Thursday 1st February

Welcome back

Welcome to the new school year for 2024. I hope our community had a chance to relax and enjoy the break with family and friends. My family enjoyed time in the USA which was a bucket list trip and hopefully tonight I win the $200 million to pay it off!!

We have settled back to school well; all teachers and students are reconnecting with each other and setting the expectations to ensure a successful year of learning ahead. In visiting classrooms, it is clearly evident how much preparation the staff have done in readiness for the year; which I’m sure you all appreciate.

As with every new year we welcome new students to our school. We have eager and excited Foundation students. It has been great to see how ready they were to start their exciting next step!

To our new families and students, we welcome you into the Menzies community and we look forward to meeting you and getting to know you over the coming weeks, months and years.

We have a number of forms that we would like completed as we start the year. A news feed will be sent where families can access and update any required information. Thanks in advance.

This year we are undertaking some exciting initiatives that will further enhance our learning and wellbeing programs. We are working with Monash University undertaking research as part of Learning for Life’s Inclusion Works program. This will involve having our staff working with Emma Davies (pictured) to find ways to best support our students. It is an exciting opportunity for our school.

We are also in partnership with Swinburne University as we conduct research evaluating wellbeing in a program called ‘Let’s Talk’ (Letting Everyone Talk Safely / Tell Acknowledge Listen Keep in touch). This program is a great opportunity for us to further develop our student wellbeing programs and to support our teachers working with students in need which we are excited about and see a need for. We are going to be only 1 of 10 schools partnering with Swinburne University to conduct this study. This opportunity, we hope, will be of great benefit and eventually be rolled out across the Department of Education's Mental Health menu for all schools to access.

These are exciting opportunities for our school. In order to get this started we need to have staff professional learning. As all staff will be part of the program we will have a curriculum day on Friday 23 February. Theircare will be available if required. We know this isn’t ideal so early in the year but it is important.

Thanks

Over the holidays we had our chickens looked after by the Butcher family. This is greatly appreciated. They are back now and are enjoying the orchard once again.

Our grounds need plenty of attention to be ready for the students to enjoy. I wanted to acknowledge the efforts of Gordon McCafferty and his team at Green Arrow Gardening Services who maintain our grounds for us.

We have a new retaining wall near the hall which looks fantastic. Thanks to the ‘Handyman for the Hills’ team which is the Shannon family business!

Our classrooms and other areas of the school always need to a good clean during the break. Our cleaners and Nathan from Tradeflex do a great job for us and we thank them for his efforts. They are looking to hire more cleaners, details in this newsletter

Communication

This is vitally important and I encourage everyone to regularly check Compass for important information about what is happening and any events, news feeds or learning tasks. The school’s Facebook page is for showcasing and celebrating our student achievements and events. Any questions should be directed to the school either by checking Compass, phone or email. Staff also can be contacted via email through Compass. Staff emails are firstname.surname@education.vic.gov.au

Thursday will be our main communication day.

Again, this year we will have fortnightly newsletters. For the alternate week families will receive a news feed from their child’s year level that will provide you with an idea of what is happening in the classrooms.

Getting to know you interviews – these will be in the week 3 starting Monday 12th February.

This time will be set aside for families and class teachers to conduct ‘getting to know you interviews’. This is an opportunity to touch base and inform your child’s teacher everything they need to know to make 2024 a successful year. These won’t be a report on student progress. Bookings will able to be made using Compass next week.

These interviews will be in lieu of an information night. These are not for Foundation students as Mandy will arrange another day once initial English and Maths assessments have been completed.

Remember to log in to Compass if your child is going to be absent. If a student is unaccounted for you will be contacted via SMS at 10am. Students arriving after 9am need to come to the office for a late slip to hand to their teacher.

A reminder to everyone that we have a policy which requires all visitors to report to the office first, when entering the school. Should you need to visit the classroom, see your child at recess or are a helper at school, please report to the office first, to sign the visitor’s ipad. This ensures that in an emergency we are able to account for all people at school.

If you are having someone collecting your children that is not on your emergency contact list or does not normally pick up your child, can you please send a note to your teacher or let the office know.

Working with Children’s Check

We encourage, need and value parental and community support at Menzies. There are many ways that parents, grandparents and friends can assist at our school. We need all parents to obtain a Working with Children’s Check if you wish to be involved as a helper in classrooms or for excursions. These checks are free for volunteers. Once you have your WWCC, please come to the office so we can photocopy this and we will add your name to our list. For more information on applying go to https://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/individuals/applicants/how-to-apply

The Department of Education and Training does not provide personal accident insurance for students. Parents are generally responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including any transport costs. Ambulance cover could be one consideration as the school will not hesitate to call an ambulance if we are concerned for a child’s wellbeing.

The Department of Education and Training states that reasonable low-cost accident insurance policies are available from the commercial insurance sector.

Personal Belongings Come to School at Own Risk. The Department of Education and Training does not hold insurance for personal property brought to schools. Principals are requested to remind students and parents/guardians of this at the beginning of each academic year and to discourage parents/students from bringing any unnecessary or particularly valuable items to school. Please, try and avoid bringing these items as it can be most upsetting for all concerned when items do go missing.

As per our mobile phone policy, students are to leave mobile phones at the office, prior to classes commencing and collect them at the end of the day.

The playground is supervised from 8.45am and students should not be at school before this time unless prearranged by a teacher due to a school event. Each day teachers will be in their classroom at 8.50am should you have any questions. Families should note that lessons will begin at 9am sharp. For more complex issues an alternative meeting time, at a mutually agreeable time, can be arranged after school.

If your child is ill at school, or suffers an accident, our staff will give immediate care and appropriate first aid. However, it is necessary on occasions to contact families. Please make sure you notify the office of any changes to your or your Emergency Contact details as well as mobile phone numbers for our SMS system. Please also keep the Office informed of any change in medical issues faced by your children as this helps us to make the best choices for their welfare.

As we are in the middle of the fire season it is a good time to remind our families to ensure that all your details are up to date at the school. If you have changed address, got a new phone number or have a new alternative contact please contact the office to give us the details so that we are able to contact you if required.

We will have a short assembly tomorrow at 2:45pm. I’m looking forward to working with the School Captains.

Regards,

Dale McInerney

Ritchies IGA