Principal Team's Message

Dear Students, Parents, Carers and Families

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support SWPBS

Thank you to the parents who joined us on Wednesday to learn more about the SWPBS framework. A brief video that touches on the framework has been linked below.

Introduction to School-wide Positive Behaviour Support | vic.gov.au (www.vic.gov.au)

A second session is planned for parents in the evening from 5:00-6:00pm on Wednesday, 6th November 2024. The purpose of this session is to go through what has been developed so far and seek input from our community. Please join us in the staffroom. As we work to develop our framework, we would love parent input so that the behaviour expectations are developed through a collaborative effort that includes input from students, parents, and our educational team.  

The first version of the SWPBS Behaviour Matrix is shared below:

Thank you for your continued support as we work together to build a stronger, more positive school community at Maramba Primary School. 

Staffing Update

We welcome the following staff members to our Maramba team:

Ms Monika Ren:

Ms Renis teaching our Year 1 'Super Squad'. Ms Ren has recently graduated as a teacher and has previously worked as a tutor for students in primary schools. We are very fortunate to have our students experience Ms Ren's calm and nurturing teaching approach.

Ms Nermine Yacoub:

Ms Yacoub has joined our Education Support staff team and is currently assisting in the Year 2 space. Ms Yacoub has almost two decades of expertise working in schools supporting a range of students in the classroom. 

Mr Bret Butler:

Mr Butler is our new Maintenance person with extensive experience in managing commercial facilities. He has certainly hit the ground running in keeping our grounds and facilities in great condition with his many talents, from recarpeting floors to tidying up all the grounds.

Please join me in helping them feel welcome at our school.

Grade Placement for 2025

We have begun our planning for 2025. At this point, we have not yet assigned teachers to grade levels for next year and still need to select a few educators to fill those positions. There are no guarantees that current teachers will remain with the same grade level, as leadership must consider various factors, including student needs, the diverse experiences of our staff and individual teacher preferences, before finalising these roles.

Our goal is to create classes that maintain:

- A balance of academic levels (students performing at, above, and below grade level)

- A harmonious social and behavioural mix (students who will work well together with minimal disruption)

The process of placing students in grades is quite complex and time-consuming. The wellbeing of our school community, including all students and families, is our top priority.

Placement Process:

• Teachers will ask students to nominate friends for 2025, ensuring each student is with at least one preferred classmate.
• Classroom teachers will evaluate students' abilities and note any concerns to guide class development. This data will inform the development of the 2025 classes.
• Specialists will review lists for discrepancies, and leadership will confirm placements.
• In the final weeks of the term, students will visit their new classrooms, where parents will be informed of placements.

Parent Considerations:

• The classroom teacher has the most insight into individual students. If you wish to discuss your child's placement, please start by speaking with their classroom teacher.
• Occasionally, we may not be aware of special circumstances that should be considered during class placement, such as health, emotional, or learning issues, peer or sibling relationships, or changes at home. However, requesting a specific teacher does not fall under this category. If parents wish to provide additional information for consideration, please email the school office by Friday, November 1st 2024. Please note that this is not a request for a specific teacher, and late submissions will not be accepted.
• This process does not include friend placements, which have already been collected by the teacher.

Once grades are finalised, no changes will be made unless an error has occurred. Modifying placements after finalisation is challenging, as it often requires multiple student adjustments. 

Student Spotlight

I would like to make a special mention and recognise our wonderful Year 4 student, Imogen Lupton, for the stunning indigenous artwork she created that has formed our school wide acknowledgement of country. We are very proud of her creativity and willingness to create a unified acknowledgement. Her artwork represents a sense of community and the coming together of people from all walks of life within a beautiful landscape. It tells a story of Elders, children and nature playing and learning together at Maramba Primary School, connecting past, present and future generations through a shared place.

Compass - Student Learning Management System

This term, our school is using Compass!

This week all parents would have received their log in details via email. please contact the school on 9796 7150 or via email at maramba.ps@education.vic.gov.au if you need any help logging on.

Please refer to the parent guide for more information regarding logging in, Semester Reports, Attendance and updating your personal details.

School Hats

As the weather warms up and the sun comes out, it’s crucial to stay SunSmart. Protect your head by wearing a hat whenever you are outdoors. Ensure your hat provides shade for your face, neck, and ears.

This is a reminder to all parents and students that hats are required for outdoor activities from now until the end of the year

Maths Games and Competition Day

On Tuesday, October 8th, six Year 4 students visited Oatlands Primary School to compete with 25 other school teams in a Maths Games and Competition Day.

They participated in various activities, including problem-solving challenges, quick quizzes, and games.

Congratulations to Jay, Zain, Mia, Mehtab, Steffy, and Sukhmeet for showcasing outstanding numeracy skills and embodying our school values of Respect, Relationships, Resilience, and Responsibility. We are all incredibly proud of your dedication and effort!

Assemblies and Newsletters

Please see the schedule below for our assemblies and newsletters:

Finally, with warmer weather and the arrival of Spring, the beautiful flowers planted by our Foundation students and donated by one of our school families, have blossomed much to the delight of the students.

We wish all families a wonderful weekend ahead. 

Kind regards,

Moniba Ehsan and Stephanie Sharp

Principal and Assistant Principal