Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to term 4. We look forward to a great term ahead, with a continued focus on learning. This term is a long one, 11 weeks, with lots of things happening, including 3-6 swimming, excursions, transitions and end of year celebrations.

Sun Smart Policy: Term 4 sees the re-introduction of wearing of hats whilst outside and the applying sunscreen is highly recommended as the UV rating increases dramatically this time of year. Research shows that sun protection is highly recommended when the UV rating reaches 3 and above. UV radiation cannot be seen or felt. It is not like the sun’s light which we see, or the sun’s warmth (infrared radiation) which we feel. This means it

can be damaging to our skin without us knowing. The UV rating is usually 3 from 10, then rises to as high as 6 or 7, then can be at 3 until 4.30 in the afternoon. The UV rating is not related to the sun shining or not. Even on overcast days the UV rating can reach levels that can cause problems. This week’s highest average was 5, with 7 expected next week. The Sun Smart widget that shows the expected levels for the day is available on our school website at the bottom of the home page.

At Melton West PS we have a No Hat No Play rule, where children who are not wearing a broad-rim hat are expected to stay under a shaded area. We are very fortunate to have some many areas covered by shade cloth, so there are lots of options for the students. Please support us and your child by supplying them with a broad-rimmed hat to wear at school. I have included the Melton West PS Sun Protection Policy for your perusal, which is also available on our website. Sun-Protection-Policy-May-2024.pdf

Traffic Safety Around School: It is important that all adults act as positive role models for their children and model safe behaviour around roads, including using the school crossings. This is particularly important for when you may not be around and the children do not have the maturity to measure the distance of a moving car, in order to gauge of here is enough time to cross safely.

The Melton City Council periodically attend school zones to monitor the traffic. They take photos of cars stopping in No Standing or No Parking Zones, or who have been in the time-zone longer than allowed, then issue fines. I have included a map the council has on their website to show the preferred parking for our school. Their recommendation, which I support, is to use the Melton wave carpark, and cross at the manned crossing, with traffic lights and take the short walk past the kindergarten. The Neighhbourhood Policing Unit have reached

3-6 Swimming: Earlier this week a form went home to all students in years 3-6 about our upcoming swimming program. We have limited spaces and already half have been secured. If you would like your child to attend, please bring back the note as soon as possible so they do not miss out on a place. We will create a waitlist when the quota has been filled, however we would not be able to guarantee your child a spot if they are on the waitlist. The reason we need to cap the numbers of students attending is for organisational purposes. The pool allocates the teachers and swimming lanes available and can only do 3 groups. Therefore with 10 students in each group, the maximum number of students able to attend is 120.

Prep Enrolments for 2027: If you have a child in preschool, or one who is turning 5 before 30th April 2027, we are still accepting enrolments for Prep 2027. Please call the office for details and to book an appointment with a member of the Principal Class team. If you have family or friends with children who should start school next year, please encourage them to contact the school for a Prep Enrolment Pack and a tour. The 2027 Prep Transition Program will commence in November. If they are enrolled by then they will be invited to be part of this wonderful experience.

Prep Transition Program: The 2027 Prep Transition Program will commence next month. All families with children enrolled to start Prep in 2024 should have already received an invitation about this important activity. The dates are:

Tuesday 10th November 10:00am – 10:50am
Tuesday 17h November 10:00am – 10:50am
Tuesday 24th November 10:00am – 10:50am
Tuesday 8th December 9:30am – 10:45am. (Children will meet their teacher for 2027 on this day)

Whilst these sessions are occurring for the children, parents are encouraged to stay on-site and hear about the wonderful programs our school has to offer, as well as how to help prepare your child for their first year of school. These sessions will also have guest speakers such as the School Nursing Service, our Out of School Hours Care service – Village OSHC - and much more. We look forward to meeting you and your child during these sessions.

2027 Plans: We will be beginning the process of forming new class grouping for 2027 during Term 4. To determine how many classes we will need in the new year please let us know if your child will not be returning in 2027 for any reason so we can plan accordingly. This is important because your child might be paired with a friend and if they do not attend, their friend may find themselves without a buddy next year.

Special Requests for 2027 Class: Part of the work we do in term 4 is to form the new classes for the following year. if you have any concerns or requests about other children your child should or shouldn’t be with, please put these in writing before Friday 23rd October. Any requests received after this date CANNOT be able to be considered, due to the flow-on effect that any changes to classes already created has across the board. I will need to stick to this timeline quite tightly to ensure the process runs as smoothly and as efficiently as possible. Please note, requests for specific teachers will not be considered. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this process, please do not hesitate to contact the office to make an appointment to speak with me.

High Levels of Learning for All

Michelle Costa

Principal

Community