Congratulations to the Winners of the Learner Dispositions award of Curious.

Class Placements 

Preparations are well underway for 2025. We are still receiving enrolments and awaiting confirmation of non-returning students. As in previous years, our draft structures include several mixed-age classes. When structuring the school, we prioritise student needs, maximise teacher collaboration, and consider budgetary requirements. 

All classes, whether mixed-age or single-age, consist of students with a range of abilities and needs. Our teachers are well-equipped to cater to these differences, utilising developmental grouping and differentiation within and across classes to ensure all students are supported. There are many social and emotional benefits for students working with peers of different ages. Research shows that students are not disadvantaged by being in a mixed-age class. With the extensive collaborative planning at Mullaloo Heights, we ensure that students across the school follow the Western Australian Curriculum for their year level.

Class Placement Requests are a courtesy extended to the school community, allowing parents to provide important information for consideration when placing their children in classes for the coming year. This may include details about peer relationships that could impact learning. Requests for specific teachers will not be considered. The attached Class Placement Policy outlines the criteria for considering all parent requests and the process for organizing classes for 2025. Please send all information to me in writing by no later than Friday, 22nd November 2024. Email your information to Trudy.Jones@education.wa.edu.au. In fairness to all, late requests will not be considered. 

Mural Community Painting Day 

As part of our Indigenous Cultural Awareness initiative at Mullaloo Heights, students have been collaborating with Narelle Henry to deepen their understanding of our environment, particularly the flora and fauna around the school, and to learn about their significance from an Indigenous perspective. 

Kerise Delcoure, a fellow parent and artist, has been conducting workshops with the students to help them represent our local flora and fauna through a mural, which will be painted on the chicken coop. Kerise is excited to host a Community Art Day on Saturday 23rd November from 9am to 12pm. 

We warmly invite all families to join us in creating this mural in our Environmental Garden. If you are able to participate, please call the office to book a time. Spaces are limited, so be sure to secure your preferred time slot quickly. 

I look forward to working with you on this exciting project! 

Public School Review:  

Last term, our school participated in its Public-School Review, reflecting on our performance against the Public-School Standard. I am pleased to report that the review was extremely positive. Our strengths in developing and maintaining relationships within the school and with parents and the community were acknowledged, along with our commitment to collaboration, consistent and connected practice, and rigorous data analysis. It was noted that Visible Learning is embedded across the school and is having a positive impact on student achievement and progress. We are excited to continue building on these successes and striving for even greater achievements in the future. The full report can be read on our website.

Mullaloo Heights Primary School

The School Board was fortunate to be invited to have dinner at Parliament House this week.  It was a wonderful evening which included a tour which and a delicious meal. Special thank you to Caitlin Collins for inviting us. 

In planning for 2025, we have three parent representative positions available, one for one year and two positions for two years.  If you wish to nominate yourself as a parent representative, please email Trudy.Jones@education.wa.edu.au by 4 pm on Friday 22nd November. 

Reporting to Parents: 

The Department has provided clarification on the requirements for end-of-semester reports. In light of this information, we have completed a comprehensive review of our school’s assessment and reporting plan. This review included consultation with staff, the workload advisory committee, and the School Board. 

The end-of-semester report will now include grades for all subjects and sub-strands, along with an overall teacher comment written by the class teacher. There will no longer be subject-specific comments in the reports. As always, teachers will notify parents if there is a grade change from the previous report and indicate if an interview is required. 

Parents can book meetings with teachers to discuss their child’s progress by emailing the teacher directly. Additionally, parents are notified of the learning focus for each week via the Memo, which is now sent out on Friday afternoons. Specialist Teachers are also providing a termly Memo to inform parents about the content they are teaching.