In our Staff Room

This Friday marks Kim Nickels’ final day with us before she commences her Maternity Leave. Kim has been a key part of our Principal team since 2019 and has significantly contributed to our school's improvement journey. I thank Kim for her dedication and hard work and wish her all the best with this next chapter. We look forward to having Kim back with us after her family leave.

In our Classrooms

Starting next term, we're introducing a new initiative, "You Show Us" mornings. These mornings will provide a deeper connection between parents and their students’ learning in classrooms. For four mornings next term, we will encourage parents to step into classrooms where students will showcase their work and achievements. The box below provides the specific details of this initiative:

Importantly, these mornings are not a parent-teacher interview. Instead, they are a student-led showcase. If you have concerns or questions about your child's academic progress or wellbeing, please make time to discuss these with their teacher outside of these mornings.

I am excited to trial this initiative next Term and welcome any feedback from you along the way.

You Show Us Mornings

Dates:

Week 4: Thursday 26th and Friday 27th October
Week 7: Monday 13th November and Tuesday 14th November

Overview

8:45 a.m: Parents can come into the classrooms.
8:45-9:00: Students will display some of their work.
9:00-9:15: Teachers will begin their standard routines. Parents can observe.
9:15: Sessions conclude and parents leave classrooms.

In other learning news, we're working on a new specialist subject for 2024. This program, which we’re, for now at least, naming Mastery will focus on targeted literacy and numeracy skills, using data to identify and improve areas needing attention. All students from F-6 will attend one 50-minute session per week, similar to other specialist subjects like French or STEM. As we refine the focus and structure of this subject, I'll provide more information. This program is an exciting new development for our school and an important next step in our continuous improvement journey

Finally, in further good news: the state government will continue funding the tutor learning initiative in 2024 and 2025. This program has been vital for addressing learning gaps after the COVID period and supporting our students who need more attention in literacy and numeracy. We'll update you as more information about the funding and its specifics becomes available.

In our Community

We had a great turnout at the Father's Day Breakfast on Monday. Thanks to everyone who attended and a special thank you to the PFA and the Port Dads for their efforts. Given the event's success, we're considering having Miss Molly's coffee cart at the school during drop-offs more regularly. Updates about this will be shared on our social media channels.

We're currently evaluating the swimming program for years 3 and 4 in preparation for next year. In Term 4, we'll invite parents of Year 2 and 3 students for a discussion about their experiences with the MSAC program. Based on the feedback, we'll make informed decisions for 2024. At this stage the swimming programs for F-2 and 5-6 will remain unchanged for 2024.

Please remember that school staff supervise students from 8:45 am during morning drop-offs until 3:45 pm after school. While children are free to use school facilities outside these times, they should be under the supervision of a parent or guardian.

Thank you for all your support this term, I hope you have a wonderful final week and a relaxing and enjoyable school holiday period.

Best Wishes,

Tom Cain

Principal

Port Melbourne Primary School Newsletter

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Fortnightly Newsletter - Term 3 - Week 9 · 08 Sep 2023

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