A note from Mr Jackson 

Calm and Focused Classrooms

It has been a joy to call in on classes this week and see students settled and focused on learning. Students are developing routines and rhythms that will lay the foundation for a year of successful learning. 

In 2020 the school chose to develop a 15 class model for 2021 as a response to the impact that COVID has had on learning. Our smaller class sizes provide a more differentiate and targeted approach to improving student outcomes. This week, our tutors and classroom teachers have been working together to ensure student growth is maximised. Small groups in classrooms will provide the focus for intensive support for those students who have not made the expected one year growth in 2020.

FORPS Invitation and Thanks

Tonight our parent community are gathering at the FORPS AGM at 7:00pm in the staff room, that can be entered through the side admin door. This is a chance to lay out the plans for 2021 and simply to consider the coming year. New parents and more familiar parents are encouraged to attend. 

In 2020, we were thrilled that although half the year was spent in a remote setting our FORPS team were able to raise enough money to support the replacement of our aging interactive whiteboards with the purchase of 10 large interactive televisions. 

A special invitation from FORPS to attend the welcome morning tea in the Chandler Hall on Friday morning, after the bell has sounded. This gentle start to the day will be a chance to meet new prep parents and simply celebrate a return to face to face learning. All parents and carers from across the school are invited to attend.

Shady Days

We have been thrilled to watch our shade sail posts take shape from a distance. This week we hope to see the sails installed. It is another example of how the school is promoting STEM within the curriculum. We are looking forward to celebrating the installation of the sails on Friday 19 February with a sausage sizzle after the Working Bee!

Special Student Leadership Ceremony

All are invited to join us for our badge presentation ceremony held during our regular Assembly on Friday 26 February 2021. Parents of students in leadership teams, including our Junior School Councillors, House Captains, School Captains and Sustainability Team are invited to an earlier afternoon tea at 2:30pm in Chandler Hall. This is an important celebration of our student leadership who are already providing significant role models for our whole school cohort.

Evening Working Bee, Friday 19 February – Keeping our Playground Safe

All are invited to pull on some old sturdy shoes and gloves and help spread 20m3 of softfall underneath the playgrounds. Your actions will help keep our playground safe for each child. We would love some wheelbarrows and large rakes and some pruning shears or saws for those who wish to prune our gardens. Everyone can lend a hand. A quick meeting will be held at the end of the admin building at 3:40pm to discuss tasks and complete an OHS sign in. 

Assembly Plans

While the weather forced our Assembly online last week, we are eager to be outside on Friday. 34D will be sharing a little of their learning to the school. All are invited to come and celebrate the achievement of our Students of the Week and catch up with the latest news. For parents onsite for more than 15mins we will display a QR Code that will require you to download and sign in to the Victorian State Government COVID platform.

Student Medications

A reminder that all student medications should come through to the front office and be accompanied with a Medical Authority Form. These can be completed at the office or downloaded in the School Resources menu link on Compass. 

Parent Teacher Interviews this Monday

This coming Monday is our Meet the Teacher Interviews. Student will be expected to be at school all day. The Parent Teacher interviews begin at 3:50pm. Parents are asked to be prompt and ensure that the allocated times are respected. If there are particular concerns you wish to followup on, a further appointment can be made for a Home School Support Group Meeting with the teacher. To facilitate the meetings, parents were invited to complete the questionnaire and return it to the classroom teacher prior to the interview.

A reminder that adults are required to be wearing masks while indoors and to practice social distancing. Hand sanitiser will be available to parents upon entry to the classrooms. Parents will need to check in via a QR code that will be located near each classroom entry.

If you have not made an appointment please speak with your child’s classroom teacher to arrange an appointment.

End of Day Movements

With our current COVID restrictions in place, any adult on site for more than 15 mins must sign in at the front office or via a QR code. Teachers will be encouraging families to move offsite at the end of the 3:45pm yard duties in line with our COVID Safety Plan. Parents are most welcome to stay if they wish to register their presence at the office. Again, if adults are outside and cannot socially distance than they should be wearing a mask.

Playground Safety

As we plan to renew the softfall on playgrounds for the safety of students, we encourage parents to be vigilante in supervising their students while onsite at the end of the day. Our playground structures have been built for specific ages. Our top Northern most playground, above the 2/3/4 area and closest to Victoria Ave, is sized for students from Prep through to Year 3. The one next to it and closest to the front gate is for students in Years 3 to 6. The lower playground is a Prep to Year 2 playground. Our staff will continue to ensure the safety of children at the end of the day by asking students to play on the appropriately sized equipment