Principal’s Report

Welcome to Term 3

Welcome back to Term 3! I hope the mid-year break provided your family with an opportunity to slow down, recharge and enjoy some quality time together. We have an exciting term ahead, filled with rich learning experiences, excursions, sporting events, incursions and whole-school celebrations. I know our students are ready to embrace the many opportunities that lie ahead.

Term 3 is always an exciting and productive time in schools. With classroom routines now firmly established, students are well placed to build on their learning, develop confidence and continue strengthening their academic, social and personal skills. At Merri-bek Primary School, we believe learning is about far more than acquiring knowledge- it is about nurturing curiosity, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and the confidence to apply learning in meaningful ways. We continue to be incredibly proud of the enthusiasm, resilience and positivity our students bring to school each day.

One of the simplest and most effective ways families can support their child's learning is through daily reading at home. Whether it's a picture book, novel, magazine or non-fiction text, regular reading strengthens vocabulary, comprehension, confidence and imagination. Even 10–15 minutes each evening can have a lasting impact, and we encourage all families to continue making reading a valued part of their daily routine.

Grade 6 Leadership Visit to Parliament House

This week, Joe and I had the pleasure of accompanying our Grade 6 student leaders on a visit to the Victorian Parliament House.

The visit provided our students with a wonderful opportunity to learn firsthand about the democratic process, the role of Parliament and how decisions are made that shape our state and communities. Students explored the historic Parliament building, participated in engaging learning experiences and asked thoughtful questions that demonstrated their curiosity and understanding.

Our students represented Merri-bek Primary School exceptionally well throughout the day. They were respectful, engaged and enthusiastic learners, and both Joe and I were incredibly proud of the way they conducted themselves. Experiences such as these bring classroom learning to life and help students develop a deeper appreciation of active citizenship and the important role they can play in their community.

A special thank you to our staff for supporting this valuable learning opportunity and to our wonderful Grade 6 students for being such outstanding ambassadors for our school.

2027 Foundation (Prep) Enrolments

Enrolment season is well underway, and it has been wonderful welcoming so many prospective families on school tours over the past few weeks. If you know a child who is due to start Foundation in 2027, we encourage families to submit their enrolment application as soon as possible.

We have already received a strong number of enrolments and places are filling quickly. Receiving enrolments early allows us to thoughtfully plan class structures, staffing and our Foundation Transition Program, which will commence in Term 4.

Our Foundation team is also busy preparing a series of transition sessions to help our newest students feel confident and excited about starting school. Families will receive further information about these sessions in the coming weeks.

If you would like to arrange a tour of Merri-bek Primary School, please contact our office on 9386 2510. We would love the opportunity to show you our wonderful school community.

Parents & Carers Club

One of the highlights of last term was our much-loved Mother's Day / Special Person Stall. There was a wonderful buzz throughout the school as students carefully selected gifts for the special people in their lives. It was heartwarming to see students making thoughtful choices, managing their money and excitedly preparing surprises to take home.

This event simply would not be possible without the extraordinary dedication of our Parents & Carers Club, led by our outstanding President, Nell Cove. Nell works tirelessly behind the scenes, generously volunteering countless hours of her own personal time to organise fundraising events that directly benefit every student at Merri-bek Primary School. Her passion, commitment and unwavering support of our school community are truly remarkable. Time and again, Nell goes above and beyond to create opportunities that strengthen our school and enhance the experiences we are able to provide for our students.

We are also incredibly grateful to the Parents & Carers and the many volunteers who generously gave their time to help make the stall such a success.

Fundraising is only successful because of the support of our school community, and we encourage all families to get behind these wonderful initiatives whenever they can. Every purchase, every volunteer hour and every contribution makes a genuine difference, helping us provide additional resources, experiences and opportunities for our students.

A BIG thank you to Nell, our Parents & Carers, our volunteers and our families for your ongoing support. Together, we continue to build a vibrant, connected and thriving school community.

Stay Connected

Compass remains our primary method of communication with families. Please check Compass regularly to ensure you don't miss important announcements, upcoming events and school news. If you require assistance accessing your account or have misplaced your login details, please contact the office and we will be happy to help.

Before and After School Supervision

A reminder that student supervision is provided from 8:45am each morning and until 3:45pm each afternoon. As staff are not on duty outside these times, we ask families to ensure students are not dropped off before 8:45am or collected later than 3:45pm unless they are attending an approved before or after school care program.

100 Days of Foundation

Our Foundation students recently celebrated an exciting milestone- 100 Days of School! Students came dressed as what they imagined they might look like at 100 years of age, or in outfits that celebrated the occasion. The day included a fun parade, classroom activities centred around the number 100, and opportunities for students to reflect on their favourite memories and all they have learnt during their first 100 days of school. It was a wonderful celebration of learning, growth and achievement.

Child Safe Standards

At Merri-bek Primary School, we are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our students by adhering to the Child Safe Standards. As part of our commitment to child safety, we have developed policies and procedures to ensure that our students are protected from harm, including all forms of abuse whilst at school.

This includes:

Implementing a School Wide Positive Support framework
Implementing a School Wide Positive Education Program
Ensuring all staff adhere to policies, guidelines and code of conduct for the care, wellbeing and protection of students
Fostering honest, respectful and trusting relationships between adults and students within
the school community
Ensuring all people working and volunteering with our students have a current Working with Children Check
Ensuring when employing staff, referee questions confirm suitability of applicants to work with students
Following the Department of Education’s mandatory reporting requirements
Our Child Safe policies can be found on our school’s website. Once again, the
priority of our school and staff is to ensure that our students are safe at all times and able to learn

Maria Giordano

Principal

Bianca - Assistant Principal’s Report

Welcome back to Term 3. It has been a great year so far and in Term 3 we have a lot of fun things planned. Things like 100 days of prep were last week, coming up is Colour Run and Preps visit to the Zoo. We are very excited to be back at school for this fun and exciting term.

Teachers are looking forward to a day of Numeracy learning with the wonderful Doug Clarke on Monday week 4 – our Curriculum Day. They will take part in some hands-on maths experiences and learn math educational theory. This will be followed up by a series of Professional Learning afternoons with Joe our Assistant Principal and Math Leader to ensure the enactment of our learning. The Prep team is working with our Literacy consultant Narissa this term to support the implementation of Literacy best practice.

In the Prep are they have been enjoying showing their creativity in writing by drawing diagrams of Desert animals and learning about fractions in Math. Friendship day is making the preps feel excited and they are feeling proud and happy to have completed 100 days of Prep. The 100m race made students feel energetic and active.

Parliament was an enjoyable excursion for the 5/6 students; there were 2 groups that attended this term. Students met our local MP Anthony Cianflone who taught us about the 3 levels of parliament and how it works while students sat in comfortable chairs. The Islands project is continuing this term, students have created flags, trading tokens, coats of arms and parliament houses.

1/2 students have enjoyed Friendship day and liked learning about Geography in Integrated Studies. Handwriting is a popular task in ½, as is their writing lessons. A visit to the Museum this week for ½ students is high on the list of most popular events.

3/4 students are planning a visit to a Nursing Home. In Maths they are learning to use place value and learn about tenths, hundredths and thousandths. Rap songs have been written in Respectful Relationships that include compliments for others.

Written by: Bianca (Assistant Principal), Rae, Aarav, Ollie and Mariam (School and Vice Captains)

We are reading…

Joe - Assistant Principal

Numeracy Curriculum Day

This is a reminder that our Numeracy Curriculum Day will be held on Monday 3rd of August (Week 4) and will be facilitated by Doug Clarke and Anne Roche.

The day will provide an opportunity to deepen our understanding of effective numeracy teaching and learning, while exploring practical strategies that can be applied in the classroom.

This hands-on workshop will provide our teachers with a range of new resources and ideas that will directly benefit students in their mathematics learning.

A few words from Doug and Anne -

Engagement has been described as “the tide which lifts all boats”. We believe that engagement lifts our students’ participation, motivation, curiosity, perseverance and learning. These elements of learning, in turn, lift the engagement and enjoyment for the teacher. We will work through lessons, ideas and pedagogical approaches as tools for exploring the theme of engagement in mathematics. There will be a range of resources offered to teachers following the session. And we’ll have some fun too!

Doug Clarke (Australian Catholic University) and Anne Roche (Monash University)

Free Soccer Maths Activities for Families

Looking for a fun way to keep your child engaged with maths?

Dr Tuyet Vu, a parent in our school community, has developed Soccer Maths Club—a free online resource that combines the excitement of soccer with real-world mathematics.

Make predictions and compare them with the actual results.
Explore maths through engaging soccer-based activities.
Develop mathematical thinking in a fun and meaningful context.

The activities are designed to help children build confidence in maths while showing how mathematical concepts are used in sport. The website will continue to offer activities exploring topics such as angles, distance, speed, timing, positioning and force, along with additional general maths practice.

Families can access the free resources at:

Website: https://soccermathsclub.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccermathsclub

Whether your child loves soccer, enjoys maths, or is looking for a new way to build confidence in numeracy, these free activities are a great way to learn through play.

Child safety and wellbeing at Merri-bek Primary School: information for families and the school community

Merri-bek Primary School is committed to providing an environment where students are safe and feel safe.

Our child safety framework includes policies, codes and procedures that explain how we support and maintain the safety and wellbeing of our students and protect them from harm. These documents are available on our website: https://merribek.wpenginepowered.com/?page_id=147

We are also committed to continuous improvement of our child safety framework. We are currently reviewing our child safety policies and practices to ensure they are up-to-date and effective.

Our students and families are important partners in this process. We welcome your feedback or ideas on ways we can improve our approach to child safety and wellbeing.

If you have any suggestions or comments, please contact Joseph Hess (Assistant Principal) on joseph.hess@education.vic.gov.au

After School Safety Reminder

The safety of all children remains our highest priority. We would like to remind all families of our after-school supervision arrangements and ask for your support in helping us keep everyone safe.

Students who are being collected should be picked up promptly after the 3:30 pm bell.
Students who walk home independently should leave the school grounds as soon as school finishes and begin their journey home.
Parents and carers are asked to supervise all younger siblings and children in their care while on school grounds.
Please ensure children remain with a responsible adult when entering and leaving the school grounds, particularly near the Moreland Road gate and surrounding footpaths.

Please note that all school gates are locked at 3:45 pm each day. Families are asked to leave the school grounds before this time. Prompt departure helps staff identify students who may still be waiting to be collected, supports effective supervision, and allows the TheirCare program to begin using the school grounds safely and on time.

Thank you for your ongoing support and cooperation in helping us maintain a safe environment for all members of our school community.

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