WELCOME

Welcome back everyone! Last Thursday, our first day of school, was buzzing with the excitement of students and parents catching up with friends and sharing news of the holidays and hopes for 2021. We held a quick whole school assembly for the students to welcome them back and to introduce our new school captains and staff. Our new staff were praising of the impeccable manners displayed by our wonderful kids (clearly a reflection of the terrific parenting and high expectations of our school community).

This week we welcomed our new preps who settled into their new classrooms so quickly and easily and the parents enjoyed the opportunity of ‘Tea and Tissues’ in the hall. No tissues needed!

The focus for teachers during the first term is ensuring all children settle comfortably into their new classes, and feel happy and secure. As part of this process, all classes will develop an Essential Agreement which the class creates together to develop a shared understandings of the expected values and behaviours to be followed within the classroom learning community. Teachers will then share these with parents so that students can be supported as part of the home/school partnership.

One of the positive benefits from the crazy 2020 school year, was the outstanding way in which our school community worked together. We all look forward to what we hope will be a ‘normal’ school year and continuing to strengthen the parent and school partnerships we made.

STAFF

This year we are welcoming the following new staff members.

Miss Chelsea Quirk - Prep Q

Miss Meagan Atkins – 1A

Miss Alicia Oliver-Cook – 3O

Miss Laura Bainbridge – 4L

Mrs Radhika Perera – 5P

Miss Kirsty Seares - Physical and Sport Education

Mrs Josie Briggs – Japanese

Welcome to all!

WELCOME PICNIC

A school picnic dinner is planned for Thursday 4th March from 6 to 8 pm. All families in the school (Prep – 6) are invited to bring a rug to sit on and a picnic dinner. I encourage all families to come along, meet new friends and old and have an enjoyable informal evening.

COVID RESTRICTIONS

Thankfully, most operations are back to pre-Covid. School operating hours including recess and lunch breaks are back to normal. There are several posters around the school to remind people of what to do so we all stay safe.

Masks- a distance of 1.5m is required at all times. If this distance cannot be maintained then masks must be worn… even outdoors. Our volunteers in the SAKG program will wear masks at all times in the kitchen. It helps if adults always have a mask handy.

Assemblies- while there are restrictions around people per square metre, assemblies will be for students and staff only at this stage. When classes start taking turns to present the assembly, parents of those classes will be invited.

PARENT INFORMATION EVENINGS

Parent information evenings will be next week. This year our aim is to outline the main events and educational differences that are specific to that year level (to avoid parents from listening to information they may have heard the year before). Parents will learn more about: excursions/ incursions, homework, key curriculum changes, wellbeing/ leadership programs and camps if in years 4-6.

Sessions will commence in the areas listed below, followed by an opportunity to visit your child’s classroom where the teacher will individually introduce themselves.

Dates and times are as follows:

Tuesday 9 February

6.30pm Grades 5 and 6 (5’s commence in the hall and 6’s commence in the IRC)

7.30pm Grades 1 and 2 (1’s commence in the hall and 2’s commence in the IRC)

Thursday 11 February

6.30pm Preps (commence in the hall)

7.30pm Grades 3 and 4 (3’s commence in the hall and 4’s commence in the IRC)

ICT AGREEMENTS

All students have received several paper forms related to Information Technologies and permissions. The safe use of technologies is a shared responsibility between the school and parents and together we put practices in place for cyber safety.

It is important that parents read the ‘use agreement’ with the children so that it is understood. Also included in the handouts was information about whether your child’s photo can be used for school related purposes.

Students will not be able to use computers for study purposes until those forms are signed and returned. Can parents please ensure they are returned promptly?

ABSENCES

The school requires written communication following a child’s absence from school due to illness or any other reason. Parents are required to inform the school of a child’s absence, late arrival or early pick up by using the Compass app (or by telephoning the school). When signing in at the kiosk, a late pass will be printed for the child to hand to their teacher and the roll will be updated to reflect the late arrival/ early pickup.

The roll (including the compass kiosk) is a legal document and as such, children are not permitted to sign themselves in and must have a parent or guardian with them.

PUPIL FREE DAYS

Each year, schools are allocated four pupil free days for the purpose of professional development. The first day was 28 January, when teachers returned to school.

Our next two curriculum days will be on Wednesday 31st March and Thursday 1st April (the last two days of this term). Teachers will be undertaking professional leaning with the IB PYP. Please note these dates. (TheirCare will be providing a program of supervision for students of parents who are working.)

SCHOOL HOURS – 8:45 – 3:45pm

Yard supervision commences at 8:45am and therefore students should not be in the yard until that time. The school day ends at 3:30 and there is yard duty supervision until 3:45pm.

Should parents require supervision for their child/ children, please contact TheirCare (our Out of School Hours Service Provider) on 0437 719 731 (see flyer and further details attached)

NO DOGS IN THE SCHOOL GROUNDS PLEASE

Parents are reminded that dogs are not permitted inside the school grounds. If you choose to tie your dog up outside the school grounds while you collect your child, please ensure the dog is away from the gates where people are entering and leaving.

TISSUES

Parents are asked to provide a box of tissues for their child to use at school. One box from each child will ensure sufficient tissues are available in each class for the whole year. Thank you in anticipation.

ACCIDENTS, ILLNESSES OR INJURIES AT SCHOOL

At Murrumbeena Primary School, we have teachers trained in First Aid at every year level. If your child has minor injuries (cuts, grazes etc) or says they feel unwell, teachers will be providing the first level of support through minor first aid treatment (ice packs, rest etc) and monitoring. Our experience over the past three years shows that when students are told they can go to First Aid during recess or lunch, they suddenly feel better. Students will only be referred to the First Aid room if the child continues to feel unwell or the injury is a little more serious.

For serious injuries or sudden illnesses, parents will be telephoned, and if necessary an ambulance will be called. When a child attends the First Aid room for treatment (eg. Asthma monitoring, larger wounds, students with doctor provided health care plans) parents are contacted via Compass or phone.

We do not have a whole of school policy to cover accident insurance. The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s position on insurance for school injuries is set out below:

The Department does not provide personal accident insurance or ambulance cover for students. Parents/carers of students, who do not have student accident insurance/ambulance cover, are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including the cost of ambulance attendance or transport as well as any other transport costs.

Where there is no whole-of-school policy in place, it is the responsibility of parents/carers to look into their preferred options in this regard. The Department cannot provide advice to parents/carers on the purchase of individual student accident policy or ambulance cover.

CAMPS, SPORTS AND EXCURSIONS FUND APPLICATIONS

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.

If you have a valid means-tested concession card, such as a Veterans Affairs Gold Card, Centrelink Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible. There is also a special consideration category for asylum seeker and refugee families.

Payment amounts this year are $125 for eligible primary school students. Payments are made direct to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions and sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

If you applied for CSEF through our school last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year, unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.

If you would like to apply for the first time, please contact the school office on 9568 1300

and ask for an application form.

You can also download the form, and find out more about the program and eligibility, on the Department of Education and Training’s Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund web page.

Check with the school office if you are unsure, and please return completed forms to the school office as soon as possible.

PERSONAL GOODS BROUGHT TO SCHOOL

Personal property is often brought to school by students, staff and visitors. This can include mobile phones, calculators, toys, sporting equipment and cars parked on school premises. The Department of Education and Training does not hold insurance for personal property brought to schools and it will generally not pay for any loss or damage to such property.

Parents are asked to discourage their children from bringing to school any unnecessary or particularly valuable items. If bicycles or scooters are brought to school, they must be individually padlocked onto the bicycle racks, which are beside the multipurpose hall or near the junior sandpit. Although every care is taken, the school cannot accept any responsibility for the safety of any of these items.

PRIVACY POLICY AND MOBILE DEVICES POLICY REMINDER

Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in our school’s Privacy Policy.

Please take time to remind yourself of the school’s privacy policy which can be found on our website https://murrumbeenaps.vic.edu.au/

For more information about privacy, refer to the DET Schools’ Privacy Policy: Frequently Asked Questions for Parents

Our school’s Personal Mobile Devices and the Mobile Phones policies reflects the Ministerial mobile phone policy and requires that:

students who choose to bring mobile phones to school must have them switched off and securely stored during school hours
Smartwatches must not be used for communication purposes during school hours and must have notifications switched off
The school will manage non-compliance in accordance with our existing ‘Student Wellbeing and Engagement’ and ‘Personal Mobile Devices’ policies and ICT agreements.

Policies and ICT agreements related to the use of Mobile phones, digital technologies and personal devices can all be found on the school website.

The Use of Technologies at Murrumbeena Primary

There is no escaping the fact that we live in a digital age therefore teaching students how to use a range of digital technologies ethically and responsibly is paramount and is the role of both parents and teachers.

At school, our focus is primarily on digital rather than technology to signal that we are not focused on the digital tools themselves (the devices, software, or apps of the day) but rather on the role that interaction with digital can play in enhancing deep learning. The teachers’ role becomes one of ensuring that students develop the skills and competencies to build knowledge, collaborate, produce new knowledge and share their learning as a digital citizen.

At home, students use digital technologies primarily for entertainment and communication. There is no doubt that times will arise where the child may find themselves in a situation where they must discern right from wrong and understand that all digital actions have consequences, both positive or negative.

We will be running parent workshops this year to further support parents and carers in this area.

WELLBEING AT MURRUMBEENA

Over the past few years, staff have undertaken professional reading and action research related to current and evidenced based practices related to student wellbeing and engagement. We have now documented our school’s approach to achieving our wellbeing vision:

‘Murrumbeena Primary School cultivates a sense of community and belonging to create an inclusive, supportive environment in which happy, healthy and resilient staff and students perform at their best’.

We look forward to providing you with a copy of our Wellbeing Handbook at the Parent Information Nights. The following documents will also be made available to parents:

Wellbeing Overview: a summary of the school’s activities and practices
The Student Code of Conduct – outlines the high expectations parents and staff have for the way the children behave which includes manners, getting along with others and demonstrating the values

Chellee Plumb

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