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LAWRENCEAREA SCHOOLCommunity Newsletter 14th March 2013

No 3

Dear Parents and Friends of the School

Ho

lly

Wilson

Holly

Wa

ttAs you will know we as a school were recently reviewed by the Education Review Office.

This was a full review e.g. it looked at all aspects of the schools operations seeking to answerthe following question: How effectively is your schools curriculum promoting student

learning - engagement, progress and achievement?

Three reviewers; Russell Wallace, Jane Lee and Janet Pereira spent four days carrying out avery professional and in depth review. The Board have been presented with emergingfindings which are confidential until the finalised review is published in approximately eightweeks. What can be written at this point is that the Board received very positive informationacknowledging the schools successes and progress made since the 2010 review.

As part of the 2013 Annual Plan an initiative that is already underway is goal setting with

students. This for students is a tough task as they often (as we as adults do) set too lofty agoal, too long term. We are working with students to set goals that are measurable andachievable in the short term.

Goals will be related to key competencies:

Managing Selfe.g. My goal is to complete my homework on time

Participating and Contributing e.g. My goal is to organise and run a successful fundraiser forchildhood cancer

Relating to others e.g. My goal is to introduce myself confidently to visitors to class

Thinking e.g. My goal is to write information in my own words when researching

Language, symbols and texts e.g. My goal is to use capital letters to start sentencesGoals will be age appropriate, will be shared with parents, will complement next stepsgoals set in reports, and goals in personal learning plans.To be successful students will need feedback, from home as well as school. We plan toreview and therefore renew goals each term and hope that success breeds success.

Mixed in with ERO visit were two major annual events; athletics at Roxburgh and SwimmingChampionships. Year 7-13 students travelled to Roxburgh for what proved to be a verysuccessful day of athletics. This interschool event also fosters enduring friendships basedaround competition and challenge. The big challenge this year was the heat. It wasroasting. This did not deter students, who completed hard then sought shade between

events. Conduct and participation were both outstanding making this a very enjoyableday. All students performed to their very best. Liam, Nadia, Hannah, Merran, and Joshqualified to compete at the Otago Secondary Schools Athletics Championships held onSaturday.

The Junior School Swim Carnival was held at Waitahuna on 21st February. Our youngeststudents Yr 0-3 had a wonderful day enjoying in a raft of swimming/water activities.Waitahuna as ususal were great hosts and we send our thanks to them.Yr 4-13 students from Waitahuna and Lawrence had a very noisy day cheering on swimmerson Friday 1st March. Competition between Read and Woods was robust and loud. Woodshad a number of new chants to encourage their competitors and disparage others. All

however was good hearted rivalry. There were many excellent races and fine individualperformances. Woods, yet again, won the premier event, the interhouse relay. We wouldlike to thank the many helpers and supporters. We would like to especially thank Cara andher pool staff for their excellent help. For those of you with a sense of history Mr Jeff Howellwas again the centre of attention as he broadcast announcements through the day.

Kind RegardsJohn Auld

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