Message from Principal Sarah

Welcome back to Term 4! 

We hope everyone had an opportunity to enjoy a well-earned holiday after a busy term 3 and have managed to recharge ready for an action-packed Term 4. 

Term 4 is always our busiest term with many school events occurring from the start of term right through to the end of term. Our Arts Festival and the beginning of our 2024 Prep Transition are the first big events coming up within the next month followed by the Year 3 Camp to Forest Edge and our 2023 Swimming Program. Please keep an eye open in this newsletter and upcoming newsletter for further information about all our Term 4 events.

2024 Grade Placements

As we begin the planning process for the 2024 school year and organising classes, we would appreciate if parents could notify the school if your child/ren will not be returning to NMPS in 2024, as soon as possible. 

Any current families that are yet to enrol 2024 Prep students are encouraged to do so as soon as possible to assist with our planning process.

We also wanted to share some information with families around our process for student grade allocations. 

NMPS is such a large school and as such we are not in a position to accommodate parent requests for grade placements.  

Classes are randomly generated and then teaching teams review these classes considering the needs of all students from a social, academic and behavioural perspective. Teachers look for compatible learning partners, considering current friendship groups, and encourage the development of new friendships. 

A range of factors are considered based on some simple principles:

• Classes need to have a gender balance
• Classes need an academically compatible balance
• Classes need a ‘social behaviour’ balance
• Children need to be place with familiar faces while at the same time acknowledging that some children work better with certain students than others irrespective of friendships

At NMPS, we strongly believe it is essential for children to have the opportunity to make new friends as this experience often leads to wonderful new friendships and stronger social skills.

In 2024 our Prep – 2 cohorts will be learning at our Molesworth Street Campus and our 3 - 6 students will be learning at our Errol Street Campus. Bell times for each campus will remain the same for 2024.

Staffing Update

This term we welcome back Jennifer Elphinstone for three days a week. Jen will be predominately based at our Errol Street Campus on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. We are very excited to have Nurse Jen back on deck!

We also welcome Simon Wrigley to the NMPS team as our newly appointed Business Manager. 

Sadly, we will be farewelling Ritu Marwah this term as she embarks on a new career path. We thank Ritu for her time and commitment to NMPS and wish her all the best in her new career. Ritu’s last day at NMPS will be Monday 16th October. We are currently undertaking the recruitment process to secure a suitable replacement for Ritu’s Science classes. 

Our 2024 recruitment processes are also underway as we advertise teacher vacancies for 2024 and beyond.

Traffic Safety and Management

Over the holiday period, we have seen the following measures installed to assist with traffic management around our Molesworth Street Campus. 

• Two pedestrian crossings (Abbotsford and Molesworth Street) 
• Road humps in Molesworth St have been installed near the school entrance and at the crossing. 
• 40k’ logos have been painted in Molesworth St.

New ‘Kiss & Go’ signs will be installed at both campuses within the next few weeks.

Kiss and Go Zone

If you are using the ‘Kiss and Go’ zones at either of our campuses, please ensure you follow the correct ‘Kiss and Go’ procedure. You cannot leave your car unattended in these areas.

Let’s Be Sun Smart!

As we enjoy the beautiful weather this term, we want to remind you of our commitment to sun safety at our NMPS.

All students are required to have a sun smart hat to wear this term for all outdoor activities, including P.E. lessons. Sun protection is essential to prevent sunburn and long-term skin damage.

If your child does not have a sun appropriate hat, they will be asked to sit in a shaded area during outdoor activities. Please note: A cap is not a sun smart hat.

Please take a moment to check if your child has a suitable sun hat in their school bag and ensure it is clearly labelled.