The Lyrebird Word

Principal's Message

Update of School News/Events

In this edition of the "Principal's Message" we are aiming to provide you with some information regarding recent and upcoming events throughout the school. 

 

Given the recent school closure, we can also update you on measures our school is taking to promote a strong sense of community within the current CovidSafe Restrictions on schools. 

 

School Photos- Monday 1st March 2021

As you will see from the banner of this newsletter, Monday 1st March 2021 is our School Photo Day. Please refer to the timetable below so that you may arrange any personal appointments for your children (if applicable). Please note these times are approximate, and are provided with a buffer of 15 minutes either side. 

 

Foundation photos: 9:00am ~9:30am

Year One photos: 9:30am ~10:00am

Year Two photos: 10:30am ~11:00am

Year Three/Four photos: 10:30am ~ 11:30am

Year Five/Six photos: 11:30am ~12:30pm

Student Leaders photos: 11:30am ~12:30pm

Sibling photos: 11:30am ~ 12:30pm

 

School Assemblies 

Currently we have been holding Level Assemblies each week on a Monday afternoon. This level-specific arrangement has promoted increased engagement from students, and an opportunity for students within each level to share learning achievements with their peers.  

 

However, the challenge of Level Assemblies is that we are not presented with the opportunity to come together as a school community; and this is something which we wish to address. 

 

Therefore, moving forward the following arrangements will be in place:

 

  1. Level assemblies will continue to be held each week on a Monday afternoon within current shared learning spaces. The focus of these assemblies will continue to be upon the sharing of learning, discussions of expectations, and details of level-specific events. Unfortunately, parents/carers are unable to attend these weekly assemblies.
  2. Once per month, each year level will hold a Level Assembly in the gymnasium. Therefore, at these assemblies we will be able to invite parents/carers from that level, and remain within the density limits of our gymnasium. Therefore, there will be two opportunities per term for parents/carers to attend a Level Assembly in the gymnasium.
  3. The Student Leaders will be involved in helping to MC, organise and oversee Level Assemblies in the gymnasium. The School Captains will be involved each week, with our SWPBL and House Leaders also involved on a rotating roster.

We are currently timetabling assemblies for the gymnasium, and helping out Student Leaders to prepare for speaking at these events. Please keep an eye out on Compass, as we will be posting arrangements shortly. 

 

Parent-Teacher Interviews (Year One- Year Six students)

We were very pleased to be able to recently offer families the opportunity to meet either in-person or via Webex for our Term One interviews. These interviews will be data-driven conversations which will cover the following points of discussion:

  • Literacy: what your child has demonstrated an understanding of, and future learning goals in Reading, Writing, and Spelling
  • Mathematics: what your child has demonstrated an understanding of, and future learning goals in Number, the Four Operations, and Place Value.
  • Inquiry: what your child is learning and any big questions they are investigating with their peers
  • Social-emotional: shared expectations of the class, areas in which your child may be receiving individualized support, and future learning goals.

At the time of publishing, 159 out of 200 Year One- Six students have a booking time arranged. These bookings still remain open, and can be made outside of the allocated Tuesdays in consultation with your child's teacher.  Please refer to the 'Conferences' section of the Compass Parent Portal to make a booking. 

 

 Carparking via Riley Road

As you would be aware, we recently informed our community that access to the Riley Road carpark will be closed from Monday 1st March 2021. Please refer to the Compass post titled "IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR FAMILIES: Interview Bookings/ and Riley Road Carpark Access (dated: 24/02/2021)" for further information. 

 

Whilst this was a difficult decision to make, the messages of support we have received in the past few days from our community have told us that it was also the right decision to make. We can also provide you with confirmation that the school has received drawings and plans from Yarra Ranges Council (YRC) detailing improvements to vehicle access and resurfacing of Riley Road. We look forward to confirmation from YRC as to the commencement date of these works. 

 

Whilst the plans/drawings are not currently for public viewing, please contact the Principal if you wish to find out more. 

 

Upwey South has done it again!

When we say "done it again", we mean that we have been able to secure another great opportunity for our students to showcase their talents!

 

Given the strong reputation of our school for providing extra-curricular and enrichment opportunities, we have been approached by Peter Combe (OAM) to provide support singers for an upcoming public performance at the Melbourne Recital Hall. 

 

Peter Combe is a very famous children's entertainer, and has won three ARIA's including best children's album. 

 

For more information, please refer to the Compass post titled "Peter Combe Concert - Singers Required (dated: 24/02/2021). This opportunity is open to Year Three-Six students. 

 

Gifted Insights Learning Enrichment Program

We are pleased to be able to once again offer qualifying Year One-Year Six students the opportunity to take part in Gifted Insights. 

 

Given that our school's partnership with Gifted Insights was interrupted due to Remote Learning in 2020, we are asking interested families to complete a survey prior to confirmation of the format in which the program may be offered. 

 

For families who wish to share their input, please go to the link below and complete your survey response by Friday 12th March 2021. 

 

https://forms.gle/A7td9JKWoGPVYcyX7 

 

Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) Tender Process

For those families who utilise our OSHC Service, you will have recently received an electronic notification from Extend that they will no longer be providing a service to our community. Extend has been the OSHC provider for our school for a number of years, and we wish to acknowledge the service they have provided our community. 

 

The departure of Extend provides an exciting opportunity for our School Council to partner with a new provider. This partnership is determined through a tendering process, and we are currently in discussions with the following OSHC providers: 

  • OSHClub
  • Their Care
  • Team Kids
  • Camp Australia
  • Out Patch

The tendering process closes shortly, with the responsibility for selection being part of School Council's duties. 

 

All of the providers listed above have expressed the intention to upgrade the carpets, furnishings, etc of our current OSHC facility- therefore there may an unavoidable interruption to our school holiday program in the interim. The new OSHC provider should be then in operation from Day One, Term Two. 

 

School Council Elections and Outcome

At USPS we recognize that a successful learning community is built upon strong partnerships between the school and families. There are many ways for families to become involved in the day-to-day learning within our school, from helping in the classroom, to joining the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA), and of course nominating for School Council. 

 

We would like to congratulate and thank the following community members for being accepted to join School Council: 

 

Staff member: Llewela Humphries

Parent member: Dale Seymour (child in Foundation)

Parent member (DET employee): Peta Cartwright (children in Year Three and Year Five)

 

Unfortunately, through the nomination process there remains two parent positions to be filled. The Principal will now begin the process to fill these parent vacancies. 

 

Should you be interested in becoming involved with School Council, please make contact with the Principal. 

 

 

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 2021, we will 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. 

Communicating with the School Administration Team

We look forward to partnering with you in 2021, and welcome your input: 

 

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

Clare Bennett (Business Manager) upwey.south.ps@education.vic.gov.au

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