From The Principal Week 7 Term 4

Celebrations are in full swing at St Andrew’s School and it has been a wonderful fortnight of community and celebrating success- Mukamukarrinthi, one of our four value pillars. With less than two weeks to go before the end of term, there are more opportunities, events and celebrations.

Last Friday night we held the official opening of the Tarrkarri Building. While we have been utilising this facility for three terms, it was only in Term 4 that we held the official opening. This enabled Luke Ritchie, our new Principal for 2023, to join us, but also allowed us to share this important event with our community without COVID restrictions.

While the formal occasion was essential and perfectly orchestrated, it was the celebration and bringing our community together which highlighted the special place that St Andrew’s is. Professor Toby Coates, one of our guest speakers, spoke of his time here and his best friend, who he met in the 1970s, still being his best friend. Then, when his daughter attended in the late 1990s, the friends she made at St Andrew's are still her close friends to this day. The bonds our children make in primary school are bonds for life. The ability to continue those connections when high school starts, and often at different schools, provides friendship opportunities beyond their high school friends.

Additionally, we also celebrate our NAPLAN results. As a school we pay little attention to the actual test, but rather, it is the education, learning, opportunities, support, and teaching through all their primary years, that ensure our children can excel in tests such as NAPLAN. We don’t teach to a test, we teach for life, providing children with the best education we can. We don’t look for our NAPLAN ranking, but, when advised of our results, we thank our teachers for all the work they do. St Andrew’s topped the state in both the Year 3 and the Year 5 NAPLAN results. In fact, we have done this on many occasions and were advised that we also hold the highest 5-year average, for rankings in South Australia.

This week I will also be looking forward to celebrating;

• JP Carols Night this evening,
• Year 6 Graduation on Friday evening,
• Year 4 Market Day on Friday and Monday and

Next week we have;

• ELC Christmas Picnic and Carols on Tuesday evening, and,
• Final Assembly on Wednesday

Speech Night will once again be held at the Town Hall. This was such a significant and special place for our end of year event, and we are so pleased to be able to return there in 2022. While this is for our Year 3-6 children to showcase some of our highest level of musical ensembles, bands or choirs, it is also a formal occasion to farewell the 2022 school year and present our new Student Leadership group to our School community. This year, we may also have additional tickets available for our R-2 families, if you would like to see what the special evening entails for your child in the future. If you would like to be placed on a future list for this event, please email Jo Sanders.

It has been an absolute joy to welcome Luke Ritchie to our School community this last fortnight. He has made himself very visible to all stakeholders of the School, ensuring that his conversations with children, staff, parents and all members of the community will provide him with the information he needs, to continue to lead our school through the next phase of being one of Australia’s leading independent specialist early years and primary schools. His official welcome to St Andrew’s School will certainly be a key event in the 2023 School Calendar.

Wishing everybody a lovely weekend with beautiful sunshine.

Cathie Egarr
Interim Principal