Pakenham Springs Newsletter

Principal's Report

Welcome to Issue One of Springers

Welcome everyone to the new school year and a very warm welcome to our new families joining the school community for the first time.  We welcome 130 students to their ‘first’ year of school and an additional 24 students to other year levels.   I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new families and encourage you to become involved in school activities.   We look forward to a happy and productive year and having a strong home and school partnership to support your child’s academic and personal development.

 

On a personal note, I'd like to share some exciting news, which some of you may have already guessed if you have seen me around the school this week.  I will be heading off on maternity leave in late May with baby Baillie due to arrive in late June.  I will be working closely with the Department of Education as the Acting Principal position is advertised and appointed prior to my leave.  I will keep you updated as I receive information. 

 

This term we welcome our new teachers, Jemma Garratt and Taylor Evans to our Professional Learning Community. 

 

Over the holiday our facilities underwent lots of upgrades, our new playground was finished and is now in full operation with staff and students enjoying the space.   Along with other routine maintenance items and a whole school clean,  the grounds are in a lovely condition for us all to enjoy. We have new student artwork displayed in various locations around the grounds, adding extra samples of the students' fabulous work for all to see. 

 

 

As we start the new year, our teachers have been revisiting our school values of Respect, Responsibility and Resilience.  They have also spent time this week explicitly teaching students how to display and use these values in the classroom.  Teachers have also focused on setting up strong expectations for learning, especially in reading and writing. 

 

In 2020 we have three large goals in our Annual Implementation Plan and they are to:

  • improve the teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy with a continued
  • improve student engagement, connectedness and motivation through student voice
  • foster a positive climate for learning which supports the continued development of students social and emotional wellbeing through our continued work on our School-Wide Positive Behaviour framework.   Students are already being acknowledged for showing our values with Froggy Dollars and they are striving to achieve their bronze, silver and gold certificates. 

 

  • and agency.
  • strong focus on Reading.

Resilience Project is Coming

Thursday 19th March 2020

As I am sure you are all aware, at Pakenham Springs we have 3 core values of Respect, Responsibility and Resilience.  In 2020 we are very excited to welcome the Resilience Project, to support the development and understanding of resilience. 

 

The mission of the Resilience Project is to 'Teach positive mental health strategies to help people become more happy'.  This is done through inspiring and engaging presentations for staff, students and parents as well as a series of lessons and curriculum support.

 

I would encourage all parents to view their website at https://theresilienceproject.com.au/ and view the following video to develop an understanding of the Resilience Project and what they will bring to Pakenham Springs:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2RFkx0-aEk&t=160s

 

The staff at Pakenham Springs are very excited to be welcoming The Resilience Project in 2020. I would strongly encourage all parents to save the date of Thursday, March 19 for what is sure to be an engaging, inspiring and informative parent session from 6:30PM to 8:00PM, with our presenter, Martin Heppell.

School Council

School Council nominations will open on Monday 10th February 2020.   School Councils play a key role in Victorian government schools.   Participating as a school council member is a rewarding and challenging experience.   The school council supports me, as the principal, to provide the best possible educational outcomes for students.  I encourage you to consider nominating to be a member of the Pakenham Springs School Council.  We have 5 parent vacancies for 2-year positions and 1 position for school staff to nominate.  More information on the role of a school councillor can be accessed by clicking here.   Nomination forms are available at the office.

Compass

Just a reminder that we use Compass as our main method of communication across the school. Compass is also used to monitor and report absence, report student academic progress twice a year, book parent-teacher interviews, paying for school activities and communicating with school staff.  If you need assistance with logging in,  please contact the office staff. 

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)

This is a reminder that if you are a holder of a current Health Care Card you are eligible for the CSEF funding. To apply, please fill in an application form at the office, along with a copy of your Health Care Card and we will submit your application.  Applications for 2020 CSEF funding close on Friday 26th June 2020.

 

Please refer to the information on the "Community News page" or contact the office if you have any questions.

Kerryn Baillie

Principal