From the Assistant Principal

SCHOOL-WIDE POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR SUPPORT

Tuesday a team of our teachers and leadership underwent the first of three days of professional learning this semester to initiate our implementation of School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS).  I thank Mel Davis, Johanne Abbott, Kara Merrin, Toni Canto-Castello and Vic Fear for their time and dedication.  Our school will be adopting this program over the course of our current School Strategic Plan over the next four years.  The SWPBS framework is a way our school can identify and teach the pro-social behaviours most important to the values of SMPPS.  We will explore and upskill staff around the functions of behaviour and how to support our school community (teachers, students and families) on how to all demonstrate our school values every day.  We will be liaising with the Parent/Carer Wellbeing Committee as an additional source of gaining parent/carer insight into our process as we work through it.  If you would be interested in joining the Wellbeing Committee and attending regular online meetings, please email the school email.

VOLUNTEERS

This year we had a Volunteer Induction in week 4 on Friday, 21 February and packed our staff room with 66 wonderful humans looking to support our school by volunteering.  The range of ways you can support our school with volunteering look like: 

• reading in the classroom (teachers will reach out via a sign-up sheet or through their Parent Rep);
• and supporting excursions (our upcoming off-site excursions due to Grand Prix on 13 March, Sports Carnivals, etc.).  

There are also committees, such as the Events Committee and Wellbeing Committees, School Council, etc., which are always happy for more parents/carers to join up and support.  

For parents/carers who missed the Induction, please feel free to watch the Volunteer Induction video and sign a Confidentiality Agreement.  Signed Confidentiality Forms, along with a copy of your Working With Children’s Check, can be emailed to our school email:  south.melbourne.park.ps@education.vic.gov.au or, there are plenty of printed copies in the office for you to sign in-person when you have our office staff copy your Working With Children’s Check. 

Note: There is a bit of feedback noise in the video, so you may want to turn the volume down a bit when you watch.

CYBER SAFETY

We are fortunate to have received a subsidy to receive Cyber Safety sessions at our school with thanks to our School Council President Katrina Walker and Trish Wan.  These sessions are run by Inform and Empower and are a wonderful resource for our community to support our students to navigate a digital world.  They will occur once per term through a livestream alongside their teacher.  Our teacher information session is coming next week, and there will be a parent/carer session in Thursday, 24 April at 7pm online.   We will send a Compass announcement and share the link closer to the time.    Please see their attached handout:  

ICT ACCEPTABLE AGREEMENTS

New Prep families will have received a Compass alert to read our ICT Acceptable Use Agreements and answer the three questions provided to share consent.  For our returning families, these Agreements were shared last November.  If you have not yet consented, (returning families who are still delinquent may have received a Compass reminder), please hop on Compass and do so in order for your child to be able to access our school ipads or Chrome books when the time comes.

BREAKFAST CLUB

Breakfast Club is with us every morning from Monday through Friday.  The friendly volunteers will be ready to serve up a nutritious breakfast piece of toast or some cereal from 8.45-8.58am.   Please know that if your child arrives for 8:58am, our aim is to feed them, but have them get to class on time too.  This means they may just receive a piece of toast with margarine as these can be made in advance and given out quickly. For specific topping requests, we ask you to arrive closer to 8.45am.  Food Parcels are still available and I am happy for you to reach out to me directly.  Additionally, here is a link for other places where you can access food support.

Regards,

Sam Smrekar Thompson

samantha.smrekarthompson@education.vic.gov.au

Assistant Principal