Dear Parents and Carers,

As we start of term 3, I would like to introduce you to Rhiannon Dummett, who has started with us in the office after Alana moved to the Business Manager’s role this week. Our office is now fully staffed and we are hoping the teething issues experienced in semester 1 are over. Our office admin staff are made up of Cath Barnes, Rhiannon Dummett and Alana Braszell.

Mr & Mrs Bird’s Baby: It is with great excitement that I can announce that baby Ariana Bird was born @ 10:30pm on Monday the 27th of June. Ariana is happy, healthy and doing all the usual things babies do J and Mum AND Dad are both good. Congratulations to the Bird family, enjoy this special time together bonding as a family.

Parent Teacher Interviews: We hope to see all parents and carers at the upcoming parent teacher interviews on Wednesday 20th July from 2.00 – 6.30 pm. Please see information attached to this newsletter on how to book an appointment or call the office on 9743 5818 for assistance. If you require an interpreter, please call the office and ask to speak to Mrs Brinsden who will arrange this for you.

Student Semester 1 Reports: On Tuesday the semester 1 reports were sent home with the children. If you are a non-custodial parent and would like a copy posted or emailed to you please call the office and we will arrange this for you.

Rapid Antigen Tests for Term 3 and 4:We will have enough supply of RATs for all families who require them due to symptoms, including household contacts, until at least the end of the year. The recommendation to test twice a week has been lifted, however if you would like to continue to do this for your peace of mind, we can supply families with enough RATs to continue with this surveillance testing. However, if you prefer to only test when you or your child shows symptoms that is okay as well. When your supplies run low, you can get more from school at any time, throughout term 3 and 4. This new process is to ensure that RATs will be available to families of school-age children and their household contacts whenever required. Please call the office on 9743 5818 when you require more and we can ensure your child is given a box, or you can call into the office at any time to collect more RATs as required.

Positive Covid Cases: Please remember to let us know if your child tests positive to Covid. We need this information so that we can alert other children from their class to monitor closely for symptoms, as potential close contacts. Current guidelines permit children to come to school if a member of their household tests positive however they must do a daily RAT before school each day for 5 school days and they must wear a mask whilst at school, if they are over 8 years old. I will continue to share basic information relating to positive cases as it comes to hand, as per DET guidelines.

Reading at Home: Reading is a fundamental skill that we focus on as a priority at Melton West PS. An interesting fact that has emerged through years of research is about the amount of time children read outside of school and the impact this has on their reading ability. I have included a visual representation that outlines the more children read at home, the more exposure they get to new words, which helps them with their overall learning through having an extensive vocabulary.

Speaking to Other Children: As we return to school for term 3, I would like to remind you of the importance of NOT approaching other children in the yard, or outside of school. This is becoming more frequent and is totally unacceptable behaviour from the adults, as the power imbalance created is enormous.If you have any concerns about another child who you think may have hurt or upset your child, please ensure you speak to your child’s teacher who can follow up and address the situation. It can be very frightening for a child to feel they are getting reprimanded by an adult other than their parent or a teacher. If you have any concerns or feel the situation is not being resolved with the class teacher, please make an appointment to see Mrs Jenny O’Connor or myself and we will follow up. We are committed to working together to resolve all issues brought to our attention.

Supervision After School: As you may be aware, there is a park on the corner of Coburns Road and West Melton Drive, where a number of students wait for their parents afterschool. Please be aware that the school is not able to provide teacher supervision in this area. I therefore suggest that you consider an alternative location at which your child waits to be picked up. Can I also remind you that we have an After School care facility run by Extend that is safe and well supervised and children can attend at a minimal cost. Please contact the school if you would like further information about Extend.

High Levels of Learning for All

Michelle Costa

Principal

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