Education Week
Last month we celebrated Education Week with an assembly, open classrooms, book fair and BBQ. It was a fabulous day celebrating all the wonderful achievements of our school, students and teachers.
As part of our Education Week assembly, we made a special presentation to Mrs Sally Sutton, who reached a very significant milestone in her teaching career, just before her retirement – 30 years of service to the NSW Department of Education.
Here are a few words from people who worked closely with Mrs Sutton over her time at Kangaroo Valley Public School:
“I had the pleasure of working with Mrs Sutton for eight years. When I first met her, what struck me was how deeply she formed relationships with the children in her class. This lasted through the children’s journey through the years. She was invested in the kids’ lives and would always give them time to have a chat or to listen. This carried through to the families and the general Kangaroo Valley community. I believe that she touched every child’s life through her 30 years of teaching. Every child who she taught should feel lucky and privileged to have Mrs Sutton as a teacher.
As a colleague and friend Mrs Sutton was always supportive. You could always trust Mrs Sutton to do a favour or to lean on to get advice. I know I feel lucky and privileged to work with her. I wish her well in her next chapter of her life.” Mr John Bond, former KVPS Principal.
“What can I say about Mrs Sutton? So much. Firstly I’d like to thank her for being so welcoming and supportive and a great mentor when I joined the KVPS family as a permanent teacher, and thank you for being such a fun teaching peer to be around every day. Her passion and enthusiasm in supporting KVPS kindergarten children’s beginning educational journey was always evident and exceptional. Sal, I absolutely loved working with you during my time at KVPS and watching you teach. You are a true KVPS legend! So many great times. I’ll never forget your go-to phrase for a range of situations -Seriously!”
Mr Andrew Smee, KVPS Principal.
“Sally was one of the best staff members I have worked with, up there with the best, good with teaching, caring and compassionate, giving every child she taught a great start to their education. Over her time here we shared a lot educationally, personal family things and several laughs. We both considered ourselves Strong Country Girls.”
Mrs Margaret Barton, School Administration Manager.
“Congratulations Sally! What a milestone. Thank you for teaching my three children. My daughter mentioned recently her memories of you bursting into song whenever someone said ‘What about me?”! Thank you for supporting me in the classroom and for your wicked sense of humour that kept us all smiling. We miss you and hope you are enjoying gardening, going on holiday whenever you want, going to the toilet whenever you want and the serenity!” Camille Delmenico, Class Teacher.
“Sally Sutton was a pleasure to work with. I certainly miss her laughter, creativity, genuine care for students and professionalism. Congratulations on 30 years of service my dear friend and colleague!”Jane Gripper, Class Teacher.
Congratulations Mrs Sutton on 30 Years of Service to the NSW Department of Education.
NAIDOC Week
During NAIDOC Week our Kangaroo Valley Public School students were so lucky to work with the amazing staff at Cullunghutti, with a special Welcome to Country from Aboriginal elder Uncle Tom Moore, a smoking ceremony, sharing of rich culture, connections and traditions through language, song, dance and creation stories with Uncle Drew Longbottom and Uncle Colin Moore. We even had a visit from Agy the Black Cockatoo. Our students enjoyed an afternoon of cooking, playing traditional indigenous games, learning about Aboriginal language and creating artworks.
Jen Arnott
Relieving Principal