From the
Assistant Principal
Dear Parents / Carers,
Colour Spectacular School Run 4 Fun
What a spectacular, colourful way to kick off Term Two. Yesterday our school community came together to raise funds for the development of our Italian village and upgrade of the multi-age playground. Students enjoyed the sunshine and had a fun filled afternoon navigating obstacles set up by our incredible team of volunteers. I would like to reinforce a big thank-you to our FORPS team and to every one of our helpers – without you we could not have enjoyed such a successful event.
ANZAC Day Student Poetry
A significant celebration that occurs each year in our school is the commemoration of ANZAC Day. Below are two poems that have been written by our senior students.
Saying Goodbye by Maisie 6B
I left my mum!
Crying at the door.
She surely thought
That I’d die at war.
I left my wife!
Telling me I am tough.
she believes in me,
So that's enough.
I left my son!
Tears in his eyes.
He surely thought,
I'd meet my demise.
Family Is All by Cooper 6B
The poppies bloom in the field,
The snowy wind sparkles in the hill.
The dandelions blow your wishes,
The men in war miss their families’ kisses.
At home it's just cozy and warm,
Having fun until dawn.
Boom, crash, the guns are loud
The men in war were trained to never doubt.
The Day the ANZACs Left by Jai 6B
The church bells were broken,
And not a word was spoken,
The day the ANZACs left.
All the children were filled with fear,
The heart of Australia shed a tear,
The day the ANZACs left.
I read the newspaper and all I saw,
The headline was ‘The Devil’s War’,
The day the ANZACs left.
I was so nervous to see them,
I wouldn’t go, not for a dare,
Because of the family members
Who got told to take care,
The day the ANZACs left.
Lest we forget.
Year 4-6 Student Attitudes to School Survey
We value student voice as a means to improving student engagement, wellbeing and quality instruction and are conducting a survey to find out what your child thinks about school. This year, all students in Year 4 – 6 will participate in the Attitudes to School Survey. This survey is a voluntary annual student survey offered by the Department of Education to assist schools to gain an understanding of students' perceptions and experience of school. Students will be asked about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, their learning, peer relationships, resilience, bullying, health and wellbeing, physical activity, and life in general. This year, the Attitudes to School Survey will be between Monday 6th May and Friday 14th June.
What are the benefits?
Young people enjoy having a say! This survey has been running for nearly 20 years and is invaluable in helping schools understand student views to plan programs and activities to improve your child's schooling experience. The survey responses also help the Department of Education understand how student’s learning experiences can be improved.
What are the risks?
While we do not anticipate many risks of participation, some students may find some of the survey questions personal and sensitive in nature. Should you agree for your child to participate, they are still free to skip questions or to withdraw at any stage if the survey makes them upset or uncomfortable. A teacher will be present during the survey to support students.
The questions are selected from validated survey instruments used in Australia and around the world, are strength-based, and tailored for each year level group.
What will my child be asked to do?
Your child will be invited to complete the survey online during class time using a purpose built secure online survey tool. It is important to note that we are not in any way “testing” your child. Please note:
- Student participation in the survey is voluntary and students may withdraw at any time.
- The survey will take around 20-45 minutes to complete.
How is my child’s confidentiality protected?
Your child will be provided with a unique login to complete the survey from their teacher. The student login is an assigned identifier that will be used by the department to link data for analysis and research purposes only. Identifiable information, such as student name or Victorian Student Number (VSN) is not used for linking datasets. Some student demographic data (i.e. year level, gender, age, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status) is derived from department-held administrative records and is linked to the individual student login ID during survey set up work to support survey administration.
ORIMA Research will only use student personal information for research purposes to facilitate the administration and data collection of the Attitudes to School Survey. To ensure the confidentiality of your child’s responses is protected at all times, personally identifiable data will not be recorded in the survey response file that ORIMA Research provides to the department. All data is stored on servers located in Australia and access is restricted to staff who are working on the project.
All information collected about your child will be handled in accordance with the Privacy Data and Protection Act 2014 (Vic), the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and the Public Records Act 1973 (Vic), as well as the Department’s Schools’ Privacy Policy. Please note that consistent with the above legislation and our policy, there are instances where we may be required by law to share information provided by your child. For example, where there is a threat to your child’s health and safety.
How will results be reported?
Aggregated state-wide survey data will be used to report on initiatives and may also be used in public discussions of issues relating to student engagement and wellbeing. An example of how survey data has been previously used includes reporting levels of student engagement in the Performance Summary in the Annual Report to the School Community.
The survey results will also be reported back to the school in aggregate form throughout the survey period. Data or results about individual students will not be shared with schools. All survey data that is made available in reports are for groups of students only so that no individual student can be identified. Where there are low numbers of students, the data will be suppressed so that the school cannot view the results for that group.
Participation in this survey is voluntary. If you do not wish for your child to do the survey, please opt out via email to myself, shae.white@education.vic.gov.au. Please do so before Friday 3rd May, stating that you wish to opt out of your child’s participation, along with their name and year level.
If l do not receive a Refusal of Consent email before the survey commencement date, it means that you give your consent for your child to participate in the 2024 Attitudes to School Survey.
Kind regards,
Shae White
Assistant Principal