Principal's Report
Dear Parents,
It's been a wonderful week at Macedon Primary School. Students coped particularly well with the two hot days, the swimming sports were able to go ahead, and we had the first School Council meeting for the year.
From conversations with parents, I am aware that many of you know a lot about bushfires and the processes the school follows in various situations, while others are unsure and would like to know more. With this in mind, a brief explanation addressing concerns raised this week is provided below. A link to more detailed information has been added to the newsletter menu.
Bushfire Preparedness (in brief)
Throughout the bushfire season, Macedon Primary School receives bushfire rating data, for the coming week, twice a day (morning and afternoon). This data has each bushfire district broken down into Local Government Areas.
This week, the Central District was declared extreme on Tuesday afternoon while the more detailed school data showed the Macedon Ranges as high. Understandably, this caused some confusion.
It is important for families to know that:
We are monitoring the bushfire danger daily and have information for the next seven days.
You will be notified, as soon as we know, of an extreme or catastrophic fire danger day in the Macedon Ranges.
The Department communicates individually with schools facing an extreme or catastrophic fire danger day as soon as the rating appears in the forecast.
When students are off-site (camps and excursions) their location is logged with the Department. Both the school and the Department maintain awareness of the conditions in the area/s students are located.
Kindergartens and child care centres do not operate under the Department of Education guidelines in these situations.
If you have any questions, please use this link to let us know. Questions will be answered in the newsletter next week.
Storm Dismissal
Continuing on the theme of student safety, I'd like to thank everyone for their support with dismissal yesterday. Heavy rain, high winds, lightening and a power outage resulted in a change to the usual process. We will always take action to keep your children safe. In this case, we held them in until the lightening had passed.
In these circumstances, if you are running late, or stuck in a storm, we will look after your child/ren until you arrive, no matter how long it takes. Your safety is also important to us, there is no need to rush.
Morning Tea with Our New Students
Karren and I had morning tea with all the new students (years 1 to 6) late last week to make them feel welcome and find out how they are settling in. All students reported that making the move to a new school was much easier than they expected. This reflects resilience from the new students and the friendly culture of Macedon Primary School. We would like to welcome Cooper & Mila D, Isabelle C, Ava & Eve W, Ella G and their familes to Macedon Primary School.
Welcome to Macedon Picnic - Thursday 22nd February (3.30pm to 5.30pm)
We hope to see as many people as possible at our welcome picnic next week. This is an informal event for families to get together and celebrate the start of the school year. There will be a coffee and ice-cream van, and lots of bubbles!
Riding to School - Safety Reminder
There was a near miss on Carrington Street this week when a student raced across the road on their bike without looking. This is a good reminder for us all to revise road safety rules with the children.
Parent / Teacher Meetings
Parent / teacher meetings will be held on the 27th February for students in years 3 to 6, and the 28th for those in years 1 and 2. The foundation parents will have an opportunity to speak with their teachers at the end of their testing appointments. You will be notified when the booking system is in place. In the meantime, you will receive (in hard copy) a profile sheet to complete about your child/ren. Teachers have asked for these be completed prior to the meetings to give them an opportunity to read them before they meet with you. Further information will be provided. This is your 'heads-up' that homework is coming your way.
Swimming Sports
Students had a sensational time at the annual swimming sports (for years 3 to 6) with a variety of events to suit all abilities and interests. David's organisation of the day was outstanding. An incredible amount of work needs to done behind the scenes to ensure these events go smoothly and safely. Thank you to our staff who took on various roles at (and in) the pool, and to the parents who volunteered their time to support the students.
Kind regards
Cathie