Launching Place Primary School Newsletter

Principal's Message

Welcome Back, Families!

We hope you had a restful and enjoyable break after Term Three! As we dive into the busy yet exciting final term of the year, we’re thrilled to share all the wonderful events on the horizon.  Please check out our upcoming dates page for details.  From our upcoming sports days to special classroom activities and community gatherings, there’s so much to look forward to. Let’s make this term memorable together, filled with learning, laughter, and plenty of fun. 

 

Staffing Changes as We Move into Term Four

As we enter Term Four, we have a few staffing changes to share with our school community. First, we want to thank Lachlan McDonald for his dedication as our PE teacher; he has resigned to focus on building his sports coaching business. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours!

We are excited to welcome Melissa Jones to the PE role. Melissa is already known to many of you as a parent in our community, and we’re looking forward to her contributions to our students’ physical education.

Additionally, we’re pleased to announce that Lara Mackie has returned to teach 5/6I one day a week on Wednesdays. Emily Rae has also rejoined us, teaching LOTE Japanese for two days and 5/6G for one day a week.

In other wonderful news, we congratulate Kiri Briggs on the arrival of her son, Hugo, over the term break! 

 

Celebrating a Successful First Week of the House System!

We’re excited to report that our first week of the house system has been a tremendous success! Students have enthusiastically embraced the new initiative, fostering a strong sense of community and friendly competition. 

We are particularly proud of the incredible number of tokens awarded for outstanding adherence to our school values and behaviour matrices. This week alone, students earned an astonishing number tokens which are viewable in our school office area, showcasing their commitment to curiosity, achievement, responsibility, empathy and respect. 

Let’s keep this momentum going as we celebrate individual achievements and work together as houses. Thank you to our students for their enthusiasm and dedication! 

 

Uniform Reminder 

As we settle back into the term, we want to remind everyone about our school uniform policy. Please ensure that you come to school wearing the following:

- Blue shorts or pants

- School top

- Socks

- Runners or black shoes - No Crocs! :)

Wearing the correct uniform helps us all feel part of the Launching Place Primary School community. Thank you for your cooperation and for representing our school with pride!

 

Thank You for Supporting Sun Safety!

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all parents and students for ensuring that our students come to school with their hats and wear them during recess and lunch. Your commitment to being sun smart is crucial in protecting our children from harmful UV rays.

By working together, we’re fostering a safe and healthy environment for everyone. We appreciate your support in making sun safety a priority and encouraging our students to enjoy their outdoor time responsibly!

 

Bushfire Preparedness

School preparations for the bushfire season

Each year, we undertake a range of activities to ensure the safety of our school and to prepare for bushfires and grassfires. 

An important part of this process is communicating to parents what will happen when certain fire danger ratings are issued to help ensure the safety of students and staff.

 

Our school has been identified as being at risk of bushfire or grassfire and is a Category 3 school. 

Our school will close on a day forecasted as Catastrophic fire danger rating in Central fire district. 

Closure of the school due to a Catastrophic fire danger rating will be enacted when the Bureau of Meteorology forecast and related public safety messaging are confirmed. Due to uncertainties in the forecast, the timing of this confirmation may vary. Information regarding potential or confirmed Catastrophic fire danger days will be communicated to you by COMPASS notification.

It is also important to be aware that: 

  • No one will be on site on days where the school is closed due to a forecast Catastrophic day.
  • Out-of-school-hours care will also be cancelled on these days.
  • All bus routes that travel through the Catastrophic area will be cancelled.
  • School camps will be cancelled if a Catastrophic fire danger rating day is forecast for fire weather district in which the camp is located, or if the travel involves passing through areas that have Catastrophic fire danger.

As part of preparing our school for the fire season, we have updated and completed our Emergency Management Plan.

What can families and the school community do to help us prepare?

  • Ensure we have your current contact details, including your mobile phone numbers.     
  • Keep in touch with us by reading our newsletters, checking our website,  talking to your child’s teacher or any other member of the teaching staff about our emergency management plan.
  • Make sure your family’s bushfire survival plan is up-to-date and includes alternative care arrangements if our school is closed due to Catastrophic fire danger. Further information can be found on the CFA’s website.
  • Action your family’s bushfire survival plan if your own triggers are met. Our school community may be spread out across many areas and some families may be at higher risk than others. Your family’s safety is critical, so please let us know if you are actioning your bushfire survival plan and if your children will be absent on these days.
  • If your child is old enough, talk to them about bushfires and your family’s bushfire survival plan. 

Families are encouraged to action their Bushfire Survival Plan on Catastrophic fire danger rating days in their district. The safest option is to leave the night before or early on the morning of the Catastrophic day. On such days, children should never be left at home alone or in the care of older children.

You can find more information on emergencies, warnings and preparedness actions here:

  • VicEmergency app – that can be downloaded on your android and iOS mobile devices
  • VicEmergency Hotline (1800 226 226)
  • Website https://emergency.vic.gov.au
  • ABC local radio, Sky News and other emergency broadcasters

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the department’s policy?

The Department of Education annually assesses the fire risk of all schools and early childhood services with the support of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). They are allocated a category of risk (categories 0 to 6). Schools and services that are Categories 0-3 are published on the Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR). Schools at some risk of bushfire and grassfire are published on the Category 4 List. 

The department’s Bushfire and Grassfire Preparedness Policy requires all schools and early childhood services on the BARR and the Category 4 List to close when a Catastrophic fire danger rating day is forecast in their fire weather district. All school bus routes which travel in or through a district with Catastrophic fire danger must also be cancelled. 

The policy also requires that schools at the highest risk of bushfire (those in Categories 0, 1 and 2 of the Bushfire At-Risk Register) enact pre-emptive action plans based on the fire danger forecast for their Local Government Area (LGA).

Who issues fire danger forecasts?

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) provides public fire danger rating forecasts each day of the fire danger period using fire weather district areas. In Victoria, there are 9 fire weather districts, which are based on Local Government Area boundaries. 

The department uses these forecasts when supporting schools to enact their pre-emptive bushfire actions plans. 

 

Safe Socials

Parents and carers play a key role in guiding their children as they navigate the online world and begin to learn through exploration, play and social interaction.

Parents and carers can prepare their primary school aged child to be safe on social media even if they don’t use it yet. You can do this by building good online habits and staying informed about online safety.

You can learn more how to help your child begin their online journey on the eSafety Commissioner’s website.

You can also learn about the range of social media, games, apps and sites in the eSafety Guide, including what all the apps are, their minimum age requirements, how to protect personal information and how to report content within the apps themselves.

 

Supporting positive and safe online experiences for your child

There are a range of resources available to support you to support your child to have a safe experience online.

  • The eSafety Commissioner’s website provides:
    • eSafety parents page including: information on how to have hard conversations about tricky topics like cyberbullying or seeing pornography.
    • webinars to give parents/carers the knowledge, skills and tools to support safe online experiences including supporting primary schools children to understand consent and online boundaries and how to support your child with online gaming.
    • family friendly videos and advice sheets in multiple languages to support your family stay safe online, getting started with social media, safer online gaming and getting help when your child is bullied online.
    • eSafetykids page with child friendly information you can share with your child including what to do when someone is being mean online, being safe online, sharing photos and personal information online.
  • Bully Stoppers provides dedicated resources on cybersafety and cyberbullying for primary aged students and a dedicated resource page for parents. You can also access cyberbullying advice sheets for concerned adults through Bully Stoppers.
  • Alannah and Madeline Foundation provides DigiTalk, an online safety hub for parents. It includes resources on topics such as becoming a screen smart family, navigating online bullying, and choosing, protecting and engaging with games for children.
  • Raising Children Network provides resources for parents of primary school children on topics like healthy screen time, digital family life, digital play and learning and online safety.

Signs a child or young person might need support

A child’s online activity might have a negative impact on them if they don’t also have a healthy balance of offline activities. Sometimes, your child might show signs that they are having negative online experiences or that they are being bullied.

Your child may not tell you if an online ‘friendship’ or situation has become compromising or difficult. They may feel embarrassed or ashamed, or afraid it might make things worse.

Be alert to changes in your child's behaviour or mood. Watch for signs of withdrawal, anxiety, sadness or changed interactions with family or friends.

Signs can include:

  • less interest in social activities like meeting friends or playing sport
  • not doing so well at school
  • tiredness, sleep disturbance, headaches, eye strain
  • changes in eating patterns
  • reduced personal hygiene
  • obsession with particular websites or games
  • extreme anger when being asked to take a break from online activity
  • appearing anxious or irritable when away from the computer
  • becoming withdrawn from friends and family

You can learn more about warning signs of bullying on Bully Stoppers and warning signs of grooming on the eSafety Commissioner’s website.

 

What to do if your child experiences something unsafe online

There are many ways that parents can raise a concern or get help if there is an incident.

  • You can talk to your child’s school about any concerns you might have or if something has happened. Schools have policies and processes that can help. They can also work with you to make sure that your child gets extra support if they need it. Contact your child’s teacher or the school’s wellbeing team to start. Read more about talking to your school on Bully Stoppers.
  • If your child has been involved in an online incident it is important that you work together with your school to provide your child with the support they need. Learn how to help your child after an online incident on the eSafety Commissioner’s website.
  • You can contact the eSafety commissioner for advice and to report abuse. The eSafety reporting system helps parents of children who experience serious cyberbullying and image-based abuse by working with platforms to have the content removed.
  • If someone is contacting your child and this contact is unwanted or makes them feel uncomfortable, there are things you can do to help. Read more about child grooming and unwanted contact and what to do on the eSafety Commissioner’s website.
  • The Alannah and Madeline Foundation provides advice on what to do in instances of image-based abuse online and through Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Where to reach out to for more support for your child

  • Contact 000 for urgent assistance
  • Talk to your child’s school
  • Contact the eSafety Commissioner. for advice or to report online abuse
  • Visit your local GP if you want to talk about mental health support
  • Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800 kidshelpline.com.au
  • Parentline provides a confidential telephone counselling for parents and those who care for children. This including advice on internet use, and online bullying and safety.
  • Lifeline: 13 11 14 lifeline.org.au
  • Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636 beyondblue.org.au

Virtual Tour

See you around our place,

Laura Caddy

Principal