Principal's Column

It’s hard to believe we are at the end of another school term and at the mid-point of 2024! This is this final issue of our newsletter this term, which has been a busy one but a great one none the less.

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Friday 28th June 2024: Last day of Term 2. Please note this is a 2.15pm finish.
• Monday 15th July 2024: Curriculum Day - No school for students.
• Tuesday 16th July 2024: First day of Term 3. Students start at 9am.
• Wednesday 24th July 2024: Parent/ Carer and Teacher Interviews. Students finish at 1.30pm
• Thursday 25th July: Year 3-6 Athletics Day and Prep 100 Days of School

MR. GATT'S UPCOMING LEAVE

Mr. Gatt has commenced a period of leave. He will be on leave for the first four weeks of next term, returning on Monday 12th August. During his absence, Miss. Slaymaker will be Acting Principal, supported by Mrs Richardson and the leadership team.

TERM 3 STAFFING

At the commencement of Term 3 we have a number of our staff on short-term leave, which has resulted in some minor adjustments to our programs during this period. Those classes impacted have been informed of this already and we thank you for your understanding.  

In addition, Miss. Lawless (6G) and Mrs. Thompson (EAL) will be on leave for all of Term 3 meaning that 6G students will be placed in the remaining Year 6 classes for the term and EAL Tier 3 Program will not be running for the term and students will be supported by their classroom teachers.

2024 ATTITUDES TO SCHOOL SURVEY DATA

This term our Year 4-6 students participated in the annual Attitudes to School Survey, which gathers the students perceptions in the following domains:

• Effective Teaching Practice For Cognitive Engagement
• Emotional And Relational Engagement
• Individual Social And Emotional Wellbeing
• Learner Characteristics And Dispositions
• Social Engagement
• Student Safety
• Teacher Student Relations

Our preliminary data is quite pleasing and demonstrates the impact our collective work is having with our students in the ‘Effective Teaching Practice for Cognitive Engagement’ and ‘Student Safety’ domains, which have been two key areas of focus. Below is a short summary of the number students that responded positively to each area with a comparison to our 2023 results.

SEMESTER REPORTS

Semester reports are a celebration of student learning across the last two terms in all subject areas, which we encourage you to share with your child. Semester reports will be made ‘live’ to families on Compass this Thursday 27th June. 

Below is a summary of what semester reports will contain: 

TERM 2 STUDENT ATTENDANCE CELEBRATION

Last Tuesday we celebrated those students who achieved 90%+ attendance for Term 2. We had 282 of our students reach this milestone and attended lunch with the principals. These students were put into the draw to win a canteen voucher and one student from each year level won a voucher. We would like to thank our families for their support with promoting the importance of school attendance. 

CLASS CHANGES - TERM 3

At the start of Term 3, we will be transitioning to having 3 X Year 2 classes for the remainder of the year. This change impacts 2K particularly as Miss. Karutz will be teaching Prep F at the beginning of Week 3. 

This was a difficult decision to make, however with our significantly small classes in Year 2 (average of 16.5 children per class) and the current staffing shortages in Victoria this decision was the one that needed to be made in the best interests of our children.

We thank our families for their understanding with the changes that are occurring.

2025 PREP ENROLMENTS

Enrolments for any child looking to start Prep (or any year level) in 2025, are continuing to be accepted so please contact the office to commence this process. 

We are still holding regular school tours, so if you or anybody you know would like to attend one please register by contacting our office. These tours are available for all prospective families.

CHILD SAFETY AND WELLBEING AT WESTGROVE: 

Information for Families and the School Community

Westgrove Primary School is committed to providing an environment where students are safe and feel safe. We have a zero tolerance for child abuse and are committed to protecting children from harm. 

Our comprehensive child safety framework outlines our school’s strategies to support student safety and wellbeing. The framework includes the following policies, codes and procedures:  

• Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy 
• Child Safety Code of Conduct 
• Child safety Responding and Reporting Obligations Policy and Procedure 
• Complaints Policy 
• Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy 
• Bullying Prevention Policy 
• Volunteers Policy 
• Visitors Policy 
• Digital Learning Policy 
• Yard Duty and Supervision Policy 

These policies can be found on our website at https://www.westgrps.vic.edu.au/policies

Our students and their families are important partners in keeping our students safe. We value feedback and ideas on how we can continuously strengthen our child safety framework.

If you have any suggestions or comments please contact Mrs. Richardson, Assistant Principal on 9749 8233 or at westgrove.ps@education.vic.gov.au .