Principal's Report 

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to Term 3. I hope you and your family had lovely holidays and kept warm.

Acting Assistant Principal: This term we welcome Mrs Dani Bird as the Acting Assistant Principal for the remainder of this year. Dani comes to the role with much experience at Melton West PS starting her career here over 13 years ago. She already has great relationships with students, staff and the parent community and will predominantly be working across the Year 3-6s. She has recently returned from family leave so has opted for a part-time role. She will be working Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday each week and we look forward to her joining the team.

NAPLAN Results for Year 3 & 5 Students: Today envelopes were sent home to students in Year 3 and 5 who sat the NAPLAN tests back in term 1. If you do not receive it in the mail by the end of next week, please contact us to let us know. These results are a snapshot in time and need to be considered along with the information your child’s teacher provided in the semester 1 reports. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the office to make an appointment with a member of the Principal Class team.

Landscaping Works: We are nearing the end of the major landscaping works we have been undertaking for the past few years. Over the holidays the landscapers began working on the pergola area. They have demolished the old garden beds that had become unsafe and very straggly. They are planting 3 large trees on either side of the covered area, with seating around each tree. It looks great as the area has opened up so much. I will post photos on the next newsletter to show you the finished product.

Ramp Works: Earlier this year all schools had a ramp audit initiated by the Department of Education and we had some area identified needing fixing. Most involves replacing handrails that no longer met the standards, however 2 major areas requiring more extensive works are the old entrance area along West Melton Dr that we no longer use and the ramp outside the Prep Building. Work on these will begin next week and should not cause too many disruptions.

Pyjama Day: Tomorrow is Wear Your PJs Day to raise money for children in Foster Care. Please encourage your child to come dressed in their favourite pyjamas and bring a gold coin donation for this very important cause. I am really looking forward to wearing my PJs tomorrow and have a great pair I’m ready to share with all the Taylor Swift fans at our school.

Swimming 2024: In the next couple of weeks, you should receive a note for our upcoming swimming program. Places are limited and it will be a first come first serve basis, so please keep an eye out for these. The Years Prep to 2’s will be swimming from the 2nd September until 6th September and the Years 3 to 6 will be from 9th September until 13th September.

Year 7 Placement Letters: Yesterday, all year 6 students were given their Year 7 placement letter to let them know where they have a place at a Secondary School for 2025. The Year 7 Placement Acceptance Slip was included in the envelope and needs to be returned to MELTON WEST PRIMARY SCHOOL by 7th Auguust 2024 to CONFIRM your place. Please note Year 7 Placement Acceptance Slip needs to be returned whether you are accepting the place of not. If you did not receive your first preference you would have received an information sheet outlining what your options are. Please reach out if you have any questions or need support with this process. Appeals need to be received by your PREFERRED SCHOOL by Friday 26th July.

Prep Enrolments 2025 Open: If you or somebody you know has a child turning 5 before 30th April 2025, they are eligible to attend school in 2025. All children have a guaranteed place in their local school, and some schools, like ours, can accept enrolments outside their designated area. If you feel they are ready to start school next year and would like to find out more about what we have to offer, please call the office to join one of our small group tours. These are fortnightly on a Wednesday from 9.30am or monthly in the evening at 6.00pm. To help with organising staff and preparing for an effective transition program, enrolments should be received by 26th July 2024.

High Levels of Learning for All

Michelle Costa

Principal