Principal Team's Report

Term 3 - that's a wrap!

It's hard to believe that Term 3 is now done and dusted, and we're getting ready for the final term of the year.  Whilst it feels like this term has flown by, we sure managed to pack a lot in!  We sent students to Phillip Island for camp, went to Scienceworks, performed at State School Spectacular, competed at the Aerobics National Championships, went to Hoop Time, celebrated 100 days of school for our Prep students, went to the Zoo, danced at the school disco, dressed up for Book Week, learnt how to be responsible around dogs, competed at Athletics, saw a performance at Bunjil Place, played AFL 9's and undertook a whole school review!  Phew!  What a term! 

Term 3 finished with our whole school Footy Celebration Day with our footy colours parade, special canteen lunch order, and annual Staff vs Students footy match.  It was lovely to see so many of our community members come and join us for this special day.

Our Term 3 Progress Reports are published on Compass from Friday 15th September for families to view.

We wish all of our families a safe and happy holiday break and we look forward to seeing everyone back, rested and refreshed, ready for a HUGE term 4!

VSSS

It was my pleasure to watch our students perform in the Victorian State School Spectacular on the weekend.  What a show! There sure are some talented young people in Victoria, and I am sure we will see many of them on stage and screen in the coming years.  Our students performed beautifully, with enthusiasm, clear voices, and big smiles on their faces.  We also had one of our students as part of the technical crew, which was a fabulous opportunity in itself. 

I would like to give a special shout to Mrs Esther Priestley, Ms Corrin Warn, Mrs Amanda Parnall and Miss Kellie Cameron for their time, energy, and dedication in preparing our students and allowing them to experience such an amazing opportunity.   

Check out the photos on the Springers in Action page...

Staffing changes

As always at The Springs, we have a number of staffing changes to inform you about.

This term we say farewell to our Business Manager Sue Northover.  Sue has been an important part of the Springs for the past 7 years and has been instrumental in making sure the financial position of our school is strong going forward.  She will be greatly missed and we wish her well in her new endeavours.

We also say farewell to Louise Chamberlain who was an original member of the Pakenham Springs Team.  Louise has occupied a number of positions during her time at Pakenham Springs including Learning Support Assistant, First Aid attendant, administration, and OHS/Maintenance officer.  We will miss Louise's sense of humour at the Springs and we also wish her well going forward.

In Term 4, we will welcome Kylie Hunter to our Administration team.  Kylie will take on the Business Manager role and will continue to ensure our school funds are managed responsibly.  Kylie is looking forward to becoming a Springer!

Next term we will also welcome Mrs Sally Baker to our team, in the role of Leading Teacher - Mental Health, Wellbeing and Inclusion.  Sally will support our staff in building our knowledge and practices to continue supporting our students to the highest possible standard.  Stay tuned for more information about Mrs Baker and Mrs Hunter early next term.

2024 Planning

It's that time of year again when we need to finalise our student numbers for 2024.  Please let us know as soon as possible if you have a child starting at the school in 2024 - Step into Prep plans are underway and information is already beginning to go out to families. 

If you have a student leaving the school at the end of this year (apart from our Year 6 students), please let us know as soon as possible.  Accurate student numbers allow us to budget and employ the correct number of staff. We have already commenced our recruitment activities this year due to the state-wide teacher shortage to ensure we lock in the best staff for our students. 

On a similar note, if there are specific issues that need to be considered when placing your child in a class for 2024, these must be put in writing and emailed to the principal by the end of Term 3.  The email address is renee.cotterell@education.vic.gov.au.  Please note that requests directly to teachers may not be considered when we are finalising our overall class structures, groupings and placements for 2024. 

Hats - Term 4

It's time to look in the back of those cupboards and begin finding hats!  These are required from Day 1 of Term 4 - students will need to remain in a hard-covered area if they do not have a Sunsmart hat at school. Not only does this affect their play times, but it also has an impact on their ability to participate fully in PE and Year Level Sports activities.  A cap or hood is not sun-smart and is not acceptable at Pakenham Springs. 

Staffing

This year we (along with other schools in our network) have been hit hard by illnesses for both staff and students. This, combined with the severe teacher shortage within Victoria, has meant that on many occasions we are struggling to put teachers in front of classes. We do try our best to book quality replacement teachers as much as we possibly can, however frequently we are not getting the number of replacement teachers we require. This then results in a class split.  Please understand that a class split is our last option.  We understand that students may feel apprehensive, nervous, anxious, or just plain sad at the thought of not having their regular teacher and their friends in their class that day, or sometimes for a number of days in a row. 

Our Year Level teams work collaboratively to ensure that our classroom programs provide consistent levels of learning for all students in the cohort.  While 'activities' may look different, the key learning goals are very similar. Our teams also look at student achievement data together and have a good understanding of the variety of needs within the group.  This helps ensure students are not having a 'wasted' day when their regular classroom teacher is absent. 

Again, we do apologise for any inconvenience or anxiety this causes our students.  Please assure them that the regular support within the school, including the School Chaplain, LSA staff, office staff, and Leadership members can all help support them if they are feeling a little lost.

Respectful Relationships Education

This term, we are covering Topic 5: Stress Management and Topic 6: Help Seeking.  While this is a mandated curriculum, these learning goals also support the mission of our school to “educate, motivate and inspire all students to ensure they acquire the essential skills and knowledge to become respectful and informed members of the local and global community.”  Fact sheets have been distributed via Compass to all families so that you are aware of the content covered in this curriculum area.  If you do have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your classroom teacher or our Respectful Relationships Leader, Corrin Warn.

Supervision before school

Students are not to arrive at school until 8:30 am on school mornings.  Staff do not begin their workday until this time, and there is insufficient supervision available in the mornings.  Any student arriving before 8:30 am will be asked to sit at the office and wait. We ask for your support in this matter.  Likewise, under no circumstances are students allowed to leave the school grounds in the morning and go across to the shops.  Not only is this incredibly unsafe, with them crossing the busy Heritage BLVD road unsupervised, but a small number of students are also coming back having purchased items inappropriate for the school day.  Please contact OSHClub if you need to organise care and supervision for your child/ren outside of 8:30 am - 3:30 pm.

Enjoy the fortnight ahead!

The PSPS Leadership Team