A week of wins and challenges

What a week it's been...

It started late last Sunday afternoon when my work phone suddenly rang and seven excited kids were screaming down the phone at me about having won the Tournament of Minds at regional level. This was a totally unexpected result since it was our first entry ever and poor Danae (our Talent Development teacher) was tearing her hair out about props that hadn't been made and lines that hadn't been learned. The result was so unexpected that much to the delight of the children and their parents she burst into tears - and is now planning on winning the State Final in two weeks! I just love aspiration and high expectations!

By now, all Year 3, 5 and 7 students will have received their NAPLAN reports for 2014. On Tuesday I received an email from the North Coast Region congratulating us on the achievement and improvement of our students. Apparently we are punching well above our weight and matching or exceeding some of the best schools in the nation. I don't know about that - I'm just happy that each and every child is learning.

Our school Athletics Team went off to Districts on Wednesday. Seven kids have qualified for the District Team to compete at Regional Trials - and overall we came third! Not bad for a young school with relatively small cohorts for each year level. Cam, our PE teacher, was beaming from ear to ear (there's a not so quiet but friendly rivalry between PE teachers at Districts). Even better was the continual comments he received about how good our kids looked in their athletics singlets (Pete Ashenden from Live Well Pharmacy in the Springs Shopping Centre bought these for us). When kids look good, they are proud, and pride often translates into great behaviour and achievement.

And then, Friday was our annual Book Week Assembly - without a doubt the best Assembly of the year. Pete's Play has become an institution and this year's theme was precious - read a book and pass it on, track your book through Facebook and see where around the world it goes. From Assembly this week six new books have gone out into the world.

The Assembly was full of colour, costumes, laughs and mishaps. I'm not sure there is any school anywhere in which a teacher would encourage 820 children to get up and dance and then expect them all to sit down on cue - not once, but seven times! But our kids can. I never cease to be amazed at how they have learned to engage and have fun - and know when its time to stop.

EVERYONE dresses up - and the costumes are fabulous - especially the handmade ones. Simon (Year 3 teacher) always writes a song. This year's version of Kermit the Frog's Rainbow Connection sung perfectly by Ellie was stuck in our heads all day.

And to top a week of wins and participation off 15 students spent their Sunday at the University of the Sunshine Coast for the Japanese Speaking Contest and it was gold medals for Year 4 and the Junior Open and a Commendation for Year 4.

The week hasn't been without its challenges - in a school community that houses nearly 1000 people every day of the week there are always things to work on - relationships to mend, procedures to fix, improvements to be made.

On the whole though, I think we are making a pretty good fist of being a school to be proud of - proud to attend it, proud to send our kids to it, proud to work in it.. and for me, proud to lead it.