Principal's Message

Dear Families,

World Teachers Day was celebrated in Victoria on Friday 25th October 2024 to acknowledge the significant contribution teachers make to shaping the lives of our children, young people, families and communities. Thank you to students and support staff for their acknowledgement and support of our teachers in recognising the dedication, hard work and support they have given in a year of unprecedented challenges. 

We are delighted to welcome Mary back to school after her Long Service Leave and tour of Europe. Mary is in the process of completing a hand over and catching up on some of the changes that have taken place over the last 2 months. I would very much like to thank both Heather Fletcher and Lauren Barry for taking on the many tasks that Mary has to juggle in her role. 

In the next few weeks teachers will meet in teams to discuss and compare writing, numeracy and reading teacher observations, assessment data and student work to identify benchmarks against the Victorian Curriculum in preparation for end of year reports.  Report writing involves considerable time both during planning time and outside of school reflecting on formal assessment data and records from classroom observations, discussing and comparing work samples with colleagues with frequent reference to the Victorian Curriculum Standards.  This is to ensure that as much as possible, all assessments and comments are consistent, accurate and professionally presented.  In the meantime, teachers continue to maintain a comprehensive classroom program with observations and assessments right up until the last week of the term.

We have noticed over the past few weeks that a significant number of students arrive at school after the bell at 9am, with as many as 50 late comers some mornings. It is very important that students arrive at school in plenty of time to meet and greet friends, locate their school bag in the class line up and have a chance for a short play.  At the very least it is expected that students are in the school yard when the music starts, 3 minutes before 9am.  We know and understand that the mornings can be a rush and that the traffic and parking around the school are very congested.  It is important for parents to support their child to have a smooth start to the school day by arriving in plenty of time to enter the classroom with their peers and the whole class.  Students who arrive even one or 2 minutes late feel unsettled and stressed and can often miss hearing a number of key points to the lesson or day’s program and learning.  

It is also important to note that ALL SCHOOL GATES ARE LOCKED PROMPTLY AT 9AM EACH MORNING to allow the teachers on yard duty to assist with students entering the school buildings and their classrooms.  This is in line with our Child Safety Guidelines and is especially important as some of our students become distressed when their parents leave the yard.  Students who arrive at school after the 9am bell are required to attend the school office, accessed via Nicholson St with their parent as they would have missed the morning roll marking.  Students will then make their own way or be escorted to their classroom by office staff.  It is not safe, nor appropriate that students are dropped off by themselves at a Raleigh St, Shaftesbury St or Nicholson St gate after the 9am bell as they will find themselves on their own without adult supervision. 

Christine Nash

Principal