Principal's News

I trust that families had a chance to enjoy the extended long weekend break, we were so lucky to be met with some beautiful Melbourne weather which hopefully provided some families the opportunity to travel and spend some time together.

Thank you for engaging in our newsletter, a reflection of the last fortnight in our school and some details shared to support the coming weeks.

Importantly, I wanted to address the sensitivity as the wider community comes to terms with what can only be described as a complete tragedy over the last week.

The devastating death of grade 5 student Jack Davey was felt deeply, not just by the Auburn South Primary School community, but every school community member, whether it be as a parent, teacher or school leader. My heartfelt sympathy remains with everyone at Auburn South PS and with Jack’s family and friends at this very sad time. I was taken aback by the strength and courage on display by Jack’s father in his message in the days that followed and by Auburn South Primary School principal, Marcus Wicher in the immediate response to the tragedy.

It is an incredibly challenging time for that school community and it also makes you reflect, whether it be as a parent or working in a school environment. These are some of the hardest situations to adequately respond to, there is no preparation that can make those experiences any easier. If this was a particularly challenging time in your household managing the impacts of this, please don’t hesitate to contact me and we can try to work through this together. I greatly appreciate families that have made contact with me.

Remembrance Day – Monday November 11th

In 1918 the armistice that ended World War I came into force, bringing to an end four years of hostilities that saw 61,919 Australians die at sea, in the air, and on foreign soil. Few Australian families were left untouched by the events of World War I - 'the war to end all wars'. Most had lost a father, son, daughter, brother, sister or friend.

At 11am on the 11th of November we will pause to remember the sacrifice of those men and women who have died or suffered in wars and conflicts and all those who have served to protect our country. This is an important observance that reminds us that the freedoms and prosperity that we enjoy as a nation have not come without a cost, and that we should be thankful to those who paid the price so that we may enjoy the wonders of this great country.

Staffing and the 2024/25 Transition Program

The school is finalising staffing arrangements for 2025. As parents would be aware, we are in the midst of a teacher shortage that is having significant impact impact on all schools.

A full list of our 2025 staff will be published as soon as possible, with children meeting their new teacher for their meet the teacher day. Our intra-school transition programs have have given students the opportunity to develop a level of comfort with a new area of the school, meaning they will be ready to hit the ground running at the start of the new school year. These transition sessions has proven to be very successful and I appreciate the positive feedback we have received. with students experiencing less anxiety over the summer months not having to wonder what their new routines will be like, having already had the opportunity to settle in.

Families Moving On

If you’re child/ren are planning a move and will not be returning to CPS in 2025, can you please advise the office as soon as possible as we finalise grade lists and budgets for next year.

Happy Diwali!

Many of our community members will have celebrated Diwali over the weekend just past. On behalf of the CPS staff, students and community, we hope you had a wonderful celebration, full of light and happiness.

Safe Travels

We are bound to have some excited Year 5/6 students this weekend as we are on the final countdown to departure for our 2024 Japan Trip. Our students depart on Monday morning for an exciting trip alongside four of our staff. I am looking forward to meeting them at the airport (at 4:30am) to see them off. I extend my sincere thanks to our staff who put in a great deal of planning to support the trip. In particular, I note the hard work of Miharu Morioka and Hiroki Kurokawa who have spent considerable time planning for the coming weeks. Please note that whilst Miharu is away, she will have very limited ability to respond to emails reflective of her Assistant Principal role. I would ask that communication is provided to both herself and I whilst she is away. I wish our students a wonderful and safe trip. I am looking forward to hearing from our staff and I will share updates back to our school community throughout the coming weeks.

Cleaning Updates

Unfortunately, we were informed of a recent change in our cleaning arrangements. Warren, our much loved long-term cleaner at our school has taken a period of leave to support some immediate family needs. This change has meant Warren is not cleaning our school for the remainder of the year. We will invite Warren back to celebrate his contribution to our school as we draw closer to the end of the year.

Our cleaning contract with provider Spotless is also due to expire on the 26th December and we are in the process of transitioning to ARA Property Services.

Communication - Who Do I See?

Communication within the school is really important, it provides an opportunity for our staff to be informed of your concerns and importantly, it provides us an opportunity to share some of our focus and priorities with you. Sometimes, it might not be entirely obvious who is the best staff member to see regarding an issue, concern or even some positive feedback. We have put together the following summary that might assist, we will also look to place this on our website to support our school community.

If you would like to meet with teachers, Miharu or myself, please try to make an appointment at a time that is suitable for you. This can be done via email or contacting the school office.

Who:	Why:
School Office (Therese, Jess)	School administration and urgent safety issues Financial contributions and payments Urgent messages for teachers or other staff Making appointments with the Principal/Assistant Principal Lost property
Our Teachers:	Your child’s progress and/or happiness or the curriculum Home reading (English or Japanese) Not wanting to go to school Unhappy in class or at recess/lunchtime Educational event info, e.g. Naplan, excursions, camps Assisting in the classroom Positive feedback!
Area Leaders (Mari Murray, Noriko Kurata, Hiroki Kurokawa, Kylie Newman, Niamh Molloy):	Curriculum if you see the issue as a team-wide concern/query Inconsistent messages/expectations from teachers within the team Student issues or bullying across multiple grade levels Learning clarifications Homework guidelines for English or Japanese homework
Assistant Principal (Miharu Morioka):	Curriculum Your child’s progress or wellbeing when other channels (i.e. teacher, area leader) have been tried Cyberbullying and bullying issues Student welfare issues Child Safety Complex student issues Issues involving school staff
Principal (Edward Strain):	School-wide Staff issues School management Your child’s progress or wellbeing when other channels (i.e. teacher, area leader and Assistant Principal) have been tried Child Safety School safety School policy Very complex student issues
School Council – Inclusive of Sub-Committees: Finance, Buildings and Grounds, Education and Policy, School Engagement:	Buildings and Grounds Health and Safety Parent/Carer communication Policies or guidelines Finance or budgets Health and Safety Outsourced programs
Parents and Friends Club and Parent Reps:	Communication Fundraising Social events Issues impacting school community spirit

PFC Fundraising

Congratulations to our wonderful Parents and Friends Club who have run a hugely successful fundraising drive over the last few weeks, as I write this, we are currently sitting on $11,911 as a two week total which is an incredible achievement.

Have a fantastic weekend, I look forward to seeing you around the school next week.

With Thanks,

Edward Strain

Principal