SMPS Family iNewsletter

Principal's Report

Principal's Message

One of the many joys of my job is to watch children playing happily together. I had that pleasure this week when we opened up the Kirrip Park (diagonally across from the school) for play experiences for our Grade 1-6 children. Being an inner-city school with very little play space requires lots of planning and lateral thinking. Luckily, city kids are very robust and adaptable and find it quite easy to negotiate changes. 

We have planned heavily to ensure child safety as the movement of students to public spaces requires lots of forethought. Here are some of the safety features we have built in to ensure success:

  • All staff have high-visibility vests to be instantly identifiable
  • All staff have mobile phones and access to the school phone system via walkie-talkie
  • RACV are coming in to update our road safety messages. We have reinforced these inside our classrooms
  • All staff and students were trained in emergency procedures prior to accessing the park (including the sounding of whistles to gather children and moving to other areas in case of an emergency)
  • All staff have access to first aid kits and loudhailers and have whistles on their person to alert children in case of emergency or when there is a need to gather them together
  • Staff have designated duty zones to ensure coverage of all areas are line-of-sight to students
  • All staff access a mobile phone app to record any student safety transgressions and those students have supportive follow-ups to ensure new learning occurs. Leaders review the data accumulated on the app to further support teachers and students

I must say that the children have responded magnificently. The reality of our school is that we cannot keep 350 students (and soon over 500) cooped up on our Level 2 basketball court. It was the design of the school to use the forecourt and public spaces to allow children open, grassy play areas to play in and that is what we are doing.  We have planned for worse case scenarios as we must do in every circumstance, in case of emergency. Prep children are not allowed to venture into the public park space due to the need to train them in the forecourt first. They will get their chance as they mature and can prove themselves ready to be given more responsibility.

I have been meeting with officials from the City of Port Phillip to talk about some boundary definitions for the forecourt - this is a work in progress and will take time. In the meantime, the security and duty processes we have put in place are working really well and there have been no worrisome yard incidents in the 18 months the school has been in operation. The new park has offered its challenges in managing students, but nothing that we feel we cannot handle as a team.

Parents have been wonderfully supportive and understanding that we are in a unique circumstance. We do not have open fields that most schools in Victoria enjoy - so we have to do things slightly different. Not allowing students time and space in the open air is not really an option - they are not battery hens. Allowing students the room to move, run and jump is part of childhood and we are doing all we can to ensure this is done as safely as we possible.

We are excited to launch a new page this week which focusses our efforts on Sustainability. We have a small, but hardy band of helpers who are supporting the staff and students to protect the future of the planet. We are custodians of our planet and our children inherit what we bestow, so please heed the messages and try to reduce the amount of waste your child brings along to school - especially via their lunch and snack wraps. Usually, food without wrappers is healthier too, so please consider your life habits as those are the ones you are passing onto the next generation of humans. We have one planet, so let's get behind the effort to sustain it - enjoy our new page.

Thanks for your support.

Be kind to others and have a lovely week.

Curriculum Newsletters This Week

Please take the time to read each level's newsletters (contained in the other links on this mail out).

It is a special edition, outlining the main curriculum of the term for each grade. We often get questions from parents relating to what students learn so this is your chance to read all about it. We will bring these reports at the start of Week 4 each term so you get an overview of content.

If you want to see classes in action, then come along to our Open Day on May 20 at 10am to see curriculum in motion.

Gratitude to Volunteers

A wonderful group of volunteers who responded to my article about needing help tidying the yard have been working on Sundays to help us out. They want no fanfare, but how incredible it is to have people like this in our community.

A hand on heart thanks from the school community to this band of lovely people.

First Aid Feedback

Thanks to the parents who chose to offer feedback on our First Aid processes. We appreciate it and it will help us get better.

One of the questions raised was if only Karen and Jan in the office were first aid trained. The answer is no, we have a number of staff first aid trained. I mentioned Karen and Jan as they are the ones mostly in the office area near the sick bay.

Open Day - Pencil Into Diaries May 20 at 10am

From about 10am to 12pm, we have a School Open Day on Monday, May 20. This is the chance for all parents (prospective and current) to bring themselves and their relatives along to have a look through the school at classes and programs. 

Do yourself a favour and open your diaries and lock in this date and time so you can see the school in action for yourself. You will be able to move to any level to check things out. How exciting!

Happy Mothers' Day

On behalf of the staff at South Melbourne Primary School, I would like to wish all mothers a Happy Mothers Day. I have beautiful memories of my own mother who passed away in 2002. I miss her and try to live by the values that she instilled in me every day. Without my mother, I would be nothing.

I hope all mothers understand how important they are to the future of the earth and its children.

You deserve the best. Enjoy the day.

Weekly Thought Piece

Last week, I reported on the neural pathways created in childhood via the brain's ability to learn and adapt through mastery. I spoke of myelin forming around the nerves to create information pathways from the brain to areas of the body and how deep practise can influence its creation.

The second aspect of learning in the book I am reading entitled "The Talent Code" is the concept of 'ignition'. Ignition exists when an adult/teacher inspires a young mind to pursue an interest. We are all teachers of our children and the way we speak about learning makes a huge difference. If we are excited and model learning as a worthwhile pursuit, then our children will follow. If we speak of school as being a great place to learn and grow, it will ignite our children to be excited to attend.

Parents are the first igniters of learning and they have a duty to read to their children and show interest in school. The more you do that, the better your child's life can be.

Teachers then introduce children to new ways of learning and they, too, become igniters for their students in a virtuous cycle between home and school.

What are you currently doing to ignite your child?