Fete success

What a fete we had! A huge thank you to Olivia Gordon and the fete committee for planning and coordinating an outstanding event for our community. Thank you to the staff who supported prior and on the day. We couldn’t have done this with out you all.

To the parents who cooked chips, helped man the stalls and twirled the fairly floss we are so grateful. I would also like to thank Lauren Aitkin for her contacts with the local farms and strong relationships resulting in approximately ten bins of produce donated to the fete.

Dave Clark her dad a legend on the forklift. So many people to thank and where to start. We acknowledge the amazing farmers in the community and the beautiful produce all donated. A highlight and strong fundraiser on the day. It was amazing to see the whole Bowen community supporting our school. We have received lots of positive feedback and the careful thought into the various activities and entertainment made for an outstanding day. The day was extremely financial for the P&C with the funds raised exceeding $19 000.

DG visit

Last week I was contacted by Helen the ARD to inform me that our school will be one of three schools receiving a visit from Tony Cook the Director General of Education. Tony is looking to come and see the work in high performing schools and Bowen State was identified by Helen. We are so proud of the current work around “Marker Students” and ensuring that no student goes backwards in their learning.  Tony Cook will be visiting with Lyal Giles the Regional Executive Director and Helen McCulloch the ARD. We will be visiting our data room, historical class and two classrooms. I am so proud of the lift in our school, the pride and collective belief that we can improve outcomes for all our students.

Snap lock down in the south east

Recently we have seen the impact on schools and learning on the South East due to the impact of COVID 19. Our region has guided us through some professional development around what would happen if we went back into a snap lock down or remote learning. Our school has reflected on what worked well and your feedback around this from 2020. We have met as a leadership team to unpack the planning required to ensure we can communicate quickly with families and have information on what remote learning could look like.

Shortly we will be revising the practices we used last year during remote learning with staff. I want to let families know that we are working hard behind the scenes to ensure Bowen State is ready for a snap lock down if this was to occur and that we have a plan to support families. In the event of restricted access to school or school closure we will contact families and communicate the plan for remote learning. Staff will have the plan shortly in draft format. We want to ensure all families and staff are ready for this event if it was to occur.

Looking forward to sharing more great stories around the teaching and learning this term. Until next fortnight have a great couple of weeks.