From the Principal's desk

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I start this newsletter by acknowledging Sandra Bishop and her commitment to DPS over the last eight years. Sandra has been seconded to Marysville Primary School as the Acting Principal. The appointment is for two terms at this stage. These positions are often extended. However, officially Sandra is at MPS until the end of this year, at which time she returns to DPS. If this changes, I will keep our community posted. As Sandra will obviously not be on School Council, Julia Bay has stepped into her role on council as a DET member.

I am pleased that we were back on deck and students have settled in very well. Classrooms are full of excitement, and students are happy to be back at school. While the latest lockdown wasn't a whole lot of fun, we have to do, what we have to do, in an effort to stay as safe as possible from the dreaded Covid! Prior to the lockdown, I spent time in classrooms, and I am constantly surprised by the standard of work our students produce. Their writing is amazing, as is their ability to focus on tasks and get things done! We have been telling them that hard work equals success, so the harder you work, the more successful you will be. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is how well kids read these days. From time to time, the media reports how Australian schools are falling behind. I find this so annoying and wish they would visit us at DPS because what I see couldn't be further from the reports I read in the media.

Students today are well mannered, they work hard, they have great social skills and terrific friendship groups. So, I will never let anyone tell me that "The kids these days aren't like we were…….." I am hopeful that the term ahead promises to be exciting with lots of learning which will include some excursions, a range of events and activities that complement the curriculum. I am pleased to say that on our curriculum day on Friday 13th August, staff will be learning about our Indigenous culture. All schools in Victoria must complete a half-day professional learning workshop to learn about the traditional custodians of the land that is Australia.

I recently reminded everyone that there is no teacher supervision in the morning until 8:45am and after 3:45pm each afternoon. Students are not to be in the school playgrounds unsupervised. We have an excellent 'Before and After School' program with Extend, should you need to access this. If students are left unattended, or a parent is late, children will be supervised by the After School program, which may incur a cost. Please let the office know if you are unexpectedly delayed, and we will do our best to ensure the safety of your children. All families are encouraged to register with Extend so that your details are recorded. This is an ongoing challenge as most days we have children left at school until well after 3.45pm. They are being supervised in the office because they're not registered with Extend. Speaking of Extend, we now have a new supervisor, Bethany Carrick. The program is going really well with new activities. Numbers are growing, and more are taking advantage of the program with over 25 students per session. Speaking of before school, we finally have crossing supervisors on the Doncaster Road/Council Street corner. It took some time, but we got there in the end.

Over the last year, we haven't been able to hold assemblies in the gym. Our mantra throughout the last twelve plus months has been Care, Supervision, Connection. We haven't been able to get the whole school together as we would like. To promote a stronger sense of connection, once restrictions allow, we will hold an assembly every Monday morning at 9am. This will take place outdoors, near the Indigenous Garden, in front of our Gecko and our Australian, Indigenous and Torres Strait Island flags. The assemblies will be held at 9am sharp. Between 9am and 11am each day is our literacy block. We do everything possible not to interrupt this special learning time. Therefore, assemblies will be short and sweet with our school oath, the National Anthem, Students of the Week, house points and reminders for the week ahead. We anticipate assemblies going for 10-15 minutes so we can get into class as quickly as possible. As well as bringing our student body together, it provides an opportunity for student voice and leadership weekly, which would be sadly missed otherwise.

Our grounds continue to be improved thanks to the hard work of Barry Beechey. During lockdown, Barry has trimmed and pruned several of our garden beds. We also had an arborists inspection, and we had a number of trees that had high, over hanging limbs deemed a concern. We have no choice but to heed this advice, and last week the work was done at the cost of just under $5000, but we are confident that our trees have been fully inspected and treated to ensure they are safe.

The term did get off to a terrific start. We will pick up right where we left off on July 15th. Our Everest program provides learning opportunities that continue to challenge our brightest students and is an excellent extension program. Our tutoring program is also focused on learning at the point of need. It supports some students who need a catch up and others who need to be extended. We really have some excellent programs at DPS that should be celebrated. And we have lots of bright, committed kids!! DPS is a truly vibrant and happy school.😊

In closing my report, I would like to officially acknowledge our amazing staff for their commitment to remote learning. I would also like to acknowledge our parents for their understanding and our students throughout this time for their trust in us. Our focus continues to be Care, Supervision and Connection.

Jim Hill

Principal