My name is Kim Smith, the new Principal of Clarence Town Public School and I am thrilled to have this opportunity to introduce myself to the wider community!
I grew up in the Maitland area, before moving away to take up my first permanent teaching role in 2005. After 20 years teaching and leading schools in the Queanbeyan and Goulburn areas, I am so excited to return home to take up this position.
We began the year with four staff development days, a crucial time for us to come together to prioritise teacher professional learning. Our teachers joined staff from all schools within the Hunter Principals Network for a morning of Explicit Teaching professional development at Francis Greenway High School. The day was opened by the Deputy Secretary Deb Summerhayes, who presented schools with a Certificate of Excellence in recognition of exceptional commitment to equity and excellence, which I proudly received on behalf of Clarence Town Public School.
Students returned to school on Thursday 6 February, including 21 new Kindergarten students, bringing our school enrolment to 157. It has been a lovely couple of weeks getting to know the students and to see them settle into learning so quickly. This year our school will be led by our captains Matilda and Parker, along with student leaders Flynn, Boston, Matilda and Bridie.
Our Sport House Captains were elected last week and led at our recent swimming carnival. The students had a wonderful day at the pool, with great swimming performances and outstanding behaviour, which I am quickly finding is a common occurrence here at Clarence Town Public School!
I would like to thank the school staff, students and parent community for making me feel so welcome. I look forward to sharing our school journey with you all throughout the year.
Kim Smith, Principal
