I will be convening a meeting soon with all interested parties to begin working on a design for the new playground.  We will send out a Microsoft form for parents to fill in if you are interested in coming along to join other community members in the first stages of planning.  If you are keen to be involved it is important you fill in the form as it will determine where we hold the meeting.

PARENT/TEACHER INTERVIEWS
Parent-Teacher interviews are coming up soon and we will be finishing the school day at 12.00pm on Thursday 30 March for parents to have the opportunity to meet with class teachers to discuss your child’s Interim Report and early progress.  Class teachers will be sending out separate information to each of their families to schedule times to meet.  We ask that children are picked up at 12.00pm on Thursday 30 March to allow teachers half an hour to have their lunch before beginning interviews.  If your child is booked into OSCH on Thursday 30 March they will be supervised by staff and dropped to the OSHC centre at 3.00pm.

NAPLAN
This week our Year 3 and Year 5 students were involved in the annual NAPLAN assessment.  This national testing assesses literacy and numeracy skills and allows parents and caregivers to see how their child is progressing against national standards and over time.  NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process and it provides additional information to teachers and parents about each child’s educational progress.

HARMONY DAY
On Tuesday 21 March we come together to celebrate Harmony Day and the children are encouraged to wear an orange accessory from home on the day.  Harmony Day was created in 1999 to celebrate unity and diversity and is celebrated worldwide by reflecting on the ways we can live in harmony with our neighbours, regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances.  Since Harmony Day was initiated there have been over 55,000 events held, worldwide.  Harmony Day this year is being coordinated by our Special Events Ministry, their mentor teachers, Mrs Biggar & Mrs Dawe and Mrs Shilkin, one of our HASS coordinators who have been planning some special activities to mark this celebration.  The students are asked to wear orange accessories and each class will be participating in a special activity to mark this celebration.  Our Junior Primary classes have also been learning a special song to mark the day which they will be sharing with the rest of the school.

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF HAPPINESS
Monday 20 March is International Day of Happiness: The theme this year is ‘Be Mindful.  Be Grateful. Be Kind’.  By tuning in to your feelings, looking for what’s good and sharing kindness you can nurture yourself and help make things better day by day.  There are lots of big and worrying issues in our world right now.  We can’t always change what is happening, but we can choose how we respond. We can do more to create a happier and kinder world when we connect with others and unite together.

I wish you God’s blessings for the coming week.

Andrea Millar