Principal Report
Hello families,
We are almost at the end of another wonderful semester but there is still a bit to get through! After being away for much of the last couple of weeks at various professional learning days/workshops, this week I’ve loved seeing our students engage with Kerrie Taylor, as part of our beloved author visits (as well as their Auslan lesson!), and also to see the excitement of the Year 5/6 students when they were discussing their recorded news reports on natural disasters, their current topic of their literacy blocks. It was also great to see our Year 1 students so invested in their maths work around time, even learning about the concept of seasons through the lens of the local Aboriginal culture - did you know that we are currently in Waring (wombat) season which is one of 6 seasons that form part of Koorie knowledge?
Semester One Reports
With the end of semester almost upon us, please note that the student Semester One reports will be available to parents via Compass from next Friday afternoon, June 27th, from 4pm via the ‘View Academic Reports’ option on your child/ren’s home page or the ‘Reports’ tab on their profile page. If you need assistance in accessing the report, please contact our school office.
Parent Teacher Interviews (and Student Led Conferences in Year 5/6)
These will also take place in the final week of Term 2 on Monday, June 30th, between 2:00-7:00 pm. Details on how to book a time to meet with classroom and specialist teachers will be sent out in the coming days. To further the school’s work on student agency, the Year 5/6 classes will be conducting ‘3 way’ (parent-teacher-student) conferences where the student will lead the session.
Parents and carers of students in Foundation to Year 4 please note that if you wish to come in and do your interview face to face, please email the front office at newport.lakes.ps@education.vic.gov.au to organise.
Teachers' WebEx details will be sent out on Monday morning via Compass.
2024 Annual Report
As I wrote in our last newsletter, the 2024 NLPS Annual Report has now passed departmental quality assurance and will be presented to the school community prior to our next school council meeting on Monday, June 23rd from 6:15pm (online), via Webex, using this link - https://eduvic.webex.com/meet/bannon.carly.a
The 2024 Annual Report is now available for the school community to read through on the school’s website - please click here to view the report. If you have any questions about the report and cannot make it to the online meeting, please feel free to send them through to me via the school email (newport.lakes.ps@education.vic.gov.au) and I will get back to you.
Allied Health Visits
We recognise that there is an increasing number of people, children included, that are accessing additional support and even obtaining a diagnosis that indicates neurodivergence (e.g. ASD, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, mental health conditions, etc.).
Naturally, we encourage families to reach out to additional allied health support services (e.g. psychologists, speech therapists, behaviour therapists, occupational therapists, etc.) to provide assistance as the school is not an expert in these areas. For those who have NDIS funding, we can even provide space for 1:1 sessions to take place at the school. In terms of time in the classroom, NLPS has set some parameters. For those allied health professionals that wish to observe a child in their classroom/school, we ask that this happens only once a term and the mutually suitable time is coordinated with the school office at newport.lakes.ps@education.vic.gov.au and that our Inclusive Education Learning Specialist, Carol Martins is also informed. As you can imagine, with up to 29 students in some classrooms, there are quite a few requests that come in and these visits can have an impact on the classroom - its routines and its students. Additionally, discussions (pre and post visit) with the teacher also add up.
Of course, NLPS also appreciates that how students present at school is a vital part of any support and/or diagnosis, so we will continue to happily accommodate requests. We just ask that all parties are mindful of the increasing pressures on staff and ensure that the allied health professional is flexible in terms of what constitutes a mutually suitable time, and provide a range of options, understanding that they may need to wait for one such time to become available. Thank you for your support.
Newsletter Feedback
The fortnightly NLPS Newsletter is a key element of our communication to the whole school community and we work hard to make it relevant, engaging, and informative to our valued readers, so please feel free to pass on any feedback that can make the newsletter even more so. Please take some time to properly scan through this newsletter and focus on the items that may relate to you and your child/ren. I know lots of parents love Mat’s well-crafted pieces or appreciate Sam’s Wellbeing advice!
Final Foundation 2026 School Tour
With enrolments due in late July, (form attached below) we are able to offer one more, full-length school tour to our local community, to take place on Thursday, June 26th at 10am.
If you are interested in attending, please make a booking via CompassTix -https://compasstix.com/e/2zk4lfzlkc
End of Term – Early Dismissal
Friday, July 4th is the last day of Term 2. There will be an early dismissal on this day and students will be dismissed from their classes at 2.15pm after a whole school assembly is held on the oval from 1:30pm, which the school community is welcome to attend. If you need after school care that day or vacation care, please contact QB via https://www.qbcc.org.au/ .
Have a wonderful fortnight - stay warm!
Carly Bannon
Proud NLPS Principal