School Administrative and Support Staff (SAS) are an important cog to schools across the state.
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Last week was SAS Recognition Week which is an opportunity for school communities to thank their support staff for their dedication to public education.
Bowral Public School celebrated the week with a morning tea for their SAS staff consisting of the school administrative manager, school administrative officers, the communications officer, the general assistant and school learning support officers.
School administrative officer Anne Nelson, who has been at the school for five years taking care of things like finance, enrolments and caring for students in sick bay, loves working in the caring and community environment.
"I love the diversity of the job," Ms Nelson said.
"It's always interesting in a fast paced energetic environment.
"No two days are ever the same.
"The heart of the job is assisting students and their families and teaching staff."
School learning support officer Kellie Lumb is one of the newer SAS staff members, having been there for a year.
Ms Lumb was a practice manager at a veterinary clinic before switching jobs and said she had no regrets.
"I always enjoyed helping out with reading in my own children's classrooms and so I had a career change," Ms Lumb said.
"It's so satisfying to see the joy in the children when they learn or achieve something and to know that I've helped them makes it a joyful place to work."
NSW Department of Education treasurer Mark Scott thanked all SAS staff for their hard work.
"These staff are often the first point of contact for parents and play a vital role in customer service," Mr Scott said.
"With an incredible year so far with bushfires, floods and COVID-19, our staff have had to be increasingly flexible to adapt to changing scenarios and pandemic restrictions."
Every day in public schools, there is 35,000 SAS staff who help keep schools running efficiently and provide comprehensive support to principals, teachers and parents.
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