From Marie

Reminder: Friday 6 June is a pupil-free day, no students required at school.  Teaching staff will be writing reports.

We would like to welcome new students and their families to Mullum Primary School, Shiwam in Grade 3/4M and Ardit in Grade 1L have joined us in the last few weeks.  We have also recently employed two new Education Support staff - Maylee Wohling working in Grade 2 and Grade 5/6; and Lee Bowman working in Grade 1.  Welcome everyone!

National Simultaneous Storytime

On Wednesday 21 May, at exactly 12:00pm, our classrooms paused to be part of the National Simultaneous Story time.  Classrooms around Australia stopped to listen to the story "The Truck Cat" by Deborah Frenkel.  This beautiful picture story book tells the story of Trika the cat and his human Yacoub, as they travel together through change, distance and uncertainty, searching for home, belonging and each other.  The Simultaneous Storytime reminds us that picture storybooks aren't just for young children, they nurture imagination, build empathy, support literacy skills and spark a lifelong love of reading.

Open classrooms - Celebrate Cultures

This week we opened our classrooms for a celebration of culture across Australia.  With a focus on travelling around Australia and the classroom's geography lessons, students and their families were encouraged to use their passport to travel around the classrooms in search of answers to key topic questions. We hope you enjoyed your flight!

Semester 1 Reports and Parent/Teacher Interviews

Please note a few changes are afoot for the student reports and interviews at the end of the term.  On Friday 27 June, we will be uploading the student Semester 1 Reports onto Compass.  We have for a number of years printed these reports, however, we will no longer be doing this and ask that parents download the report from Compass, or read it online.  Secondly, what has been traditionally been Three-Way conference (student/parent/teacher) at the end of term, will be changed from this upcoming cycle, to Parent/Teacher Interviews.  For families who have termly Student Support Group Meetings, we have rescheduled these to run at the end of each term and incorporate the traditional parent/teacher interview.  We still want students to share their great work with you and encourage all parents to take up the opportunity to come along to the Student-led Walkthroughs in March and September each year. Parent/Teacher interviews are planned for the last week of term, with interpreted interviews early in Term 3.  Booking opportunities will be available soon via Sign Up.

Upcoming events

Our Parents' Association and Fathering Project are very busy in June with three events that no-one will want to miss!  Check the designated pages in this newsletter for more information:

• Persian Brunch - Wednesday 25 June 11am at school 
• Dads and Drones - Thursday 26 June 5-7pm at Yarra Ranges Tech School, Lilydale

• School Disco - Friday 27 June 

                                 Foundation-Grade 5:30-6:30pm (sign in from 5:15)

                                 Grade 3-4 - 6:45-7:45 (sign in from 6.30)

Supervised Crossing on Wonga Road

We have been advised by Maroondah City Council that the crossing on Wonga Road will now be supervised from 8:00-9:00am and 3:00-4:00pm to provide better coverage for all students crossing this way. 

Community Pantry

Our Community Pantry is up and running.  Just outside the office we have a pantry full of fresh fruit, vegetables, cereal, milk, tinned beans and spaghetti, soups.  This week Mia (Grade 5) had made some muffins for the pantry that were well received by visitors at the end of the day.  Feel free to donate items to the pantry and/or take items you may like or need.  This food has been made available by Department of Education funding and Food Bank, free to all families.

End of Financial Year

We often get asked by families at this time of year if there is any taxable donation that could be made to the school.  The only taxable donation to the school is our Building Fund.  Donations over $2 can be claimed on tax.  The Building Fund money is used on a variety of projects each year including in the last few years: maintaining all painted surfaces of classrooms and buildings in January each year; ceiling repairs, new roller window to the kitchen and new entry doors in the hall; addition of blockout blinds to classroom windows, just to name a few.  This year we would like to install blinds in the classrooms outside of the main building and if possible in the performing arts space.  We want to thank families who have already contributed to the Building Fund this year.  The end of the financial year is fast approaching, if you are looking to make a taxable donation then please call the office and speak to Kate.

Dog Assisted Therapy

We are very excited to let you know about our onsite, Dog Assisted Therapy program due to start very soon.  The Department of Education has funded this program for 12 months. 

A Therapy Dog is a specially trained dog that works alongside a handler to provide supportive, therapeutic interactions with students in educational environments. These dogs are carefully selected and professionally trained to be gentle, calm, and have a temperament that allows them to positively engage with children in various emotional and developmental contexts.

In a school-based setting Zeena, the therapy dog, serves as a unique therapeutic tool, working in partnership with Pippa who is an allied health assistant to support students' emotional, social, and sometimes physical needs. The dog helps create a safe, comforting environment that can:

• Reduce student anxiety and stress

• Improve emotional regulation and social communication skills

• Encourage positive interactions and build confidence

• Provide a non-judgmental, supportive presence for disabled students, individuals with learning differences, or those who need support emotionally

Pippa the allied health assistant guides Zeena the therapy dog's interactions, ensuring safe and structured engagements that are tailored to individual student goals. These may include reading programs, social skills development, sensory integration activities, or emotional support interventions.

Therapy dogs undergo extensive training to remain calm, responsive, and adaptable in school environments, making them invaluable partners in supporting student well-being and educational progress.