Welcome to Term 2!

Yet again, it has been a super busy fortnight at the Springs! The two main highlights have definitely been the World of Maths Incursion for all students across the school as well as the Year 5 camp.

During our World of Maths Incursion, all students had the opportunity to apply their maths skills in a fun, interactive manner to solve problems and challenge their minds. It was fantastic to see the resilience, persistence and teamwork of all students during these sessions.

It was a pleasure to accompany the Year 5 students on the Lyrebird Park Camp this week. The independence and resilience that experiences like this provide for our students cannot be underestimated. We witnessed students stepping out of their comfort zone in activities such as the flying fox and the rock climbing wall. The night hike was a highlight, as was the damper making (topped with maple syrup!). Well done to all students on showing our Values while on camp. A special shout-out to the staff and volunteers who made this camp possible. We appreciate the time you took away from your own family to help provide such a memorable experience for our students.

Parking and Road Safety

Cardinia Council has received a concerning increase in the reports regarding illegal parking, dangerous driving and pedestrian safety around schools across the Shire. Together with Cardinia Shire Council, we wish to remind all drivers of the importance of safety and adhering to road rules when parking around the school, at pick-up and drop-off times.

To ensure the safety of all pedestrians, students and members of our school community, we ask that you:

Park only in designated areas: parking is not permitted on nature strips, no-stopping zones, no parking zones, bus zones or areas reserved for staff (internal carpark areas). Please adhere to all signage and the road rules.
Follow drop-off and pick-up procedures: use the designated drop-off and pick-up zones to ensure a smooth and safe flow of traffic.
Be mindful of pedestrians: Follow directions from School Crossing Supervisors and take extra caution during peak times when children are arriving or leaving school.
Be respectful: Council Parking Officers are required to conduct regular patrols around the school to ensure safety. Please be respectful and courteous.

Semester Reports

At Pakenham Springs, we encourage effective partnerships between the school, family and student to ensure that we are all working together to get the best outcomes possible for our students. Celebrating success and sharing goals is important, and we encourage families to check in regularly with their child's classroom teacher to ensure the communication lines remain open. At the end of this term, you will receive a written report assessing your child against the Victorian Curriculum 2.0 standards. We encourage you to read the report carefully, discuss with your child and seek clarification of anything that is unclear. As we move to a new curriculum this year, the reports may look a little different (particularly in the Mathematics progression points). There will be communication around how to read these reports, and we encourage families to read this carefully.

Advance Notice - Bring Your Own Device program

At Pakenham Springs, we believe that students' knowledge and ability to effectively use technology within their learning is crucial to develop them into productive members of the global community. As such, we will be moving to a Bring Your Own Device Program in the 2026 school year. This will mean that families with students in Years 4 & 5 for 2026 will be asked to purchase a Chromebook for their child to use at school. More information will be distributed shortly regarding this, including specific instructions on how to purchase a school-approved and supported device.

We will also be holding an information session later in the term for families to ask any questions they may have. Payment plans will be available for families, and a bank of devices will be available for use at school by students whose families may not be in a position to purchase a device outright.

If you have any enquiries about the program that we may need to address, please feel free to fill out the following Form...

Supervision before school

Students are not to arrive at school until 8:30 am on school mornings. Staff do not begin their workday until this time, and there is insufficient supervision available in the mornings. Any student arriving before 8:30 am will be asked to sit at the office and wait. We ask for your support in this matter. Likewise, under no circumstances are students allowed to leave the school grounds in the morning and go across to the shops. Not only is this incredibly unsafe, with them crossing the busy Heritage BLVD road unsupervised, but a small number of students are also coming back having purchased items inappropriate for the school day.

Please contact OSHClub if you need to organise care and supervision for your child/ren outside of 8:30 am - 3:30 pm.

Have a wonderful fortnight,

The PSPS Leadership Team

Springers in Action

WORLD OF MATHS

YEAR 5 CAMP (more photos next issue)