Assistant Principal 

On Wednesday the 14th of August the school held parent Teacher Conferences. Thank you for all those that attended the day/evening, it was wonderful to see all the families in attendance and engaging in their children’s education. We saw a rough 7% increase in attendance for the evening from semester one. Parent Teacher Conferences are a great opportunity for parents to gain a greater understanding of the learning that is occurring for the remainder of the year as well as an understanding in how best to support this learning.

 We are looking forward to seeing more and more people at future conferences.

It has been brought to the school's attention that there are some concerns regarding school traffic along David Street especially during pick up and drop off times. I refer to the college principal's communication in this week's newsletter as well as the attached document and link (https://www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/Services/Parking-roads-and-footpaths/Parking/Parking-and-safety-around-schools#section-2). The information provided highlights the importance of safety and acceptable behaviours during these times. Primary concerns are around speed, illegal parking and encroaching on the school crossings whilst they are not clear. The Victorian police and highway patrol have been notified and will likely increase their presence in the coming weeks. Please familiarise yourself with the information provided.  Thank you for your ongoing support and consideration for the safety of our students and school community. 

Term three is always a challenging term each year. It regularly feels like the longest term with fewer breaks in the scheduling as well as increased expectations on behaviour and academic performance, and not to forget the wintery weather that accompanies it. This challenge brings with it often challenging behaviours in students. The school is currently looking to strongly reinforce our expectations on students with regards to acceptable behaviours in the classroom and the yard, as well as behaviour we know leads to increased/improved outcomes. Some areas of focus are student uniform, lateness to school and lateness to class, and anti-social behaviour in the yard. Teaching staff, yard duty staff, and student manages will be focussing specifically on these areas and apply the student code of behaviour. This may result in student detentions and suspensions where appropriate. We therefore ask for your support in reinforcing the school standards and expectations in ensuring that students are attending school in the correct school uniform, arriving on time (8:20-8:30am), and are following the school rules and representing the school values within the classroom and around in the yard.

Joshua Simpson

Assistant Principal