Principal's Message
Wowee...those USPS staff can dance!
It is fitting that we start with a huge thank you to our amazing staff, who took it upon themselves to produce a music video for our students. Whilst this has been done by many schools, the staff of our school held onto the timing of their 'release' until it was just right.
Professionally produced and choreographed by the amazing Masae Sensei, and Mrs Lang, the video was released as an invigorating 'welcome back' to our students and families.
If you have not yet viewed the chart-topping dance moves, click on the video link below:
What's in this edition of the newsletter?
This edition of the newsletter brings a mixture of Remote Learning highlights, as well as some thoughtfully produced articles from our teaching team.
Regardless of whether you have a child in a single year level, or children in multiple year levels, we highly recommend that you take the time to read the articles from each year level. Together, they provide a logical sequence of tips for assisting our students and families to prepare for the return to on-site schooling.
The overall theme of the newsletter is one based upon promoting our students' social-emotional well-being, so that they may be prepared for even greater learning achievements.
The importance of school 'norms' and social-emotional well-being
As a school who engages in the Berry Street Educational Model (BSEM) and who is currently in the process of accreditation for School-Wide Positive Behaviours for Learning (SWPBL) we are acutely aware that students learn best when there is:
Consistency- in daily routines and structure
Predictability- in the action and responses of supportive adults
Positive Reinforcement- of desirable learning behaviours.
The video below highlights the importance of routine and structure as we prepare to transition from Remote Learning to On-site Learning.
We want to hear about your Remote Learning Experience.
DET has provided schools with the option of taking part in a statewide survey to measure the effectiveness, attitudes, and beliefs of families during Remote Learning.
We encourage every family, regardless of your experiences, to take part in the survey. The more families who take part, the greater the statistical reliability of the data gathered.
The Learning from Home Surveys will be open between Wednesday 13 May and Friday 26 June 2020.
There is a separate survey for students and parents.
The surveys are open for:
- all students in Years 4 to 12; and
- all parents to complete.
The surveys are completely anonymous and may be completed:
- at any convenient time throughout the fieldwork period; and
- on any device connected to the internet.
What is the purpose of the survey and why should I participate?
Learning from home is a big change for schools, teachers, students and families. This survey is designed to help schools understand how learning from home is going for students and their families, and the information collected can be used to drive school improvements.
For information refer to the .pdf below.
Students will also be provided with the opportunity to take part in a similar survey once they have returned on-site.
Semester One Reporting- what will it look like?
Given the very unique environment of Remote Learning, DET has put an extensive amount of time into producing clear guidelines and directives for schools when reporting and assessing student learning for Semester One.
It is important to note that these directives differ from primary to secondary school settings.
For a details of Semester One Reporting at our school, please refer to the .pdf below:
Looking for more advice from DET about Covid-19?
For more advice on how DET is working to support families through the Covid-19 experience, visit: Coronavirus (Covid-19) advice for parents, carers and guardians
Keeping Aware of Information Relating to School
As a school we work hard to keep our families informed of happenings across the school. We acknowledge that receiving information in a timely and consistent manner can help to alleviate the pressures which come from managing a busy family calendar.
Communicating via Compass
All of our school notifications are sent via the Newsfeed within the Compass app. There is also a calendar of events within the app, which sends push notifications to users to remind them of school events.
In 2020, we are also utilising Compass for families to consent and pay in order for their children to take part in school events. The uptake and comments from families thus far is that it is so easy to do, and helpful to be able to consent at the push of a button.
In order to filter notifications which are received, you will notice that we send out notifications which are year level specific. This means that sometimes not all notifications are sent to all year levels.
Communicating with the School Administration Team
We look forward to partnering with you in 2020, and welcome your input:
USPS Inbox:
upwey.south.ps@education.vic.gov.au
Damien Kitch (Principal)
Damien.Kitch@education.vic.gov.au
Janet Young (Business Manager)
Janet.Young@education.vic.gov.au
Janette Clarke (Office Manager)