Latest news
Principal’s Report
Welcome to Term Two! We have had a very settled and positive start to the term.
I would like to express my congratulations to the School Captains and Vice Captains for organising a special ANZAC Day presentation on Wednesday 26th April. The leaders demonstrated great reverence towards the brave soldiers who fought and worked tirelessly to secure our freedom in times of war. Through their tribute, they reminded us all of the significance of ANZAC Day and its roots in the landing of troops from Australia and New Zealand on the Gallipoli Peninsula in World War I on April 25, 1915.
It is important to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of individuals who have contributed to making this presentation a success. It's commendable to see the school community coming together to honour the memory of our brave soldiers and pay tribute to their sacrifice.
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The AGM and our School Council meeting for the term 2 school year will be held on the 22nd May, At the AGM, we will present the Annual Report. The annual report looks at our school context, achievement, engagement and wellbeing and productivity. In this report there is mention of the trend data for both teacher judgement and NAPLAN. The teacher judgment focuses on student reporting, through the Victorian Curriculum and this data indicates that we are at or above in most curriculum areas.
In 2023 there will be a major focus on targeting students at their specific point of need in Mathematics and English. It is important that we maintain and ensure that we are providing authentic assessment and learning that caters for individual differences and utilises our teaching and learning spaces.
Our Annual Implementation Plan has been updated to include the setting of relevant goals and targets. Student data is gathered and collated to ensure we are targeting the individual needs of our students in reading, writing and number. This is essential for effective teaching and learning to take place.
Staff Leaving
Next Friday we say farewell to Kellie Banko, who will be going on maternity leave. We thank Kellie for all her work and I know 3/4A will miss her dearly. We wish Kellie and her partner all the best with their impending new arrival and we look forward to meeting their baby.
Lauretta Mallia, our learning specialist and Daniel Elias will be taking 3/4A for the remainder of the term. Lauretta will be in the class from Tuesday- Thursday and Daniel will take the class on Mondays and Fridays. We are fortunate to have two very experienced teachers teaching the class.
Foundation enrolments 2024
We are now taking tours and enrolments for our 2024 Foundation classes. Please remind family, friends and neighbours that if they have a child starting school next year and would like them to come to our school to enrol them soon. It is important that children are enrolled by the end of Term 2 so that they can participate in our Foundation (Prep) Transition/ School readiness Program in Term 4.
Attitudes to School Survey (AToSS) - WE WANT OUR STUDENTS TO TELL US WHAT THEY THINK!
A reminder that the Attitudes to School survey will be conducted at our school over the coming weeks. The survey takes around 20-45 minutes to complete and occurs during your child’s class time.The survey results will be reported back to the school in an aggregate form throughout the survey period. All survey data that is made available in reports are for groups of students only so that no individual student can be identified.
The survey results will be communicated to you through our annual reporting mechanisms.
If you would like more information, please speak to your child’s teacher or visit: https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/data-collection-surveys/guidance/attitudes-school-survey
Maria Giordano
Principal
Assistant Principal - Problem Solving in Maths
Mental Health and Wellbeing – Michelle Carland
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader (MHWL) Role
The role of the MHWL is to build the capability of the whole school with regard to mental health and wellbeing (identification, promotion and prevention), provide support to staff to better identify and support students with mental health needs, establish clear pathways for referral for students requiring assessment and intervention, and monitor and evaluate student progress. The role was specifically established as a coordination function to support educators in the classroom and to provide a crucial link to resources external to the school.
The MHWL role is quite different to a Student Support Services officer or psychologist – it is not a clinical role and is not designed for direct intervention. The role is seen as a key conduit in ‘getting a child to care’ once a teacher or other staff member identifies a concern in the classroom.
Operating in collaboration with the Department of Education and Training's area-based multi-disciplinary teams, the MHWL:
- Provides support to individual teachers in the classroom with students who have been identified as in need
- Creates clear pathways for students who may need further assessment and intervention within the school and to external community-based services
- Uses informed referral pathways to strengthen linkages between schools and community services
- Works proactively with regional staff, school wellbeing teams and other health professionals to engage appropriate mental health support
Gardening Club update
Gardening Club has been very busy with keen helpers achieving lots in our garden spaces. Last term we planted our winter seeds, including broad beans and peas, in egg cartons and then moved them to the beds where they are happily growing away. We have also been harvesting and selling the last of the summer vegetables, such as cucumbers and tomatoes, as well as our herbs like parsley and chives. The preps have planted lettuces and prepared the courtyard beds for them to grow in. Soon we'll be putting in some garlic, learning how to grow cuttings and much more. Come along Friday lunchtimes if you'd like to get involved!
Yoga Club
