May 21st

Dear NPS Families

Last Thursday our Real Schools consultant, Jemma Rust, visited for the day to work in classrooms with class teachers to model various types of 'circles' that support a strong focus on learning within the school environment.  It was a pleasure to observe Jemma's work with our students, and we are especially proud of our students' engagement with this work. Teachers continued the learning with an after school Professional Learning session. 

Thank you to the small group of parents/carers who attended the information session with Jemma. The interactive discussions were very valuable for families, and Jess Bennett and I certainly gained a lot from these conversations.

The links below will give you an overview of the work we will be engaging in with Real Schools throughout 2025-2027. The second link will build on the information within the quote below about the types of 'circles' and why these are important within the school context. 

"Circles predominately work for one reason - the absence of a power position. Participants sit in a circular formation, symbolising equality and shared responsibility. This provides a platform for open communication, active listening, and collaborative problem solving, free from hierarchical power dynamics'.(Voigt, A., Restoring Teaching: How working restoratively unleashes the teacher within. 2024)

At the conclusion of our Real Schools partnership, our intended outcome is to have this work embedded as a part of the Norwood PS way of working. 

Neo-Cortex Versus Limbic System | Parent Portal | Real Schools

Circle Architecture | Parent Portal | Real Schools

CROSS COUNTRY

Tomorrow we will be running our whole school annual cross country event. We are very aware that long distance running is not for everyone, and we therefore offer alternatives, such as a shorter walking track for anyone who would prefer not to run the long distances. We would love to see all our students come along and join in, no matter whether they run the full distance, walk a shorter route or do a bit of both, all participants will earn points for their team!  Unfortunately, I will be away for a conference and will miss out, but I certainly look forward to some Facebook posts and hearing all about this when I return next week. 

Kind regards, 

Karen Monaghan | Principal