Thursday 13th May

OPEN NIGHT

Education Week is coming up and this year the theme is ‘Building Connections’. We will be having an open night on Tuesday May 25 from 6:30 – 7:30 where families will be able to visit all the classrooms and participate in some fun activities. After last year it will be a great chance to welcome everyone back to school and enjoy reconnecting with our community.

ENROLMENTS

Enrolments for Prep 2022 are now open. Families are asked to complete an enrolment form and return it to the school office as soon as possible to assist with planning for 2022.

If you know of family or friends who may be interested in hearing more about Menzies Creek education for their children, please ask them to contact the school office to arrange a tour. We are having some Open Mornings starting next Wednesday too for prospective and existing families to see the school in action. Thank you for your assistance with this.

A reminder for our Year 6 families that the Application for Year 7 Placement 2022 is due back tomorrow.

PRESCHOOL FAMILY FUN DAY

The preschool team are looking to organise a family fun day at the preschool on Sunday 23rd May from 10 am to 1pm. The purpose of the event is to bring together families from Menzies Creek Primary School, Preschool and the broader community to enjoy some fun activities together and see what the preschool has to offer.

The preschool will be set up with loads of free play experiences that promote the preschool program and philosophy. The preschool educators will be there to catch up with families. We are hoping to reach out to families looking to enrol their child in preschool in 2022 or beyond but just as importantly we want our community families to come together for a fun day.

If you would like to get involved with helping at this event (such as have face painting skills, or know of a kid’s activities business) please contact the preschool team or Kate in the office.

The Preschool is a vital part of our school’s community and operates out of the Menzies Creek Community Hall. If you know of any families looking to enrol please encourage them to visit our website and/or organise a visit as we do have some availability.

Menzies goes down Media St!

We got the call late on Wednesday afternoon last week that Channel 7 weather presenter, Jane Bunn, would be at the Menzies Creek Puffing Billy station when our Year 3/4 students were there and could they be part of her piece for the evening news. There was plenty of excitement and plenty of patience required as we waited to join in. Unfortunately, most of our footage didn’t go to air but for a brief moment our students could be seen!

NAPLAN

This week we have had our Year 3 and Year 5 students undertaking NAPLAN. They are to be congratulated on the way they have taken this in their stride and we look forward to having our classrooms back to normal again.

NAPLAN receives plenty of attention each year with some for and some against national testing. I liken it to a photo in a photo album (remember those!) in that it is a snapshot at a particular time. Perception on the purposefulness of NAPLAN is varied, particularly in the media. From my perspective, like any assessment tool, it has its place. Whilst other assessments give us immediate understanding of where an individual child or a group of children are in their learning progression, NAPLAN serves to give schools and the education system an understanding of the health of the educational programs being delivered. This year’s state-wide and national NAPLAN data will provide insights into the effects of 2020, the pandemic year and the future direction of our school and system.

Thank you

Last Friday we held our Mother’s Day stall. This event was wonderfully supported and we would like to acknowledge the efforts of Anna, Kath, Alice, Lisa, Kara, Jessie and Annika. We also had some plant donations from Tracey and Scotty, as well as Bunnings which was greatly appreciated.

That evening many of our Menzies community enjoyed a night at the Cameo where plenty of fun was had and many prizes were handed out. Thanks again to Hayley and Melissa for their time and effort to ensure the success of the evening. Please see the businesses that supported this and made significant donations in this newsletter.

Checking events on Compass

Please ensure you are regularly checking Compass, especially on a Thursday, for keeping up with what is happening.

Head lice

We are noticing head lice or eggs starting to appear at school. If suspected to have been detected it is very important for you to treat your child as soon as possible, using safe treatment practices. Please visit www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au and search for “head lice (nits)” for advice on finding, treating and preventing head lice.

It is important to note, that health regulations require that where a child has head lice, that students should not return to school until the day after appropriate treatment has started. This refers only to those who have live head lice and does not refer to head lice eggs. More information about exclusion requirements can be found by searching for “school exclusion table” at www.health.vic.gov.au.

Respect

Across the school we are having a focus on how we are interacting with one another, how we communicate, respect one another and we how we can live our school values.

We have noticed that some students, not all, are using inappropriate and offensive language towards each other and we want this to stop.

We would appreciate your assistance at home when having conversations with your children to reinforce expectations. It is increasingly difficult with what can be viewed on television and online but if we are working together we can help each other for the betterment of everyone.

Have a great weekend

Regards,

Dale McInerney