From the Assistant Principal 

Elissa Campbell

School Wide Positive Behaviour Award

At our whole school assembly yesterday we welcomed Kerry Hammond and Stephen Brain from the Department of Education to present our school with a Bronze award for our implementation of School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS). This award recognises the successes we have had as a school utilising this approach, however there is always more work to be done in this space and we will continue to work towards achieving our Silver award next. 

Works around the school grounds

This week has seen works continue around our school grounds with scaffolding being put up outside the Year 3 classrooms, so timber siding can be replaced. Stump and tree root removal happening, so we are able to commence our landscaping outside of the Year 4 portables. Over the next week we will also be removing and replacing the rainwater tanks above the oval. We thank all our students, staff and families for their support and patience as we have had to close off certain parts of the school grounds at various times to allow these works to continue. Our trades are working very hard to get jobs done before the inclement weather really sets in.

Mother’s Day Morning Tea

Thanks to our fantastic PFA volunteers for the fabulous morning tea they provided for our community last Friday morning. I know many people appreciated the hot tea and coffee provided by the coffee van and enjoyed the delicious treats that were provided.

Branch Out

Tonight at 6.30pm in our school hall we will be holding a Tuning Into Kids Parent session with Professor Sophie Havighurst, information about this event has been sent out via Compass. If you would like to register your attendance, please do so via this link. A follow up session will also be held on Wednesday 29th May, registration details will go out via Compass in the next week. We are fortunate to have been offered this opportunity for our community as part of our participation in a Macedon Ranges mental health initiative for Primary Schools.

As part of this initiative, last Friday students in Year 2-4 participated in a performance by Brainstorm productions called ‘Sticks and Stones’ which focused on managing bullying, cyber safety and managing emotions.

Swimming

Swimming sessions have continued this week with our Year 3 students commencing their program on Monday. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the parent helpers who have volunteered their time to support our classes during their attendance at the pool. Without volunteers it would be difficult for us to run activities like this. Year 5/6 students are due to commence their week of swimming on Monday 27th May.

Camps

We have two upcoming camps this term our Year 3 students will be heading to Log Cabin Camp in Creswick on Wednesday 29th May and our Year 5/6 students will go to Campaspe Downs for two days on 27th June. Camps are an important part of our students' school experience and allow them to develop independence and participate in activities that they may not have had the opportunity to try previously. We look forward to hearing about and sharing their adventures in our upcoming newsletters.

Foundation Enrolment 2025

As outlined in my last newsletter, enrolment for Foundation 2025 has commenced, we have been conducting tours over the last few weeks and have three more remaining for the Term, 21st May, 4th June and 18th June. Last night we held our annual Foundation Information evening which was well attended by prospective and some current families. If you have a child who will be commencing at our school next year can you please ensure you contact the office so an enrolment form can be sent home.

Communication

As a school we value communication within our school community, but I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone of our preferred ways to communicate and expectations when communicating. We use many different tools to communicate with our community including Compass, newsletters, school website, Facebook and class What’s App groups. It is important to note that Compass is the main way that information is sent out to families, followed closely by our fortnightly newsletter. Our supplementary tools like Facebook and What’s App groups are not intended to be the place where our families go to get all required communications. We are asking families to always check Compass and our newsletters first when looking for information. 

Our Facebook page exists as a place to celebrate events and learning that are happening in our school environment. What’s App class group were set up a few years ago as an initiative of the PFA as a way for parents to connect with each other and for class reminders. We thank our volunteer class reps for the role they have undertaken in sending out relevant communication but also want to remind families that it is important not to just rely on the What’s App group as a way of finding out information. 

While email as a communication tool is necessary and important I want to highlight that we do encourage you to make face to face contact or a phone call where possible. We will use email communication where appropriate to communicate with parents. I am also concerned about the mental health impact on staff in regards to receiving and responding to emails outside of school hours. It is with this in mind that I am asking families to consider if and when sending an email is appropriate or if it is something that would be better handled as a phone call or face to face chat during school hours. Our staff have various times throughout the day when they are available to follow up with families, including recess, lunch and non face to face teaching times. Families are able to reach staff by making contact with the school office. Please also be aware that if you require a message to be passed onto your child throughout the school day it is best to call the office and not send an email to the teacher as they may not read the email until after they have finished teaching for the day.

Victorian Budget School Saving Bonus

Please see the from the Office section of this newsletter for more information about the School Saving Bonus payment that was recently announced as part of the Victorian State Budget.

Assistant Principal

Elissa Campbell