Principal's Report
Dear family and friends of MPW
We had a fantastic day on Friday for pyjama day. There were lots of fun activities and engagement for the students throughout the day, including many forts built in classrooms for reading and to promote an understanding of the Winter Solstice. JSC were able to raise money to support the homeless as part of the day.
Well done to our students who are learning keyboard, singing and ukulele for their performances on Thursday night at the SoundGarage concert. Their effort and confidence performing was highlighted on the night.
A reminder that this Thursday we have the MVIMP Soiree on Thursday night at 6:30pm for our instrumental music group ensembles and school band performances.
Regional Cross Country
Congratulations to Jagger, Peppa, Frank and Estelle who represented MPW at the Regional Cross Country last Thursday. I was fortunate to be able to attend and see the students run in their events on the day. All four students showed fantastic sportsmanship, encouraging one another and giving their very best on the day. They should be proud of their achievement to make it to the regional level, and of the way they supported each other. Best of luck to Jagger and Peppa who made the top 12 and will now progress to State Finals.
Evacuation Drill
We had scheduled an Evacuation Drill for tomorrow, Wednesday 25th June, however the forecast is not looking great with heavy rain (possibly hail) tomorrow. We will postpone the drill to another time. A Compass push will be sent out following the completion of the drill.
Riding Bikes in the School Grounds
We would like to remind our school community about some of the expectations for the use of the school grounds after hours, particularly in relation to the shared use of the space with Camp Australia’s service.
Camp Australia has recently raised concerns regarding several students returning to the school grounds after school hours and riding bikes through these areas. This has been impeding their ability to run their program outside. As these spaces are also used by Camp Australia for their Before and After School Care programs, it is essential that we support a safe and respectful environment for the children in their care.
Whilst we welcome community use of these facilities after school hours, please note the following important guidelines:
- Bikes are not to be ridden within the school grounds after school.
- Students and community members returning to the grounds after school should not interfere with areas being used by Camp Australia.
- Students and community members must not engage with children attending the After School Care program, as this is a duty of care requirement for the program and the school.
Camp Australia staff may approach individuals using the facilities to remind them of these expectations. In cases of non-compliance, individuals may be asked to leave the grounds.
To support the shared use of the grounds after school, we are in the process of updating signage around the school to clearly communicate these expectations.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in ensuring the school grounds remain a safe and positive environment for everyone after school hours.
Updated School Policies
School Council has recently reviewed the following policies, and these have been updated on our school website. These were the Dress Code Policy and the Concerns and Complaints Policy.
An update regarding the Dress Code, there has been an updated policy for all schools providing new guidelines for school uniform ‘bottoms’. The change is to ensure schools do not have logoed, customised pants, shorts, skorts or skirts that can only be sourced from a single provider. Our existing policy was already supportive of this approach to allow for our uniform to remain affordable to families. The policy has been updated to clearly explain and reflect this. One item of our uniform will be removed from the item list as it does not comply with the new policy, this is the ‘sports shorts’ as it is both logoed and a unique item. Lowes has stopped production of the shorts, and as of 2026 will no longer be selling this item. The shorts will be available for purchase the remainder of the school year to allow the clearance of existing stock, should you wish to purchase.
I would like to take this opportunity to remind families of the school’s processes and policy regarding Concerns and Complaints. We do encourage parents to address your questions or concerns with the classroom teacher as the first point of contact. Teachers are available between 8.50-9.00am or 3.30-3.40pm for a quick in person check in or can be contacted through email to organise a time for a discussion. Where questions or concerns are more complex or needing further attention, Elisha, Assistant Principal, or myself can also be contacted to organise a meeting.
The process for students to raise concerns and complaints is also included in this policy and is something that we articulate to student so they are always aware of where and who they can approach for assistance.
Both updated policies can be found on our website.
Semester Reports and Three-Way Conferences
This Friday, we will be publishing our Semester 1 Reports onto Compass. The Semester Reports provide information about your child’s achievement against the Victorian Curriculum and some statements about your child’s learning and behaviours at school.
We will be holding Three-Way Conferences early in Term 3 in week 3 (Tuesday and Thursday afternoons). You will be able to book for your child’s conference through Compass in the first weeks of the new term.
The Semester Reports should be considered alongside the Ongoing Reporting tasks published each term for Reading, Writing, Maths and Specialists, and the Progress Report which gives an update on your child’s behaviour and effort in class. The Behaviour and Effort Scale and Rubrics in Ongoing Learning Tasks should provide you with timely feedback as to how your child is progressing and their next steps in that area. The Semester Report is a summary overall of how your child is progressing, using the ongoing evidence and assessments completed through terms 1 and 2 for teachers to make a balanced judgement against the curriculum. The Ongoing Reporting can be found in the ‘Learning Task’ tab and the Semester Reports and Progress Reports can be found in the ‘Reports’ tab.
When publishing reports there will be a booklet that helps explain aspects of the Semester Report for your reference.
Also, a quick reminder that the Compass website provides best access and viewing of all the reporting elements. The Compass App has limited functionality for Ongoing Reporting and Progress Reports. If on your phone, select ‘open in browser’ to see the full details.
End of Term reminders
A reminder that the school term ends next week on Friday 4th July, with a dismissal time of 2.30pm. As always, there is no assembly on the last Monday, and we will hold our final assembly of the term on the Friday at 9:05am in the gym.
Next week is Planning Week, teachers will be working in teams to begin planning for Term 3. On planning days, students will work with the specialist teachers through the day.
Planning days next week are: Monday- 3/4s, Tuesday- 5/6s, Wednesday- 1/2s, Thursday- Foundation and Friday- Specialists
Other upcoming dates include:
Thursday 26th June- MVIMP Soiree
Friday 27th June- Semester Reports published on Compass
Friday 4th July- Last day of term 2.30pm dismissal
Tuesday 5th and Thursday 7th August- 3-way conferences
Monday 18th August- Book Week
Thursday 21st August- Curriculum Day
Friday 5th September- Father’s Day open morning
Regards,
Jarrod Sutton
Principal