Principal's Message
Update of School News/Events
Before we commence with updated news/events for this newsletter, we would like to provide you with some reminders linked to our previous edition:
School Assemblies
In our last edition we informed our community that as schools begin to open up again we are able to hold Level Assemblies and invite parents/carers to attend.
As our spacing requirements of the gymnasium are currently restricted to 116 attendees in total (students, staff, parents/carers, etc inclusive) we will be holding Level Assemblies on Monday at 3:00pm according to the following calendar:
Year Five/Six Assemblies; Monday 26th April and Monday 24th May
Year Three/Four Assemblies; Monday 10th May and Monday 31st May
Year One/Two Assemblies; Monday 3rd May and Monday 7th June
Foundation Assemblies; Monday 17th May and Monday 21st June
At each of these assemblies our School Captains and other members of our Student Leadership team will play a key role in leading proceedings. Each assembly will also involve an acknowledgement of country, national anthem, and school oath recital.
Please add the above dates to your family calendar.
Gifted Insights Learning Enrichment Program
In order for our school to assess the options for continuing to offer Gifted Insights we need to hear from you! To date, we have had a very low number of respondents complete our survey. Therefore, the survey closing date has been extended.
Go to the link below to have your say, and please respond by Friday 26th March 2021.
https://forms.gle/A7td9JKWoGPVYcyX7
Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) Tender Process
We are pleased to advise our community that we have secured a contract with a highly reputable OSHC Provider "TheirCare" (https://theircare.com.au/).
Please refer to the School Council section of this newsletter for more information.
School Council Nominations and Membership 2021
Following our second round of nominations which was recently held, we have now filled all vacant positions on School Council.
Please refer to the School Council section of this newsletter for more information.
Hot Cross Buns Fundraiser AND the Return of our AMAZING PTA!!!
As you would be aware through recent Compass posts, we are holding a Hot Cross Buns Fundraiser. Please refer to the School Council section of this newsletter for more information.
Our AMAZING Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) is now back in business...and have tabled a list of events to be approved by School Council at the March 22nd meeting. 2021 is set to be super exciting as we being to open our school up again, and invite our community to return and become involved on-site.
The PTA Calendar will be published in the next edition of our newsletter.
If you are interested in learning more about the PTA, please email:
USPS PTA upweysouthpta@gmail.com
Preparations for Possible Future Remote Learning
As you should be well aware, we have been planning as a school staff for possible future Remote Learning scenarios. In order to help our teachers provide an effective Remote Learning Program we need to hear from you!
Please visit the following link to complete our survey:
https://forms.gle/a6DKHgH9P1T42N3t5
Survey responses will close at 4:00pm on Wednesday 31st March 2021.
National Harmony Day and National Day of Action Against Bullying
Junior School Council Notice: Harmony Day Celebration/ National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence; scheduled for Tuesday 23rd March 2021
Harmony Day: As a school we are holding a 'Harmony Week' celebration on Tuesday 23rd March 2021. Across Australia, this week is known as Harmony Week, and the theme for 2021 is "Everyone Belongs". Refer to- https://www.harmony.gov.au/
Our Junior School Council members met twice last week to discuss how we can recognise the importance of Harmony Week, and still be able to make accommodations for our school swimming program which is also held during this week. Therefore, the Junior School Council voted for the following to occur:
- On Tuesday 23rd March 2021, all students are encouraged to come to school in the colours/attire of a country in which they have a personal interest or cultural link.
- Students may come dressed in country colours, flag colours, sporting uniforms, or traditional cultural attire.
- Students may also choose to come to school wearing a splash of 'orange' which is the official colour of Harmony Week.
- Students are also encouraged to bring to school an artefact/flag/interesting fact/photos/etc from their country of interest; students will have an opportunity to share these with their class.
- There is no cost to take part in this event.
National Day of Action Against Bullying: The National Day of Action against Bullying this year is scheduled for Friday 19th March 2021, which also clashes with our school swimming program. Therefore, each day next week we will also be holding class discussions and undertaking a series of Learning Tasks to raise awareness across our school about the importance everyone plays in taking a stance against bullying. We will be discussing what 'bullying' means, how it can affect people at different age levels, and how and why our actions may impact upon others. Throughout both of the above listed events, we will be making explicit links to our school's values of Respect, Resilience, and Responsibility. We are encouraging maximum participation from our students in contributing towards and getting involved in the above themes.
If you have any questions regarding the above, please make direct contact with your child's classroom teacher, or contact:
Harmony Week queries: stacey.bowles@education.vic.gov.au
Action Against Bullying queries: llewela.humphries@education.vic.gov.au
Carparking, Traffic Safety, and Yarra Ranges Council
Firstly, we would like to say a huge thank you to the large majority of our parent/carer community who have been supportive of the recent closure of the Riley Road carpark.
If you have mobility issues and/or extenuating circumstances please make contact with the School Office so that we can support you during drop-off/pick-up.
We have been informed by Yarra Ranges Council that police will shortly begin to patrol Morris Road, as they work to address dangerous driving habits. Please make sure that you are using the supervised crossing point on Griffiths Road, and do not park your car in the gravel bowl between Riley Road and Morris Road... parking here creates sever blind spots for drivers, and is just an accident waiting to happen!
You may have also noticed works occurring within the Morris Road playground area this week and last week. These drainage works are the first steps that Yarra Ranges Council is taking to improve traffic congestion around our school; as they prepare for Riley Road works.
The plans for these works are being presented to School Council on Monday 22nd March, and can shortly be shared with our school community. Please be aware that these works are being managed by Yarra Ranges Council, and are in no way managed by School Council.
We will however be making sure that our school voice is heard if/when consultation is invited by Yarra Ranges Council.
Keeping Aware of Information Relating to School
As a school we work hard to keep our families informed of happenings across the school. We acknowledge that receiving information in a timely and consistent manner can help to alleviate the pressures which come from managing a busy family calendar.
Communicating via Compass
All of our school notifications are sent via the Newsfeed within the Compass app. There is also a calendar of events within the app, which sends push notifications to users to remind them of school events.
In 2021, we will continue to utilise Compass for families to consent and pay in order for their children to take part in school events.
In order to filter notifications which are received, you will notice that we send out notifications which are year level specific. This means that sometimes not all notifications are sent to all year levels.
Communicating with the School Administration Team
We look forward to partnering with you in 2021, and welcome your input:
Damien Kitch (Principal) damien.kitch@education.vic.gov.au
Clare Bennett (Business Manager) upwey.south.ps@education.vic.gov.au
Janette Clarke (Office Manager) upwey.south.ps@education.vic.gov.au