From the Principal

Home and School Partnerships

At POPS, we prioritise our partnerships with families by encouraging parental involvement in school programs, community events, and meetings. One effective method to nurture these relationships is through brief interactions between classroom teaching staff and parents from 3:30 to 3:45 pm daily. During this time, all teaching staff are available outside to engage with parents, fostering meaningful connections. We encourage parents to greet their child's teacher and initiate conversations during this period. Also, we ask parents to allow their children to walk independently into the buildings to their classroom in the morning, as teachers are busy welcoming students and preparing them for the day and are unavailable for parent chats during this time.

Aussie of the Month Assembly

On Monday, our Year 5 School Representative Council members Flynn, Xavier, and Tara wonderfully facilitated our first Aussie of the Month Assembly, where we presented the Aussie of the Month Award. This award recognises personal endeavour, achievement, and community contribution, reflecting Australian values like fair go, mateship, respect, and inclusion.

Congratulations to Sebastian Y for being February's Aussie of the Month! Sebastian consistently embodies kindness, respect, integrity, and excellence within the POPS community. He is a worthy award recipient and should be proud of this achievement.

Guest Speaker

During the Aussie of the Month Assembly, we welcomed Emma-Rose M, a POPS parent, respected psychologist, and marathon runner, who shared her fundraising campaign. Emma-Rose aims to brighten the hospital stays of sick children at Eastern Health Hospitals through a 170km run from Lake Mountain. To donate, please take a look at the flyer below. We commend Emma-Rose for her dedication to this cause.

Leadership Roles

During the Aussie of the Month Assembly, badges were presented to our 2024 Student Representative Council members, Active Travel members, and year 3/4 Waste Warriors. These students delivered speeches explaining why they would be good representatives and uphold school values. Peers nominated who they thought would be the best representatives, with input from teachers. 

This year, we changed the process to give more students the chance to be selected for a role. Students who held a role in 2023 were ineligible to nominate but were encouraged to share what they enjoyed about their previous roles. We're continually refining the process to ensure diverse student leadership opportunities. 

Congratulations to these students on their leadership roles:

School Representative Council

Evelyn P, Marty H, Jolie Q, Tex W, Judd H, Beatrix C, Chloe M, Angela M, Mace P, Flynn H, Tara W, Xavier M, Tom B, Imaan N

Active Travel Representatives

Amelia S, Hudson S, Ollie B, Ben R, Georgia K, Lawrence Z, Bo H, Hunter D, Charlotte A, Georgia H, Beau D

Waste Warriors

Misha C, Grace D, Evelyn W, Eva D, Archer S 

Student Achievements

Summer C (5/6M): Summer competed at a gymnastics nationals qualifiers competition, earned a spot on the Victorian team, and will go to nationals in May in Qld. Congratulations Summer!

Parents' Association

Thanks to Mrs Ross, Mrs Berardini and Mrs Turner for their assitance with organising and assisting during the Welcome Back Evening. It was great to see so many families connecting with each other. I would like to thank the Year 6 students who assisted with tattoos and hair spray. I also appreciated the help from some students at the end of the night who picked up rubbish after the event. 

Don't forget to visit the PA page to find out about the fun activity with the Colour Fun Run fundraising campaign. Students who raise over $100 get their names put in a draw to slime the teachers and Ms Garrity.

Have a great weekend,

Ms Garrity (Principal)

Reminders:

• Don't forget to go to the From the Classroom Page to read about Foundation students start to the year.
• Please visit the Student Wellbeing page to read about Gratitude.

Key Dates:

Fri March 8- Curriculum Day  (No students)

Mon March 11- Labour Day Public Holiday (No students)

Tues March 13- 22- Yr 3 and 5 NAPLAN 

Fri March 15- Working Bee (3:45- 5:30pm)