From Our Principal
St Mel's is a proud Catholic Education Community, striving, learning
and achieving together through Christ our light.
Newsletter ~ Term 1, Week 4, 2024
Principal's Message:
Dear Parents, Carers, Families and Friends of St Mel’s Primary School,
The end of Week Four of our new school year with children and staff now well into school routines in support of learning and teaching.
When possible I continue to visit the learning areas to observe the learning taking place and ask the children to talk to me about the activities and work they are completing. This is giving me a feel for the approach to learning and teaching at St. Mel's and the interest and engagement levels of children in their Pastoral Groups and Learning Areas.
The opportunity to teach Physical Education and Performing Arts on a couple of Thursdays has supported my growing knowledge of children's names, interests, abilities and learning styles (in the Year 3/4 area). I have enjoyed these Thursdays with the children and the opportunity to learn more about them, and share a little of myself and my teaching style.
Do Your Best ~ Help Others Succeed ~ Respect Our School
As a school community, we continue to revisit our School Wide Expectations and strengthen the foundations for School Wide Positive Behaviour, which in turn will value add to student engagement in school, in general, and to student learning. At our staff PLC on Wednesday afternoon, we focussed on a review of the Child Safe Code of Conduct and the child safe principles and expectations for appropriate staff/adult behaviours towards and in the company of children and young people. This session was followed by an overview of the principles underpinning our CES Ltd approach to School Wide Positive Behaviour and the elements that make up our approach to this important area of school life. We are aiming to enhance current approaches to strengthening expected behaviour and addressing behaviour of concern in a strategic, systemised manner based on evidence-based practice.
Our Staff Team - A Professional Learning Team
As a Staff Team we continue to revisit and progress our curriculum plans, based on the Victorian Curriculum and the two year planning cycle. Laura Emanuelli and Danae Napier led staff through the next phase of this journey on Tuesday afternoon at our Professional Learning Team meeting. We will continue this planning and curriculum review across the year. Key staff will also attend CES Ltd Learning Leader, Curriculum and Subject focussed networks with colleagues from other diocesan schools.
'Get to Know You' Interveiws: Monday 26 & Tuesday 27 February
An important opportunity for children, parents/carers and staff to meet briefly to discuss how the children have settled into the new year, visit learning areas, share information and for the children to talk of their learning and developmental goals for the learning journey ahead. If for some reason you are not able to attend on Monday or Tuesday, please make contact with the teacher or teachers in the Learning Unit to arrange an alternative meeting time. I will be in the yard and around the school on Monday and Tuesday night hoping to meet more members of our school community.
Our Sacramental Journey:
Parents / Carers of children in the parish Sacramental Preparation Program will gather in the St. Mel's Church (Christ the King Church) for an Adult Faith Formation session in support of the children's sacramental journey. I look forward to meeting with parents and carers of our children undertaking this journey on the night.
The session commences at 7:00pm (Thursday 29 February)
I am grateful for...
... members of our community who represented our school at the local Apology Breakfast in the Queen's Gardens on Tuesday 13 February
... Fr. Rene and parishioners who welcomed our school to the parish celebration of Ash Wednesday last week
... the members of our School Advisory Council for a warm welcome and a productive first meeting this week
... the members of staff, and senior students, who have supported our weekly Breakfast Program on Friday mornings
... the patience (still) of those children and parents whose names I am still trying to learn (& remember)
...the staff team for continuing to support one another as we continue to support the learning of the children in our care, especially in the context of a staffing shortage
... the parishioners and members of the public who have passed on positive feedback in relation to the start of our new school year
Attendance at School Matters!
Best wishes for the weekend ahead and the learning conversations to be held on Monday and Tuesday of next week.
Kind regards,
Stephen 'Steve' Hicks
Principal