From The Principals

Hello Vermont Primary School & Kindergarten families,

What a wild few weeks we have had! Our thoughts are with those who are dealing with the aftermath of flooding across the state, especially schools and students who are displaced. While many people were inconvenienced with the wild weather, with property damage, extra time on the roads or cancelled sporting events, it provides some perspective when we see footage of people battling to save their homes and businesses. Sometimes processing news of global events is tough for little people. If you are after some pointers to help discuss big events, you can find some here here

World Teachers Day

World Teacher's Day is on October 28th, but we decided to celebrate a little earlier this year. I would like to acknowledge the tremendous work undertaken by all teachers, but especially those of Vermont Primary School & Kindergarten. Teaching is a rewarding, exciting, surprising and wonderous career, and often one that people feel 'called' to. I love hearing about the ways in which the wonderful people here at Vermont came to teaching, and although each person's journey is different, one thing is common amongst everyone; a desire to help young people reach their full potential and lead a life in which they are happy and thriving. 

If the last few years have shown anything, it is how important teachers are in the lives of children and communities, for much more than delivering curriculum content. The reassurance, consistency, guidance and knowledge that is passed from teachers to students is life-changing, and I know that I am grateful to all the teachers I have had, and count myself lucky to be one now! 

A big thankyou to all the teachers in our lives,  both here at Vermont PS and beyond.

2023 Grade Structure

As we are getting closer to the end of another school year, we are busily working on preparations for 2023. After much consideration and consultation, our 2023 structure will be

• 4 Foundation classes
• 4 Year 1 classes
• 4 Year 2 classes
• 5 Year 3 classes
• 5 Year 4 classes
• 4 Year 5 classes
• 4 Year 6 classes

Our Specialist areas will remain, offering Visual Art, Music, Physical Education, Indonesian and Digital Technology to all students from Foundation to Year 6. Our other programs including Reading Recovery, Tutor Learning Initiave targeted support, literacy and numeracy intervention and extension will also remain. 

Parents are reminded to put, in writing, any requests for 2023 that pertain to the academic needs or wellbeing of students to the Level Leader as soon as possible. 

We will be working on the teacher allocation for classes over the next few weeks, and hope to bring those to you soon. 

Covid updates

Just a reminder that there have been some changes in the recommendations around covid. These were detailed in a Sentral notification sent out to all families last week. We ask that families continue to notify the school if a student has tested positive, however we will no longer be sending out exposure notifications. 

Parking

A reminder to the school community to please ahdere to parking rules and regulations around the school. In a Sentral message earlier this week, I outlined some concerns with parking and the way some students and adults are exiting vehicles and failing to cross the road safely. For the safety of all using the roads around the school, please exercise caution and care, and avoid parking in spaces reserved for local businesses. 

Playground works - a note from Mr Hoskin

In the upcoming weeks we will be beginning to complete some upgrades and maintenance to the playgrounds in the school. The works will improve the functionality and increase the safety of the playgrounds. These improvements will begin to take place on the 26th of October with the addition of padding around the poles in the Prep Playground. During this time there will also be a number of items removed from the playground so that they can be refurbished. We will endeavour to keep as much of the playground equipment open during this time, however, the removed sections will need to be closed until the works are finished. We thank you for your support during this time and look forward to having our playgrounds improved and back in action soon.  

Kind Regards,

John Hoskin

HI-LITES NETBALL CLUB SHOWCASE

On Friday November 4th, there is a special afternoon for Vermont Primary School on the Netball Courts. It is a fun Friday with games, skills and drills. It is for any children interested in joining a fun and inclusive netball club that promotes development, achievements, and friendships. If you would like your child to see what netball is all about, please join Mrs Strachan and Miss Strachan and the Hi-Lites Netball Club members. It is at 3.45 – 4.45pm, on the netball courts! There will be demonstrations and giveaways. Girls and Boys welcome of all ages and abilities. Current players are also welcome to attend.

OSHC Audit

I would like to acknowledge the amazing work of our talented OSHC team on achieving exceptional results on their audit. This audit occurs every three years and is a thorough review of all elements of the program. Vermont PS OSHC program received the highest possible grading for every single element, which is a tremendous effort. As well as providing the community with a valuable resource, our OSHC program is engaging and enjoyable for students. Congratulations to all involved, especially our program coordinator, Julie. 

Have a wonderful fortnight,

Kind regards,

Jess, Joy and Jacci.