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This term, I have had the pleasure of dropping in on rehearsals of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and if you are following the school’s Facebook page you would have seen cast profiles too. I am amazed at the hard work and talent of our singing, dancing and acting students in combination with the skill of the production team. While the sets are yet to come in and the stage will be built over the break, the run throughs of whole cast numbers promise a great show. ‘Charlie’ promises to be another great musical performance and maintain the history of this community event once again. The tickets are on sale and I invite you to book your seat while spaces are still available.
Last week I wrote to school families inviting them to consider a tax-deductible donation to the School’s Building Fund. This is an annual appeal. I have been greatly encouraged by the very generous response from families already and would like to encourage those considering contributing to partnering with us in this way, to consider what they can provide. Details on how you can donate are included in the letter and within the Newsletter.
Thanks to the generosity of our community in the past, money raised has been used across the school. Most recently Building Fund donations contributed to the construction of new shade structures at the bus bay and the Kindergarten Triangle playground area. These upgrades have helped improve the outdoor comfort and sun safety for our students in these areas. Generous past donations to our Building Fund have freed up other funds for further projects through the school.
This year, Building Fund donations will be directed to the ongoing improvement of school facilities including playground resources, refurbishment of toilet facilities and car park improvements to assist with traffic flow and increasing parking spaces. In the coming years, we look forward to the addition of new learning spaces and facilities.
As we approach the end of term, I wish to inform you that three of our long serving staff will be leaving William Carey. Mrs Heather Rushton has been a member of staff for 27 years, serving in our Uniform Shop and office. In fact, her association extends prior to this time, as a parent. Mrs Rushton will be retiring having seen the school and surrounding community change greatly over the past three decades. We wish her well in her retirement and thank her for her service to the school community.
Mrs Skye Russell is moving to a leadership position at Nepean Christian School as Director of Student Wellbeing. This is a well-deserved appointment, and I am sure that her experience, as a PDHPE teacher, coordinator of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, and Year Advisor, will benefit the students at her new school in the same way ours have, through her care and support.
Mrs Sylvia Morris is taking up a leadership position in the performing arts at Northholm Grammar School. Mrs Morris has been a passionate proponent of the dramatic arts, building a love of acting in younger students and guiding many senior students to gain outstanding results in their Drama HSC studies. I look forward to hearing of Mrs Morris’ ongoing work in the performing arts and educational leadership.
It is not usual to have changes such as these part way through the year, however, they are the result of changes in other schools earlier in the year. These staff changes will result in an adjustment in timetable allocations for the second half of the year. Such changes are not desirable, but I am thankful that we have staff who are qualified and experienced to take up these classes and planning has been put in place to minimise disruption for students.
As we enter the colder months, I wanted to kindly remind our school community about the increased impact of illnesses such as the flu and COVID. Please remember to keep unwell children at home and teach them the importance of good hygiene practices such as washing hands regularly and covering coughs. We all want to ensure that we feel well for the remaining weeks of term and the upcoming holidays.
God bless,
Mr Keith McMullen
Principal
