From the Principal,
Diana Ellis
News..
Dear Parents/Guardians,
It is with great delight that we welcome our staff, students and parents to the 2022 school year.
Although it is not ideal having parents off site, it is a decision we have made to try and minimise the spread of COVID. I appreciate people adhering to this request. It has however, been delightful chatting to so many parents over the fence and this morning was wonderful speaking to so many parents.
On Friday our staff spent time together being briefed on our school priorities, processes and policies. To ensure teachers start the year with all of the information they need about their students, our staff engaged in a comprehensive handover session where all data profiles for each student were shared and information under the following headings was also handed over: social and emotional development, behaviour, family issues, referrals to specialists, intervention/court orders, friendships etc.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff for the many hours they have spent over the holidays taking great pride in decorating their rooms and unpacking and labelling all of the student supplies. Over the next few weeks we will include photos so our parents also get the opportunity to see our delightful classrooms.
In welcoming back our staff yesterday we also welcomed our new staff:
- Libby Tobin in MU2
- Ashleigh Dodds SU3
Communication to parents
One of our school priorities is to ensure there is regular and open communication with parents. Our two main sources of communication are COMPASS and our fortnightly newsletter. We also have a Facebook page, our W.P.S website and a 'Whats app' group for each class. Each teaching team will also send out newsletters during the term.
To assist parents with detailed information about our school we have an A-Z Directory. Whilst hard copies are provided to all new families, the directory can be found on our web site.
COVID
Masks
Only children in Years 3 -6 are required to wear masks. If your child is in a Year 2/3 class, it is only the Year 3 children who need to wear them.
I appreciate that a lot of COVID related information is currently on line and in the media. There currently seems to be an absolute fear from parents that we are going to line up children and vaccinate them. I hope I can reassure you that we need consent for nearly everything we do with your children including administering medications, excursions, watching a movie, taking out a splinter etc. At no point would we ever be allowed to legally vaccinate students without parent consent.
Respectful interactions and communications with staff
It is a timely reminder that all members of our school community are expected to interact respectfully. Bullying of any type will not be tolerated. I appreciate that from time to time parents can get frustrated or anxious about issues relating to their child. It is expected that parents will first seek to find out both sides of the story and then deal with the issue in a respectful way. Quite often I receive heated emails with lots of capital letters and exclamation marks and words such as “I demand”. I will call out this type of behaviour as unacceptable and will then refer you to our School Council Policies and I will also forward the email to the Department of Education. Myself and my staff all have the right to come to work and be treated respectfully. It is a shame that I have to put this piece in the newsletter but unfortunately this behaviour is becoming the norm. If you do have an issue that you believe is causing you angst, please ring and we will be happy to discuss the problem and look for solutions. Also please remember that children often have a perception of things that don’t always align completely with the facts.
Meet and greet Parent Teacher Meetings
Next week, we are conducting our Parent Teacher Interviews.
Each staff member will be available via Webex. These meetings are an opportunity for you to provide important information about your child and discuss priority learning areas and goals or any concerns relating to the December Progress report. Details have been posted on COMPASS.
Policies
Mobile Phone Policy
A number of students have mobile phones at school. It is therefore timely that I remind parents that in line with the DET Mobile Phone Guidelines and our school policy, that students are not to use private mobile phones at school.
Mobile phones should be handed to their class teacher or the office each day and not kept in bags. The phones will be stored in a secure location. The school will not take responsibility for any items that go missing.
Student Dress Code Policy
As part of our culture of school pride and high expectations, we expect all students to wear our school uniform, in line with our Dress Code Policy. It is important to note that coloured hair, nail polish, jewellery and hoodies are not an acceptable part of the Dress Code Standard at Woodend Primary School. In the first week of school I have noticed many variations of our uniform including some very short shorts. It is expected that all students wear appropriate clothing and not casual style clothes that might be worn out of school.
Our policies can be found on the school web site.
Curriculum Days
This year all our Curriculum Days are again proposed for the beginning of each term. The dates below are proposed and will need to be approved at our first School Council meeting. We will then provide confirmation.
- April 26, July 11, October 3
Diana Ellis
Principal