Principal's Report  

Dear SEPS Families, 

Welcome back to Week 6!  We are at the halfway point in Term 2 and are currently busy preparing assessments and reports ready for our parent/teacher interviews later this term. 

SCHOOL UNIFORM  

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback via the uniform survey. Your support really assists us to make informed decisions. The results were almost 50-50 with 58 parents wanting uniform upgrades and 58 parents who do not. We had 44 parents who were a maybe. As a compromise, we have asked PSW to make the winter soft shell jacket and beanie available as an optional extra. They will not replace any of the current uniform items and the flexibility to purchase plain bottle green items from retail stores will be totally acceptable. Slightly more parents liked the new polo top design. We will again, add this to the choices but not remove the old designs at this point.  

HOMEWORK  

We are currently revising our homework policy and have reached out to our local secondary schools to gain a clear understanding of the expectations for students entering Yr 7 You may be aware of a studies that have been conducted over many years. I have been reviewing homework, study skills and effective time management since my days working at a private boys secondary college and feel that it is timely that we review our practices here at Sandy East to ensure that we understand the purpose of our curriculum delivery and the most effective ways that we can impact on student learning. We would like to host a parent education evening to discuss the research, values and purpose behind homework practices to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our community moving forward. In the meantime, you will find many examples to assist your children at home with reviewing and/or embedding their learning in the newsletter. Please ensure that you read Connect for your child’s year level. 

DOGS IN SCHOOL

A few people have reached out for information regarding parents bringing their dogs onto school grounds. Schools have the right to ban dogs altogether however it appears that our school is definitely a dog-friendly school. I have updated the Dogs at School policy and placed it on our website. We are in the middle of updating our website so it may take a few days to appear. If you would like a copy of the policy beforehand, please contact the office. 

The part of the policy to be aware of is the Liability clause. The owner of the dog is fully responsible for their pet at all times. If your dog jumps on people, or is not trained to sit and remain beside their owner, they should not be onsite. 

• Pet dogs must be leashed at all times and in the control of a responsible adult.
• Pet dogs must not be tied up on school grounds or left unaccompanied.
• Families that bring dogs to school that exhibit signs of aggressive behaviour, bark, or jump will be asked to remove the dog from school premises.

Please be mindful that not every child or adult is comfortable around dogs and therefore they should not be subject to an unwilling encounter with your pet. Pets should not enter classrooms or buildings at any time. Unfortunately, we have had a pet dog leave a mess in our yard that the owner did not clean up. If this continues then we will have to revise this policy and refuse entry of pets onsite. 

Please also note that the policy states that in the event of attack or injury: Under section 29 of the Domestic Animals Act 1994, the person ‘in apparent control’ of the dog at the time that a dog attacks or bites any person (or even if the dog ‘rushes at or chases any person’) is guilty of an offence, whether or not they are the owner of the dog. Various penalties can be imposed under the section, and a court may require the payment of compensation if a person is found guilty.

SAFETY in the YARD 

Another possible hazard in our yard are bikes and scooters. Please remind your children that bikes and scooters should be walked through the yard (including the pathway to Miller St). Students and toddlers should not be riding through the yard or across the oval. We have had a few parents concerned about near misses. 

Unfortunately, a few parents  continue to ignore our plea to not park in the circular driveway. Last week we had a Preppy run ahead and nearly get backed over by someone in their car who appeared oblivious to pedestrians using the school entry. I cannot imagine how devastating it would be if one of our students was hit. It is mind-boggling that some drivers continue to refuse to follow a request for safety in the belief that it won’t happen to them.  Accidents are accidents. Nobody expects them to happen, but they do. If you have grandparents or other family members picking up your children, please ensure that they are aware that there is no car access or parking on school grounds. Thank you to those parents who continue to voice their concerns and do the right thing by our community. 

Wishing you all a wonderful fortnight ahead. 

Jane Briffa