Principal's Message

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all stayed safe during the wild weather this week. It certainly made for a nervous 3:30pm pick-up on Tuesday!

There’s plenty of information in today’s newsletter, so put your feet up, grab your preferred refreshment and have a read.

School Council

A huge welcome to our new School Council members, Jess Harding and Rebecca Graham, along with returning members Kristin Lees and Mel Martin. We thank you for your commitment and look forward to working with you all.

Thank you to departing members, Anita Buljubasic and Donna Larsen, for their dedication and commitment to our school over many years.

Our next School Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, 18th March.

Infectious Diseases

With a number of common illnesses circulating at this time of year, we ask families to please keep children home if they are unwell. If your child is diagnosed with an infectious disease (such as chickenpox, influenza, COVID-19, gastro, etc.), please notify the office as soon as possible. This allows us to monitor cases and communicate with families where required, helping to keep our community safe.

Please read the below information from the Department of Health regarding Gastroenteritis and exclusion periods for diarrhoeal illnesses:

Gastroenteritis

Gastroenteritis is a short-term illness triggered by the infection and inflammation of the digestive system. Symptoms can include abdominal cramps, diarrhoea and vomiting.

If you or anyone in your household is ill, stay home for 48 hours after symptoms have stopped to ensure you are clear of infection.

School exclusion table for primary schools and children's services

In the case of gastroenteritis, children must not return to school until there has been no vomiting or loose bowel motion for 48 hours. For all other diarrhoeal illnesses, children must not return to school until there has not been vomiting or a loose bowel motion for 24 hours.

For more information regarding Gastroenteritis and the school exclusion table for primary schools and children's services, please refer to the following websites:

Car Park Safety and Expectations

To help keep everyone safe during drop-off and pick-up times, please ensure you follow these important guidelines in our car parks:

Do not access the car park via the small gate near the bins. All parents and students must use the designated path to the drop-off zone.
Pedestrians must remain on the yellow painted walkways at all times.
Please do not park in the ‘Staff Only’ spaces.
There is no parking permitted in the stadium car park unless you hold a valid disability parking permit.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our community safe and orderly.

Curriculum Days

School Council has approved our remaining three Curriculum Days for the year:

Monday, 20th April
Monday, 2nd November
Friday, 4th December

All dates are available on the Compass calendar for your reference.

MEPS Masters

Only two weeks to go until the MEPS Masters Golf Day at Gardiners Run Golf Course on Sunday 15th March! You have until tomorrow to enter a team. It is always a fantastic day filled with plenty of laughs and great company. We would love to see you there!

AEU Strike

As you may have heard in the media, the Australian Education Union has flagged a potential teachers’ strike on Tuesday, 24th March. At this stage, nothing has been confirmed, as members are yet to vote. We will keep the community updated as soon as we have further information.

5/6 Athletics

All the best to our Year 5/6 students for their Athletics Day next Thursday, 5th March. It is always a fun and energetic day. Thank you to Mr Stephens for all the work he has put into organising the event.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Parent Teacher Interviews will be held next Tuesday, 3rd March. The Compass booking system will close on Monday, 2nd March at 10:00am.

These interviews are a valuable opportunity to meet your child’s teacher, discuss the year ahead and share any important information that will help us best support your child. While this is not a formal academic progress meeting, it is a great chance to build strong connections early in the year. Each interview will run for 10 minutes per teacher.

Our specialist teachers will also be available should you wish to pass on any relevant information.

An alternative program will operate at school between 12:45pm and 3:30pm. Students will be supervised by teaching staff not involved in interviews.

If you wish to collect your child between 12:30pm and 3:30pm, please ensure you sign them out at the office, as per our usual processes.

Division Swimming

All the very best to our swimmers competing at Division Swimming next week. Give it your best effort!

Toilets

Our builders have certainly moved ahead with the new toilets. Have a look at the progress!!

Regards,

Matt Tyndall, Antoinette Di Ludovico, Brant Kennedy

Leadership