2020 has been an extraordinarily different year which has often tested our resolve and resilience. I am so proud, that as a community we have been able to work together to overcome challenges. This has not only strengthened our relationships but created new opportunities for us to learn together to achieve common goals.

We greatly appreciate the ongoing support we have received from Mona, Red Cross, Parkside, PCYC, The Smith Family, TechnoBeat, Gagebrook Community Centre, Second Bite, Brighton Lions Club and The Federal Group. We certainly couldn’t do such    amazing things on a day to day basis without our amazing champions of the community.  As the old saying goes “It takes a village to raise a child “.  Thank you, we are so grateful.

We have continued to foster opportunities to build learning partnerships with our      families through programs such as LiL and LIFT under the wonderful guidance of Ms Field and Mrs McShane. We thank our wonderful families for working alongside us and embracing new technologies to engage in learning. 

Our Kitchen Garden program has had a strong focus on health and wellbeing. During the year our taste buds have been tantalized by delicious meals our students have prepared with produce from our Kitchen Garden Program.  Our cooking programs have also       provided an opportunity to foster leadership and entrepreneurial skills as students take on the responsibility of preparing menus, collating orders and serving restaurant-quality meals in a professional manner, to both staff and students.

This year we have continued to foster opportunities to enhance our students learning and have seen significant gain in student writing and reading. This has resulted in us building fantastic story tellers and writers and expressive readers. We have utilised such programs as Talk for Writing, Fountas and Pinnell intervention and Reading Doctor to engage all our students and ensure that we have an inspired and innovative learning community .

Our achievements in 2020 have resulted from quality teaching and learning, strong relationships and attention to our values as a community.  A continuation of these practices will enable Herdsmans Cove to further develop its status as an excellent school.

I would like to wish all students, staff and parents a safe and happy Christmas and a successful New Year.

Carolyn Brown, Principal