Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Last week our Heads of Department and other school leaders had a professional development day with a focus on wellbeing, integrity and teaching and learning. The day culminated in all 26 members conducting learning walks across the school. Travelling in teams of three the leaders looked to see evidence of teaching and learning expectations at PBC. Following this was a discussion on what are our next steps as a team to develop the practises of teachers to better improve the learning experience for students.

Thank you to the 652 parents who responded to the survey I sent in regard to the Monday afternoon timetable change this year. Something I would like to clarify is that no scheduled learning time was lost in the early finish. The additional lesson was a rotational one occurring due to the cluster day sports model that we now participate in. Over the last two years we have had high number so students either not attending on the days this lesson occurred or they would sign out half way through the day. Tracking this year shows that Wednesday and Monday attendance have both improved and there is a significant reduction in early departures so actually less learning time is being lost with the new model. Many parents commented on the improved balance their children have as a result and it was interesting to see how families are using the time. 10% indicated that they didn’t feel their student was using the time well on Monday afternoons and a similar number of students reported this also. I would encourage you to have your child access the many options that are available on Mondays including free access to paid tutors as well as literacy and numeracy intervention. We will explore some additional options for 2023 including some physical activity/sport as this was a popular suggestion for another alternative. Teachers indicated they were grateful for the time to plan and analyse data with their peers to improve the learning experience for students.

Our International Student program is back and running as our borders are open. We are potentially short 10 homestay positions for 2023. If you have a room to spare in your home and would like to receive $320 a week to board a senior school age international student for a longer term placement of 6 – 12 months please visit our International page on the PBC website. What a great cultural opportunity for both the students and your family so please consider seriously.

You may have noticed works have begun on a $10.6 million sports hall that will be near our tennis courts. The design meeting occurred last week and it will certainly change the look of our oval.

Please note this Friday, 2 September, is a student free day. 

Enjoy the rest of this edition of our newsletter.

Anita Sgalippa,
Acting Executive Principal