Principal Team's Report

Hello... Ms Renee Cotterell

It is my absolute pleasure to have been offered the Principal position at Pakenham Springs Primary School. It certainly was a rigorous selection process to go through and I thank all members of the Panel for their professionalism during this time.  Since beginning here as a classroom teacher way back in 2012, I have loved the sense of community, the opportunities we offer and the team we have, all working together in the best interests of our students.  I have loved being part of a dynamic leadership team over the previous 6 years and I look forward to steering this crazy ship into the future! 

There is a lot to be excited about going forward, beginning with our School Review and new Strategic Plan happening in the next term.  We have a wonderful staff at our school who are all keen to keep improving our existing programs and introducing new experiences to what our school has to offer.  Our School Council is strong and we are in a great position to be able to set some challenging goals as we move forward.

I have always prided myself on the connections I have built with our school community members throughout the time I've been here, and I encourage you to please contact me if you have any questions, queries or feedback at any time.  The best method of contact is via email, as I am often out and about during the day, popping in on our classrooms, supporting our staff and doing my best to make PSPS even greater!  

Farewell but not Goodbye... Mrs Jane King

Farewell but not goodbye, as I am sure I will be back to visit and I am looking forward to my Year 6 Graduation Invite!  This is my tenth year here at The Springs and to be honest, I am still coming to terms with leaving this wonderful community of inspiring students, supportive families, and exceptional young learners.  I have many memories to keep of course, some of which include the crazy sliming of Ms Baillie this year, camps and excursions, our annual teacher vs students football and basketball games, the dress-up special events, and the honest relationships I have developed with staff, students and parents.  

Whilst I am 100% confident you will all move ahead as strong as ever, I will certainly miss 'The Springs' for quite some time to come.  I am so pleased you all have Ms Cotterell leading the way now and into the future!

This fortnight at the Springs...

How do we fit so much into one fortnight?

Open Afternoon

The Open Afternoon was held last Wednesday and once again, it was terrific to see families and students celebrating teaching and learning and enjoying the school grounds. The afternoon promoted family involvement and showcased our students' learning growth and success.  After the classroom tours, students and families had the opportunity to enjoy the BBQ sausage in bread and a drink.  We were thrilled so many families could attend and look forward to our Term 3 Open Afternoon with even more families and more fun.

Uniform Expectations

Use the school holiday period to ensure uniform items are correct (and still fit!), Beleza open, name items, etc

Child safety and wellbeing at Pakenham Springs: information for families and the school community

The Victorian Government has announced new Child Safe Standards to further strengthen child safety across organisations, including schools.  The new standards recognise the critical importance of families and the broader school community in maintaining and promoting child safety and wellbeing. 

Pakenham Springs Primary School has reviewed and updated our child safety policies and procedures to ensure they meet the requirements of the new standards. These are available to view on our school website. 

We are committed to continuous improvement in our approach to child safety and wellbeing and welcome feedback from families and members of our school community on ways we can further strengthen our child safety policies, procedures and practices. 

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions, please contact Renee Cotterell via Compass. 

Respectful Relationships Education Survey

Thank you to the families who have already filled in the survey sent via Compass last week.  Your voice, thoughts and feedback is valued and will help us deliver this program in a sensitive, factual and appropriate manner.  From the results gathered so far, we can see that there may be concerns about the actual content covered in schools.  

Please feel free to read more about this program at https://www.vic.gov.au/respectful-relationships.  As a school, we are committed to ensuring all of our students are respectful and informed members of the local and global community.  We will continue to communicate with families about the content and delivery of this program at PSPS.

We encourage all community members to take the time to fill in this survey and help us make our school as safe, supportive and inclusive as we possibly can. 

Supervision before school

Students are not to arrive at school until 8:30 am on school mornings.  Staff do not begin their workday until this time, and there is insufficient supervision available in the mornings.  Any student arriving before 8:30 am will be asked to sit at the office and wait. We ask for your support in this matter.  Likewise, under no circumstances are students allowed to leave the school grounds in the morning and go across to the shops.  Not only is this incredibly unsafe, with them crossing the busy Heritage BLVD road unsupervised, but a small number of students are also coming back having purchased items inappropriate for the school day.  Please contact OSHClub if you need to organise care and supervision for your child/ren outside of 8:30 am - 3:30 pm.

Enrolment 2024 

It's hard to believe that we're already looking ahead to our 2024 enrolment period!  We ask that any existing family wishing to enrol a younger sibling for 2024 please complete and return the 'Enrolment 2024 Expression of Interest' form which has been distributed. 

Enjoy the holiday break and we look forward to welcoming you back on Monday 10th July 2023.

The PSPS Leadership Team