From the Principal 

WELCOME BACK

I do hope that everyone had a relaxing and rejuvenating break and that all students are eager to be back at school.

A very warm welcome to the many new families joining our school community and, of course, to our new staff members. For a complete list of our 2018 staff, please refer to this attachment:

(New staff are listed in red.)

We also welcome back from parental leave:

Mrs Melanie Short (Art)

Mrs Gabby Grant (1M)

I would like to thank all staff for the many hours spent organising their classrooms over the holidays, and to the office team who have been at school for several days in the lead up to the commencement of the school year.

The first day of the new school year is always an exciting one, particularly for our Prep students who started last Thursday.

Our Years 1 to 6 students started very smoothly last Tuesday and it was great to see so many enthusiastic faces at our first assembly.

For me, this is the start of my role as the substantive principal at Murrumbeena Primary school and I hope everyone has a wonderful year!

I am eager and excited that we have a number of new initiatives on the horizon,  the first one  being the introduction of the Compass portal. This, we hope, will assist with communication at MPS.

At this stage staff are learning how to use the new program and attendances are now recorded through this portal.

Ours is a great school with a happy and enthusiastic team and we are here to ensure all students reach their potential.

Our school motto continues to be, 'Excellence through Endeavour'.

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 details shared understanding of the expected values to be followed within the classroom learning community. Parents will be given copies of these at their Parent Information nights. We also ask on this night that parents are able to collect forms to update their contact details on our CASES21 DET system. This information then goes into Compass, so it is imperative that email addresses are correct.  The main contact person through the new portal will be who is listed as Contact A on your child’s enrolment form; if this needs to be altered, we will need to have that in writing.

We look forward to another year of working together to ensure our school provides the best opportunities possible for our students.

Parent Information night dates and times are listed in the newsletter and we encourage all parents to read the newsletter weekly.

Welcome to all!

PUPIL FREE DAYS

Each year, schools are allocated four pupil free days for the purpose of professional development.  The first day was 29 January, when teachers returned to school. The second day will be Tuesday of the ANZAC day week (24 April) and the focus will be on assisting students with spelling and writing. The last 2 days are to be confirmed and ratified by School Council. Parents will be notified after the next School Council meeting.

COMMUNICATION

MPS  uses Flexibuzz as a way to send quick reminders to an app on your phone. (Please refer to page later in this newsletter).

We would like to invite all new families to download the app and remind existing families if they have not used it before to add it to their phones for 2018.

web.flexibuzz.com

ABSENCES and LATE ARRIVALS/EARLY DISMISSALS

New guidelines are being introduced by DET regarding student absences. This requires the school to contact parents if their child is not at school daily when we have not received a note or a phone call.

To ensure we are not ringing families unnecessarily, please ensure that all absences are phoned into the school office by 8:45am.

The school requires written communication following a child’s absence from school due to illness or any other reason. To facilitate this, included with this newsletter is a proforma for parents to complete and give to the child’s class teacher on return to school. 

School begins at the first bell at 8:55am

Parents are reminded of the school’s policy for early dismissals and late arrivals of students. 

All students who arrive late after 9.00 am must report to the office with their parent. A late pass is to be completed by the parent for the child to hand to the class teacher. 

Parents wishing to pick up children before the regular dismissal time should also report to the office and sign an early release form, which is passed on to the class teacher.

Students in the yard prior to 8:45 and after 3:45 are not supervised and we ask parents who need to drop off their children prior to 8:45 unsupervised to book them into before school care.

Already in the first week back, we have had students in the yard at 8:15am and this raises concerns about children’s safety.

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 (particularly useful as we approach the colder months when coughs and colds are prevalent).  Thank you in anticipation.

ACCIDENTS OR INJURIES AT SCHOOL

If your child is injured at school, they will be immediately referred to the First Aid room for assistance.  For serious injuries or sudden illnesses, parents will be telephoned immediately, and if necessary an ambulance will be called.  If a student requires an ambulance, the school is obliged to ring regardless of insurance coverage, so we encourage all families to ensure they have ambulance cover.  It is less than $100 for a family for a year.

https://www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/membership/fees-terms/

Minor injuries (cuts, grazes etc) are treated in the first aid room and the child returns to their classroom.  When a child receives treatment, they are given a note to take home to parents, which details the procedures taken.  We do not have a whole of school policy to cover accident insurance. The Department of Education and Training (DET)’s position on insurance for school injuries is set out below:

“Schools are reminded that the Department does not provide personal accident insurance for students.  Parents and guardians are generally responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including any transport costs, unless the injury is caused by the negligence (carelessness) of a Department or school council employee or volunteer.

Student accident insurance policies are available from the private insurance market.  These cover a range of medical expenses not covered by Medicare.  They can be obtained by school councils on a whole-of-school basis, or by parents for individual students. 

If there is no whole of school policy, parents/guardians must be reminded at the start of the year and, ideally, prior to any school camp or major excursion that:

• parents/guardians are generally responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including any transport costs; and
• reasonably low cost accident insurance policies are available from the commercial insurance sector.”

HOME LEARNING POLICY

Our home learning policy focuses on the importance of general learning both at home and at school and the need to encourage a balanced lifestyle. You will hear further details of expectations of home learning at Parent Information Nights.

SCHOOL BELL TIMES

School timetable:                   

School commences   8:55am

Morning Recess   10:40am - 11:10am

Lunch   12:50pm - 1:00pm (in classroom)

Lunch recess  1:00pm – 1:50pm

School dismissed  3:30pm

LOST PROPERTY

Lost property is located in the Prep corridor but we would like to ensure all students care for their own belongings. Please assist by ensuring all articles of clothing and lunchboxes are clearly labelled.

CANTEEN

This year the canteen will be closed on Mondays, but will operate Tuesday to Friday and will be closed on Mondays. 

SUNSMART HATS

All students should be wearing an appropriate hat at all times when outside.  Students without a hat will be instructed to play in the shade.

Choose one of the following styles:

• broad brimmed hats – with a brim of at least 7.5 cm
• bucket or ‘surfie-style hats' – with a deep crown and brim of at least 6 cm
• legionnaire hats with a flap that covers the neck. The side flap and front peak should meet to protect the side of the face.

Appropriate hats are available through the uniform shop.

Lynne Foster