School Leaders

School Uniform

We have seen an overall increase in correct uniform across the school from 64% in Term 1 to 84% in Term 4. Thank you to Parents/Carers for ensuring students are wearing the correct uniform.

Question: Why does the school have a uniform?

Answer: In our urban setting, it is very important for student safety that we can identify our children quickly in a crowd. Our students will be mixing in the urban environment to assist with the education experience and being identifiable is important for staff and helpers. A mandatory School uniform also provides students with a sense of belonging. 

Uniform Expectations

• Matching: Students wear 'short and short' or 'long and long'. This means that if they wear shorts, they must wear the shirt with short sleeves. If they wear long pants, they must wear the long sleeve shirt. As Melbourne's weather is unpredictable, students can wear the uniform they feel most comfortable in (i.e. winter uniform in summer) however it must be full uniform, no mixing between the two uniforms. 
• Summer Dress: Should be won with navy socks, not with tights or leggings. Navy bike shorts may be worn under the dress but should not be visible below the dress hem line when seated or standing.
• Tights: Tights are only to be worn with the tunic and long sleeve shirt, not the summer dress. Leggings are different to tights. Leggings are not part of the school uniform.
• Under Shirts: In colder weather, students should wear the long sleeved shirt. Long sleeved tee shirts are not to be worn under the short-sleeved school shirt.
• Bag: The school bag is a compulsory uniform item. A large and medium bag with the School's logo are available for purchase.
• Hat: The School hat is a compulsory item that needs to be worn when outdoors from the start of September to the end of April (as per the School SunSmart Policy). Hats must be the school hat.
• Nails: Finger nails should be natural. This means no nail polish or acrylic nails.
• Hair: Must be natural colours.
• Socks: Navy socks are a compulsory uniform item (long or short acceptable).
• Shoes
  • School shoes should be black
  • School shoes should be polishable and either lace ups, Mary-Jane/Velcro style
  • Black runners are not polishable and therefore do not meet the expectation
  • Runners can be worn on sports days or on days when the student has Physical Education class or other special (sporty) activities
• Sports Uniforms: Are worn on sports days or days when the student has Physical Education class or other special activities such as active (sports-based) excursions. Students can wear it all day and do not need to change in and out of it for the Physical Education session. It should not be worn on non-Physical Education days

Financial Hardship and School Uniform:

Parents/Carers who are experiencing financial hardship or hold a concession card can request the school to apply for State School Relief Assistance to purchase items of uniform. Please note, this covers the full cost of shoes, though items that include the school logo/designed by Bob Stewart are discounted and a voucher is provided. We also have the Second Hand Uniform Shop (SHUS)- parents can be directed smps.faf@outlook.com to seek information.

Please read our Uniform Policy for more information:

Testing Week

This coming week is Testing Week. Teachers will be using a few lessons to assess students on core English and Mathematics skills to get an accurate picture of where they are at. We prioritised wellbeing and routine during the first two weeks back on-site, but are now checking the academic skills of students so they can show us what they have learnt since Semester 1. Please ensure that your child:

• Arrives at school on time (8.45 - 8.55am) each day
• Brings their device fully charged each day (Grades 1 - 6). If your child does not bring their device, you may be called to drop it off as we don't want any child missing out.

Remote Learning Devices

If your child borrowed a device for remote learning, these are now overdue to be returned to school. All iPads have been put into lost mode and will not be able to be used from home any longer. We require these to be returned for our Prep students to engage in key lessons and assessments this week. Please bring any borrowed devices to school on Monday and ask your child to take it straight to the office.

Face Masks

We are tracking the distribution of face masks to students in Grades 3 - 6 from the office. We are currently averaging between 10 and 20 students a day without masks, whose mask breaks during the day or who lose their mask at recess or lunch time. We are quickly depleting our supply of masks and are concerned about the impact of handing out 50-100 single-use masks each week on the environment. We are again asking families to:

• Ensure your child brings a mask to wear at school each day. Families who drive to school might like to keep a mask in the glovebox in case your child forgets their mask.
  and
• Has a spare mask in their school bag (in case they forget one day or their mask breaks).

When needing a mask, children are asked to first use the spare in their bag, however many students are saying they don't have one. Please pop one in and let your child know that it is there. Thank you!