2024 Term 2 Week 10 Newsletter

Principal's Message

Hello Families, 

Wow! Just like that half of 2024 has flown by! That means that this week, students' semester reports were distributed. These reports reflect the evidence of learning, skills, and knowledge that your child has demonstrated this semester. Across the school, significant work has been undertaken to ensure consistent teacher judgments are evident across year levels. I would like to thank our dedicated teachers for their diligence in providing parents with this valuable information. Should you have any queries regarding your child's report, please contact your child's teacher via email or SeeSaw to schedule a time for discussion. Looking ahead, Student Led Conferences are scheduled for early Term 3, offering your child the chance to share their work and learning journey with you. Keep an eye out for our Term 3 calendar to mark these important dates in your diaries.

The end of this semester also marks a farewell to Ms Sharron Allwood, who will be embarking on a two-year study leave. We thank Ms Sharron for her care and dedication to many of our Alyangula Area School students and families over the years and wish her all the best in her studies. Additionally, we recently said goodbye to Ms. Sue McCulloch, who worked with us as Classroom Support for the majority of Term 2. Sue was a valuable member of our team, loved by staff and students alike. We thank Sue for her time with us and wish her well on her year of travel ahead.

This week, our Year 7 and 8 students had an amazing opportunity to take a 40-minute scenic tour of Anindilyakwa country by air to conclude their unit on "Our Community, Our Culture." A big thank you to GEBIPCAC for facilitating the On-Country learning program and creating this unforgettable experience for our students.

Our Senior Years students also had the opportunity to complete their White Card training last Friday with a visiting trainer. The White Card training is essential for anyone looking to work in the construction industry, as it ensures that individuals understand safety requirements and protocols. Thanks to our senior years teachers and Ms Sarah for organising this valuable training.

This past week has seen significant activity in the fire-affected building of our school. Specialised cleaners and hygienists have been onsite, working to clean and restore classrooms and materials impacted by the fire earlier this term. Some items have perished or been declared toxic and need to be disposed of, while others can be salvaged and cleaned. We appreciate everyone's patience as we reorder, replace, and rebuild.

We are pleased to welcome Ms. Chantelle Wheaton to our teaching team for Semester 2. Chantelle and her partner are currently traveling and will arrive in Groote before the commencement of Term 3. Chantelle will be the new teacher for T/1H, which will be known as T/1W for Semester 2. Additionally, we welcome Zane Smith to the Alyangula Area School staff. Zane has been working in Angurugu during Term 2 and will join us in Week 4 to support student wellbeing and engagement across our school.

We are still in the process of recruiting a Science Teacher for next term and will keep you updated on this progress.

As we lead into our mid-semester break, I would like to thank our school community for their support, wish everyone a safe and relaxing three-week break, and remind you all that Day 1 of Term 3 (Monday, 15 July) is a Curriculum Day. School resumes for all students on Tuesday, 16 July.

Have a great break, and we look forward to seeing you all in Term 3!

Mel Dougherty
Principal

Award Winners

In the Classroom

Term 2 has been a big Term for 7/8M. We have been studying hard but also adding some extra projects on the side. There were two particular initiatives that we got involved in - the Mother’s Day Markets and ‘100 Skips A Day for Cancer in May’. 

We held a Mother’s Day Market Stall, organised and run by Amahlia, Clare, Eden, Ella and Lilly. The proceeds from our food items and bracelets were donated to the Red Rose Foundation - a charity who supports those who have been affected by domestic violence. Thanks to the support of the residents of Groote Eylandt, we were able to donate $221 to this great cause.

Each school day in May, the whole of 7/8M headed outside to complete 100 skips - many students did far more than this! At the beginning, most of our skipping skills were a bit rusty. Our skills improved significantly by the end of the month, and we were confident enough to try some individual, partner and group tricks! Students replied to those who donated via our Facebook page, with many Alyangula Area School community members supporting us with a financial donation to the Cancer Council. Our final official skip tally was 33 993 skips (which didn’t include any tricks we worked on or skips we did on the big skipping rope!) and we were able to raise $487 for the Cancer Council. 

Community News!!