Principal's Report 

Dear Parents, 

Che meravigliosa celebrazione della cultura italiana è stata la scorsa settimana. Un grande ringraziamento alla signora Renta per il suo duro lavoro durante la giornata. (What a wonderful celebration of the Italian culture last week was. A big thank you to Renata for her hard work on the day). 

Last week's Italian morning was a wonderful way to celebrate all things Italian. The weather was perfect, the turn out from parents was great and the students had a blast. From racing waiters to carnival masks, from pasta eating to bocce, all of the students took part and had a wonderful time doing so  Thank you to all involved in a great morning. 

Whilst last week's reason to dress up was all about fun, today's dress up has a more serious theme. As students dressed in red today, we were joined by a member of the Victoria Police at assembly to discuss child safety as we mark Day for Daniel this week. I am sure by now we are all aware of the tragic story of Daniel Morcombe, and this week schools across the nation will be using that tragedy as impetus to highlight child safety in its many forms. 

Of course we will not be discussing Daniel Morcombe's disappearance with the students. We will however be highlighting to them those in our community, such as emergency services personnel, health care professionals and teachers who can assist children with safety issues in addition to their parents and family. 

This is a week where we highlight the need for child safety, however it is worth noting that in Victorian government schools, including Mackellar Primary School, child safety is at the forefront of our minds every day. 

For example all schools must have in place Child Safety Standards of which ours can be found on our school's website. All staff and volunteers have a Working with Children's Check or Victorian Institute of Teaching accreditation, and all visitors must report to the office prior to entering the school. 

In regards to education, safety is a core element of the curriculum including our Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) curriculum focusing on developing students' social, emotional and positive relationship skills in an effort to reduce gender-related violence. Our School-Wide Positive Behaviours Supports (SWPBS) program develops positive, safe and supportive learning cultures and our suite of positive mental health programs such as art therapy, music therapy, Seasons for Growth and I Can foster positive mental health in young people.

For more information on any of these programs, please feel free to chat with your child's classroom teacher or alternatively with Jo Wood our Wellbeing and Inclusion Leading Teacher, or Tanya Lindsay-Clark our Mental Health in Primary Schools Leader.  

This Friday is our Halloween themed disco which will run straight after school, details of which can be found further into this newsletter. Students are welcome to dress in their Halloween costume throughout the day on Friday for a gold coin donation. We would love to see as many spooky and scary students attend as possible!

Finally, a reminder that on Friday November 3rd and on Monday November 6th students will not be required at school. TheirCare will be available on both of these day should children need supervision. Tuesday November 7th is Melbourne Cup Day giving students a well earned five day break in the middle of term. 

Kind Regards, 

Simon McGlade

Principal