Out and about with Mr Walsh
Principal Report
As term 2 concludes we would like to thank all of our students and staff for their AMAZING work this term. We have faced new challenges this term through increased sickness and absence but it has been a pleasure to see everyone work towards their best throughout the term. A big thank you to Linda Giggins and Lynda Patterson for their organisation of Casual Relief teachers throughout the term, which has resulted in all of our classes and programs continuing to run with minimal disruption. It has been great to have parents and carers back in the school and classrooms, and a big thank you for your continued support. We look forward to the remainder of the year with an increase in community based activities and experiences. I want to wish all of our students, staff and Surfside community a safe, restful and fun break. For those travelling we wish you safe travels and hope you enjoy your experiences. If you are staying close to home enjoy the amazing things that our community has to offer. Stay warm and stay safe!
Peter Walsh
Principal
Reports and Student Led Conferences
Our student reports will be released today so please log in to compass to view these and our student led conferences will take place in week 2 (18/7-20/7), so please book in via Compass when bookings are open. More information can be found on the reporting and student led conference information page of the newsletter. A big well done and thank you to all of our students and educational staff for their focus on achieving their best.
Term 3 Curriculum Days - Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th July - Berry Street Educational Model Training
A reminder that the first 2 days of term 3 have been booked for our Berry Street Education Model training. The Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) provides strategies for teaching and learning that enables teachers to increase engagement of students with complex, unmet learning needs and to successfully improve all students’ self-regulation, relationships, wellbeing, growth and academic achievement. Our pedagogical strategies incorporate trauma-informed teaching, positive education, and wellbeing practices. More information regarding the program can be found HERE.
Camp Australia Care Cancelled - Unfortunately we have been informed that Camp Australia are unable to provide on-site care on these days due to current staffing constraints. All families currently booked in should have been contacted by Camp Australia regarding this.
Student Achievement and Engagement
There has been plenty happening in and out of the classroom at Surfside over the past fortnight. Well done to all of our students for displaying our School Values when representing the school:
Division Football - Barwon Reserve, Belmont - Well done to our year 6 Football team who participated in the recent Division Championships. The students had a big day with 6 matches against some quality opposition. The team displayed great skills and teamwork throughout the day winning 4 out of 6 games. A big thank you to Mr Wilkie and our parent helpers for their assistance throughout the day.
Western Region Cross Country Championships - Brimbank Park, Keilor - We had 8 students represent Surfside at the recent Western Region Championships at Brimbank Park, Keilor. The students were faced with amazing competition, challenging conditions and a big hill. All of our students represented themselves well and we are excited to see Freya M and Sofia U qualify for the upcoming SSV Victorian Cross Country Championships in term 3. Well done to Sofia who was the gold medal winner in the 9/10 multiclass event!!!
Staff vs Year 6 Students Basketball Challenge - The atmosphere was electric as the Surfside Staff Globetrotters took to the court to entertain and dazzle the students of Surfside on Thursday. They were faced with tough competition and a strong defence from our year 6 students but the staff prevailed with flair, finesse and outstanding passing ability. Highlights included the ball control of Ryan 'Shake and Bake' Baker, the shooting prowess of Katrina 'Big Mac' McRedden, the run and turn of Eden 'The Enigma' Henderson and the bullet passes from Dan 'The Dynamo' Asher. We were also treated to a dynamic display from Surfside's newest staff member Trevor 'Tornado' Hilton who has been a handy addition in the mid-season draft. The staff continue to shine in our staff vs students challenge but all are looking forward to our term 3 dodgeball challenge. A big thank you to Fraser C for his amazing photos and video!
Community Service and Work Experience
A big thank you to a number of year 7 students who have volunteered their community service hours over the past couple of weeks. A super thank you and well done to Edie Henderson, Alice Molloy and Alannah Elers who have completed Year 10 Work Experience at Surfside over the past week. All of our staff and students have appreciated your support.
Term 3 Staffing Updates
It is with great excitement and sadness that we see Mrs Moss and Ms Wood finish up at Surfside for the year as they head off on maternity leave. We wish them all the best but it also provides a great opportunity to welcome some new faces to Surfside.
We welcome Mr Trevor Hilton to the year 6 team and Mr Hilton will be teaching S12 for the remainder of the year. Mr Hilton has had significant experience through year 5 & 6 over the past 10 years at Bacchus Marsh Grammar and we are sure he will be welcomed by the students and families of S12.
Mrs Diana Wright will join the Foundation community and join the F2 team with Mr Barnes. Mrs Wright was able to team teach in the Foundation team in 2021 and excited to bring her sparkle and shine back to F2 for the remainder of the year.
Ms McPherson and Ms Repusic are very lucky to be departing the shores of Australia and heading to Europe! We wish them safe travels but we look forward to having Mrs Andrews in J3 and Mr Fraser in M20.
It is with sadness that we were informed today that it will be the last day for Gerry our crossing supervisor. On behalf of Surfside we want to thank Gerry for his smiles and friendly morning and afternoon greetings. I have included a short message from Gerry to our Surfside students and families:
'I would like to send a big thanks to Surfside and the friendly staff for their waves and smiles in the morning and afternoon. Please pass on from me, to your students and parents, my best wishes for everything they do in the future.
I feel blessed to have been assigned to the crossing at Surfside over the last 2 years, and have met so many amazing people, ( both children and adults ) during this time. I didn’t want to tell the kids, or parents face to face, as I am a pretty emotional person, and I would rather they remember me with a smile on my face.
Best wishes to you all.
Your school is amazing.'
Gerry
We wish everyone all the best for term 3.
School Council Meeting - July 19th Meeting
Our recent school council meeting took place on Tuesday and was an opportunity to cover the following areas:
- Term 2 Update and reflection
- Term 3 focus areas and professional learning
- Mental Health and Wellbeing in Primary Schools update for 2023
- Finance reports, budgets and updates
- Community engagement
A big thank you to our school council members for their support throughout term 2.
Keeping our community COVIDSafe
The Victorian Government, Department of Health Services and The Department of Education continue to have specific measures in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our local community. We can all do our part in the following ways:
We have the following in place at Surfside PS to ensure the health and safety of our school community as advised by the Department of Education.
- Students and staff are recommended to undertake a Rapid Antigen Test if they are displaying symptoms
- Families are required to notify the school if their child has tested positive for COVID-19 or is identified as a household close contact
- Students, staff or visitors can continue to attend school if considered a household close contact. Household close contacts aged 8 and over are required to wear a mask when indoors and undertake Rapid Antigen Testing for 5 days during the 7 day period
- We will continue to notify families of a positive case if they attended school while infectious
- Continue good health and hygiene practice by washing hands regularly, coughing or sneezing into your elbow and using hand sanitiser regularly.
- Improving ventilation is one of the most effective measures to keep education settings safe. All classrooms and rooms at Surfside Primary School are installed with an Air Purifier
- When unwell it is essential that you remain home, seek medical advice and be tested if required.
- Ensure 1.5m physical distancing when required.
- Victorians aged over 5 years are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccinations are available at state vaccination centers, participating GP clinics, pharmacies or community health services. Please chat to your local GP for more information.
For further support please visit the DHS Coronavirus webpage
The current guidelines in place are fluid and we will communicate as soon as any changes occur. If you require further clarification please read the below attachments or contact the administration office for further support on 5256 1411.