Principal's Message

Please take the time to read each page of our newsletter, as we provide you with information updates across each curriculum area. 

2023 Foundation Enrolments- ACTION REQUIRED!

Even though we have only just commenced Term Two, the date for confirming a 2023 Foundation enrolment is fast approaching. 

In 2022, we will once again be limiting our Foundation enrolments to two classes only. 

Existing families/sibling enrolments are guaranteed for 2023, although we do ask that families action an enrolment before May 31st 2022. This is an important action for you to undertake, as this then allows our school to appropriately manage and action 'out of zone' enrolments. 

Please contact the school office for details, or download an enrolment form from the following link: 

http://www.upweysthps.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2023-Enrolment-Form.docx 

End of Semester Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences

Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences will be held in-person on the following dates:

• Tuesday 21st June 2022 3:50pm - 7:30pm 
• Wednesday 22nd June 2022 3:50pm - 6:20pm 

Bookings will be available via the Compass portal from 4:00pm Thursday 9th June 2022. If you are unable to book via the online Compass portal, please contact your child's classroom teacher who will make a booking on your behalf. 

Please note, bookings will close at 4:00pm Monday 20th June 2022. 

What is the purpose of the conference? 

At the conference, the points of discussion will be based upon your child's: 

• student report
• future learning goals

When will Semester Reports be available?

Semester One Student Reports will be published via Compass at 3:00pm Monday 20th June 2022. 

When will Student Portfolios be available? 

Semester One Student Portfolios will come home with your child on Thursday 23rd June 2022. 

Remaining Student-Free Day for Term Two

As per our recent Compass post to families (dated: 29/04/2022) DET schools have been allocated an additional student-free day for Term Two, 2022. Therefore, our school will now be holding an additional student-free day on Friday 17th June 2022. 

On Friday 17th June 2022, classroom teachers will engage in Professional Practice as per DET recommendations. TheirCare OSHC will be available for families to access on this day, with bookings to occur through the current booking portal.

Last Tuesday we held a Curriculum Day based upon the Berry Street Education Model. For details of our learnings from this day, please refer to the Curriculum- Teaching and Learning section of this newsletter. 

Spotlight on School Policies

Each Department of Education and Training (DET) school is mandated to hold a minimum of eight School Council meetings per calendar year. At each of these meetings, the School Council members oversee the governance of the school; part of which is the updating and publishing of policies which are aligned with DET legal obligations. As these policies are updated, they are distributed to the community via school websites. 

In order to bring these updated policies to the attention of our school community, we will be including a "spotlight on policies" twice per term through our newsletters. 

In this edition we focus upon the area of student medical needs. Please see the below policies: 

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. 

We continue to utilise Compass for families to consent and pay in order for their children to take part in school events. 

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. 

Administration Reminder

Please be reminded that if you need to collect your child/ren early, please contact the office when you are five to ten minutes away so we can have them at the office for collection.

Communicating with the School Administration Team

We look forward to partnering with you in 2022, and welcome your input: 

Damien Kitch (Principal)  damien.kitch@education.vic.gov.au 

Paula Lee (Business Manager) upwey.south.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Janette Clarke (Office Manager) upwey.south.ps@education.vic.gov.au