Dear Families,

Welcome to our first official school newsletter for 2025! These are sent out in weeks 3, 6 & 9 of every term to keep you informed about important happenings at our school. We thank you all for taking the time to read them as we enjoy sharing all of the amazing accomplishments of our school. We have had so many new families join us this year from all over the world. We welcome you and hope you are settling into our community.

Community Welcome Evening: A Fantastic Turnout!
What an incredible night we had at our Community Welcome Evening! It was heartwarming to see so many families onsite, connecting with each other and with the many organisations that support our school. A huge thank you to our amazing P&C for running the barbecue, your efforts always bring our community together. Our Student Parliament also stepped up, offering free face painting, which was a huge hit with our younger students.

The evening was a wonderful opportunity to highlight some of our most successful community partnerships. The support we receive from local businesses, services, and volunteers is invaluable, and we are so grateful for the role they play in enriching our students’ learning experiences. On behalf of our teachers, we hope you found the information sessions informative and clear. We look forward to sharing more with you across the year!

Supporting Language Comprehension at Home
At Charles Weston School, our Student Centred Improvement Plan is focused on one key goal: All learners will improve their language comprehension.

Our teachers are deeply engaged in this work, taking a closer look at vocabulary and background knowledge across all subject areas to help students strengthen their understanding and improve learning outcomes.

• How can you support this at home? Here are a few simple but powerful ways:
  Explore new words together: if your child encounters an unfamiliar word, talk about what it means.
• Use it in context: try incorporating the word into everyday conversation.
• Discuss facts and concepts: chat about the Units of Inquiry your child is exploring at school.
• Find connections: link new words to familiar ideas to make learning more meaningful.

Leading the Way in Strong Foundations
The ACT Government’s Strong Foundations implementation plan is well underway at Charles Weston School, and we are proud to be leading in this space. Our systematic approach to phonics ensures consistency and progression in learning across all year levels:
✅ Kindergarten – Year 2: Decodable Readers Australia
✅ Years 3 – 6: SpellEx

These evidence informed approaches provide a clear and structured pathway for all students, ensuring they develop strong literacy skills that will serve them well throughout their schooling.

A Huge Thank You to Our P&C!
I want to take a moment to acknowledge the incredible work of our P&C. Through their fundraising efforts and generous donations, they have significantly enriched our learning environment. One of their most exciting contributions has been the design and development of our outdoor classroom, a fantastic space that will support cultural integrity and learning for our students.

We always welcome more parents to get involved! Whether you’re new to the community or have been with us for a while, there’s a place for you. You can join the committee, help out at specific events, or support in other ways, every little bit makes a difference!

Save the Date: P&C Annual General Meeting
Wednesday, 26 March
⏰ 6:15 pm
School Library

If you’re interested in being part of something special, please come along! We’d love to see more parents step up and be part of this wonderful team.

Student Parliament – Our Young Leaders in Action
Last week, we proudly presented our new Student Parliament members with their badges at a special assembly. They have taken their roles seriously from the start and have already begun drafting Bills to improve our school community. I am confident that they will be an outstanding leadership body, representing the voices of their peers and making a meaningful impact throughout the year.

Parent Portal

We use the Parent Portal to communicate with parents and carers. Through Parent Portal, you can:

• get push notifications when your child's teachers post to the newsfeed
• let us know if your child is sick or explain an absence
• book parent-teacher interviews
• receive academic reports and the school newsletter
• make payments
• access our school’s calendar and your child’s student timetable.

You can access Parent Portal on a web browser or through the Sentral for Parents app, available wherever you download your apps.

For our new families, you should have received an access code and registration link recently. You need an ACT Digital Account to register. Information on how to register is on the Education Directorate’s website.

If you have any questions or would like us to resend you your access code and registration link, please contact the front office.

Thank you for your continued support, we look forward to another fantastic term of learning and community engagement!

Warm regards,
Maz Smith
Principal, Charles Weston School