Principal's report

Greetings families and Friends of MPWPS

This week I have been in and out of classrooms and the playground talking to students about their learning journey here at MPWPS. My favourite question is ‘have you had a good day?' Almost every time the answer is ‘yes I have’. Of course I then pursue that answer with a follow up question to really gauge! (that’s the Principal in me!) I am pleased to report that having a good day doesn’t mean I haven’t been asked to do anything I haven’t wanted too, it is that the student response reflects engagement and application of knowledge to learning situations. I wanted to start the newsletter with this positive reflection so that you could perhaps begin your ‘after-school’ conversations with an opener like ‘three things that were positive about your day and one thing that you could work on!' Our brain instinctively goes to the negative; and if we are aware of this then we can plan for the positive or optimism in our lives.

Education Committee

Last night (June 14th) I was very fortunate to Chair my first Education Sub-Committee meeting at MPWPS. We had quite a large group many of whom were part of the Vision and Values Working Party. This group reported to Education Sub-Committee and the discussion was informative and valuable for all. I would like to thank the Working Party for their extensive consultation. The Education Committee recommended the Vision and Values statement as part of their report to School Council. It should be shared that the Vision and Values statement is held to account in the goals and strategies of the School Strategic Plan (a 3 year plan), and achievement is monitored through the Annual Implementation Plan. These documents are all on the school's website.

School Review

This year in Term Four (4) Moonee Ponds West will be in a School Review cycle. All government schools have a review to cycle that takes place every three (3) years. The review process is a very exciting opportunity for us all, as we get a chance to feedback and feed-up our thoughts and considerations for improvement. At the Education Sub-Committee meeting last night I shared the timeline for the development of our Self Evaluation with the staff having time in their term 3 Staff Meetings for reviewing data and providing recommendations. The Education Sub-Committee discussed the consultation process for the wider community and it was agreed that there would be an evening Forum on Thursday July 26th at 7.00pm, there would be a Survey created around the questions for feedback, and the Monday Open Line to the Principal would be another area for data collection. This range of consultation options will hopefully touch all community members. We would hope that families would choose just one of the feedback channels to provide input. As always I look forward to unlocking your opinion for moving MPWPS from Great to Excelling!

COMPASS implementation; where are we up too!

This is to update you on our progress. We have an official training day on June 21st with staff training at the Staff Meeting after school on this day. We plan to send your family login details to you on FRIDAY June 22 (so look for the envelope with your name on it) and then on MONDAY June 25th we will open the booking for our Parent/Student/Carer Conferences on JULY 25th. As a Parent/Carer/Guardian you will be able to choose your interview time with your child’s class teacher, and organise for siblings interviews at this one stop portal. COMPASS will assist with our communication to you and your communication with us. It’s a win/win for all. As we master the tool, additional opportunities will be provided to you so that you can report absences, give permission for excursions/incursions, pay for these additional experiences and visit your child’s Homepage. It is all offered to improve how we do things here!

Moonee Valley Council Initiative, Wipe out Waste

Our school’s long established Green Team have been able to develop a close partnership with Moonee Valley Council and as a result this project has evolved. The project will be supported by the school through the School Council Environment Sub-Committee. Collectively, this group will oversee all projects that students or teams develop to improve our school environment. This will enable a collective effort and communication. Again, very exciting. Look out for Nude Food days, reducing litter initiatives, games and visits from other waste agencies. This could be a great family exercise too. The ABC is again running the Wipe out Waste series so family viewing and discussion could heighten awareness for all.

Bike Shed

What a great bike enclosure we have here at MPWPS. It houses many bikes in a safe and secure way. I would like to mention that I have had to redirect some children who are using the shed in unsafe ways. This is mainly after school. Could I please ask that children who wish to turn on the bars be directed to the playground near the Hall Building? This is the perfect place for any type of gymnastic action especially some that I have been seeing in the bike shed. Again I mention this as it is a safety issue.

Drop Off and Pick-Up Zones

Congratulations to all. I am seeing much better entry and exit driving, hardly any double parking and a reduced number of cars just parking in these zones. One area for improvement (from my observations) would be; if you are first in the line and are waiting for your child, the general rule if someone gets in the car behind you, then you are required to drive on and do a block! This ensures that all cars can move up rather than pull out or parallel park into a spot. Let’s see how we go with this! Our children’s safety is in your hands!

Well that’s about it from me. Until we met in person

Yours sincerely and with best wishes

Kerri Simpson

Principal (Acting)

Notices Home

Friday 15th June

Room 12 - Parent/Carer/Teacher/Student Interviews
VSSS Notice - Choir members
Incursion Notice - Prep/One