Leadership @ MPS

Welcome 

For the first time ever, our Foundation students started school on the same day as Grades 1- 6 and what a fantastic start they made! We were blown away with each child's show of independence and calm approach - you wouldn't have even guessed that there were butterflies in some tummies! I'm sure that a big part of what we saw was because of the excellent modelling of our older students who came through the gates with big smiles and positive attitudes (and very heavy bags!). Well done, Monty students. We are so proud.

Playground update and photos 

Our new playground has finally been completed and our students have had a blast navigating the new climbing frame and digging in the sandpit - apologies if you had some sandy shoes and socks at home this week! Our playground monitors have been very diligent and thorough packing away toys at the end of second recess and sweeping sand back into the sandpit - thank you Thomas, Florence, Lexi and Michael! 

Due to high demand we will be operating on a playground roster so that students can enjoy their time in the playground, safely.  For now, our Foundation students will visit the playground at alternative times and Grades 1- 6 will play one day per week - see table below. 

Payments and Processes

School fees and annual bulk permissions will be available on Compass as of today so please jump on and complete the tasks via Compass. Bulk permissions are really important so that we are able to run programs and provide additional communication to families. For example, ICT agreements need to be confirmed so that students can continue to use devices at school, and media permissions allow us to share photos via the newsletter, social media and Seesaw should you agree. We are looking forward to launching Seesaw in Week 4 of this term to provide additional updates on what is happening in the classroom. If you require any assistance with accessing Compass, school fee payments or providing consent, please contact the office. If you are having difficulty paying school fees, please contact Ali or Bianca in the office so they can make necessary adjustments. 

Information Night

Year level specific Information Night presentations will be pre-recorded and made available via Compass from 4pm Thursday 10th February. This is obviously not our preference as we really love to bring parents into the classrooms in a face-to-face meeting, however we are delivering our presentations remotely as a way to mitigate potential health risks as guided by the Department. We encourage you to reach out to your child's teacher if you haven't already to introduce yourself and ask any questions. Our friendly teachers are often available in the yard most afternoons for a chat and are of course able to respond to emails via Compass. One benefit of running online information sessions is that you no longer have to pick the session of your favourite child... you can attend them all!

Specialists Classes

We have had exciting changes to our specialist program this year with the introduction of explicit Science lessons run by Ms Elisa! Students in F-6 will take part in fortnightly Science lessons alternating with Cooking/Gardening lessons with Claire on other weeks. To facilitate this new addition while still providing necessary instructional time in other curriculum areas, Performing Arts will run for one semester per year - this term our students in Grades 3-6 will be joining Mrs Clancy for Performing Arts. 

Japanese, Visual Arts and Physical Education will continue as weekly 50-minute sessions for the entire year for every year level. 

Assembly - NEW DAY!

We are trialling a new assembly time for Term 1 - FRIDAY mornings @ 9:10am. The heat of the afternoon, is a big factor in making this change. To accommodate senior Interschool Sport in Term 2 and 3, we will most likely move back to a 3pm assembly, yet still on a Friday. 

Our first assembly for this year will be on Friday February 18th @ 9:10am. This will be a special assembly as we will be inducting our Grade 6 leaders and our School Representative Council leaders. At this point, we are able to welcome families to this outdoor assembly, however, parent/carer attendance must be in adherence with the updated DET Visitors Policy. These policies have been updated in line with the Department of Education's Covid-19 Operations Guidelines. To read more about this, please refer to the "Covid-Safe Policy Updates" section. 

COVID- Related Teacher Absences

Fortunately, we were able to get through the first few days of the year without being impacted by teacher absences.  However, our luck was short lived as we have recently had some staff members identified as a household contact.  We wish their loved ones a speedy recovery and hope that we see our teachers back at school as soon as is feasible.

We are doing our best to juggle classes, staff shortages and of course our budget through this period in time. You never know, your child may have Mrs Worsam as a teacher at some point....

Building Update

Plans for the new building project did not stop over the holidays - it was full steam ahead! We are now looking at a more detailed plan of what the budget will be able to provide our lucky students. Our architects from Crosier Scott met with our School Council on Tuesday night to give them an update on the project developments so far - an update will be in our next newsletter, so keep an eye out! 

Whole School Events

If there is one thing we like to do at Monty, it's running big whole school events where we can all get together and celebrate our thriving community - Colour Runs, BBQs, Sports Carnivals, Breakfasts - you name it, we love it! Our biggest priority this year is protecting onsite learning time for everyone - that means staff and students onsite as much as possible. We had intended to run a Movie Night/Welcome to MPS evening in Week 4 of this term, but we are sure you will agree that this is not a risk we are willing to take just yet! We want to keep our students (and teachers) AT school and this could potentially jeopardise time onsite. With that being said, we are ready to go with a line up of events for the remainder of the year after a period of settling in time. We cannot wait to have another Movie Night - it was such a great success last year and we know it will be just as fun. Stay tuned for an official date. 

Good Luck Swimmers

Our Grade 4-6 students are heading to Diamond Creek Outdoor Pool next Friday to take part in swimming trials for the District level. Mr Josh was very clever and was able to secure an outdoor venue, and while it is not our usual House Swimming Carnival, we know that students who are participating will complete the trials with the same enthusiasm and school spirit! Fingers crossed for lovely weather! 

We also will be giving our new MPS bright yellow swimming caps a test run - I'm sure they are proven to make you swim faster! 

2022 Leadership Team

We are excited to welcome some new faces to the Leadership Team this year.

Lucinda Thom - Leading Teacher 

After having spent much of my three decades of teaching and leading in the secondary independent system, I am thrilled to be embarking on a change where the enthusiasm for learning palpable in all parts of this beautiful primary school. As a Leading Teacher at MPS, I will be overseeing different programs, particularly in the areas of extension and wellbeing. Over the years, I have taught in both single sex (boys and girls) and coeducational schools, and in my most recent role, I was the Head of Middle School where I oversaw the teaching and learning of Year 5 – 8 students. Prior to this, I was the Dean of Students at a large ELC - Year 12 girls’ independent school in Melbourne’s inner east. In this role, I was responsible for the leadership of all year level coordinators, the school’s wellbeing program, and the pastoral concerns of all students. I have specialised in teaching English and Literature – predominantly in VCE – and am a VCAA English assessor. I am very interested in the literacy programs at MPS and supporting the students to develop further their reading, writing, and speaking skills. On a personal note, my husband and I have two beautiful daughters - both of whom are now young adults; one still studying at university, and the other, a paramedic with Ambulance Victoria, about to move out of home with her new fiancé. Having moved into the local area recently, I am very much looking forward to being a part of the learning journeys of the students as well as the vibrant community of the school.

Fiona George - Leading Teacher 

My name is Fiona George and I am the Student Wellbeing Leader for Monty Primary. I have worked in the local area for a very long time and last year I decided to have a big change and come and do what I love best at this amazing school. When I arrived last year in the middle of multiple lockdowns, I was able to support many students, families and staff during such a difficult time.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all my years of teaching as I am passionate about making meaningful connections with families and students. I hope to make a difference in the lives of the students in my care, whether it is big or small. I always aim to make students feel happy and comfortable about coming to school, by helping them to build on their resilience and reminding them of how special they are.

I am married to Paul and we have two teenage boys, Mack and Asher who keep us very entertained and quite busy. I also share my home with two very spoiled dogs, Daisy and Georgie and our cat. My favourite things are reading, cooking, doing arty and crafty things and spending time with my family. I love chocolate, coffee and shopping for shoes with my sister!

This year I will also be working in 5/6C three days per week which will give me the opportunity to get to know more student and families.

Matt Lewis - Learning Specialist 

I’m Matt, or more commonly known around the school as Mr Lewis. This year I am part of the Grade 3/4 teaching team and also the Learning Specialist, which is a whole school Leadership role that involves supporting the development of teachers to deliver high quality teaching and learning outcomes across the Literacy and Numeracy curriculum. This year will be my 4th year working as a teacher at Montmorency Primary School. In 2014 I began my teaching career at Templestowe Valley Primary School after completing a Masters of Primary Education degree at Australian Catholic University. While I completed my teaching degree, I worked on a part time basis as a Visitor Guide at the Werribee Zoo – something that was always a dream job of mine as a child, and something that seems to continually amaze the students anytime  it comes up in conversation. 

As it is the case for many other teachers,  the teaching profession runs in my family, although it hasn’t always been my first preference for career choice. It wasn’t until 2010, when I spent some time living and teaching in an orphanage in Tanzania that my passion for teaching was unearthed. Still to this day, I enjoy the many challenges and rewards that the teaching profession offers. 

When I’m not in the classroom or busy planning lessons at home, you might find me reading, cooking up a storm (or messing up the kitchen, as my partner would say), playing tennis, hiking with my partner (or getting lost in the woods), working in the garden or hanging out with my cats.

Have a great weekend - stay safe.

Janene and Bek