Principal Report

Dear PVNPS community, 

It is Term 4 already.

Welcome Back! 

The start of this term has been even extra fantastic, and students have come back to school being settled and ready to learn. Their willingness to ‘Be Kind’ and ‘show greater respect to each other is evident. I would like to continue to thank our families for their ongoing support for all that we have achieved this year so far and all that we continue to achieve.  

Our positive culture means that we have a philosphy of treating everyone with respect and accepting our diversity. Please ensure that you discuss with your children that everyone is the same - but we are also different and that this is okay. It is important that students use appropriate language to each other. We will be ensuring that this is occuring and families may get messages from staff via compass or phone calls when children are not using their choice of words with kindness towards others. 

Our Positive Behaviour Expectations matrix, which I have added into this newsletter once again as it has been already sent home and on compass to you all, is something that we have developed to have common language and expectations across the whole school. This has been a great step in further promoting our positive education culture that we have here at PVNPS. 

I also would like to thank my staff for ensuring that we are being positive with all students and families daily, as working together as a partnership is what makes a terrific school culture.    

We have a whole lot happening this term; swimming P-2, Concert, Year 6 Graduation and Prep Transition. This is just to name a few of the major ones. 

Please look at the term calendar in this newsletter to confirm some of the dates as there are such a busy list.

School Camps and Time in Lieu

I would like to thank families for supporting our camping program this year with our implementation of the new AEU industrial agreement. Providing additional Time in Lieu for staff to work outside their normal working hours has been costly to our school budgets but your support has meant that we can provide these experiences, such as camps, sleepovers, dinners, concerts, for our students. 

Thank you also to our wonderful School Council who have been part of these conversations and will continue to provide a parent perspective. 

We had two new wonderful camps this year for our years 3-6 students and feedback was they were outstanding. In 2024, I have been able to book another 2 new camps, Sovereign Hill for years 5/6 and Phillip Island for years 3/4 - so here’s hoping even more students get to attend and have these experiences.

School Grants:

Our fingers and toes are crossed as we applied for a department grant for major building improvements. We have put in a grant for monies to provide a hard shelter over our basketball courts. This will enable more opportunities to have sport outdoors for Mr Rees and also hold assemplies undercover as well. 

We are also investigating getting our year 3-6 toilets painted and made more 'pleasant' for students. We are hoping to make them colourful and fun.

ENROLMENT FOR 2024

Due to our numbers we will be only taking siblings and those that live in our school zone from now for 2024.

If you have a prep sibling that is not yet enrolled, this should be done immediately to ensure a place at this school next year. 

STUDENTS NOT RETURNING IN 2023 Please inform the school in writing, by sending in an email, or drop a letter in at the office - ASAP If your child/ren are NOT returning to Pascoe Vale North PS in 2023. (We will be sad to see you go!)

STUDENT PLACEMENT FOR 2024 - LAST REMINDER

 Invitation to parents for special consideration.

 Staff will soon commence forming classes for next year. A clearly documented process is followed by the staff to ensure that a high level of consideration and consultation occurs before classes are announced in December. 

All parties are involved in this process, students, parents and teachers. Factors influencing a student’s class placement include student friendships, social compatibilities, academic balance across each class, student behaviour, specific learning or medical needs. This is a very diligent process that teachers take very seriously with care and consideration.

 Parents have been invited to put in writing to me any considerations regarding their child’s placement for next year, in regards to the placement with other students. Please include your child’s name, 2024 class and your name on the letter. 

TODAY IS THE LAST DATE FOR ACCEPTING CONSIDERATIONS AS CLASSES THIS HAS BEEN OPEN FOR TWO WEEKS.