PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
Milgate Primary School would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land of the Wurundjeri People, and we would like to pay our respects to the elders both past and present. Staff, students and the school community understand that we thrive, learn and live on Wurundjeri Country and we stand with all cultures united as one.
IMPORTANT DATES IN TERM 3
Week 5: Year 4 Camp
Week 6: Year 3 Camp
Week 6: 23rd August: Book Week Parade. 9 am on the Blue Basketball Courts. Students to dress up as their favourite book character.
Week 7: 30th August: Father’s Day Breakfast (8 am) followed by an activity in the classroom (9 am - 9.50 am)
CURRICULUM DAY
On our recent curriculum day, Classroom Teachers collaborated with Jayde Williams and Sian Katsineris to delve into the Big Ideas in Mathematics. They focused on identifying key skills within their current units to use as ongoing formative assessments, ensuring they meet each student's individual learning needs. Specialist Teachers worked with Sarah Brown on Student Voice and Agency, and with Claire Harvey-Beavis on managing behaviours and wellbeing. The Education Support staff engaged with Megan North on Language Arts and with Claire Harvey-Beavis on neurodiversity, enhancing learning for those in our care. It is wonderful to have such knowledgeable leaders in our school, fostering growth and excellence, and amazing teachers that are committed to continuous improvement.
YEAR 3 EXCURSION
Our Year 3 students recently enjoyed an exciting excursion to Cranbourne Gardens, where they explored the wonders of Australian environments and ecosystems. During the visit, students investigated a fascinating mixture of seedpods, skulls, and scats, learning about the unique adaptations and survival strategies of native plants and animals. They explored the health and biodiversity of the aquatic environment by ponding for aquatic invertebrates, gaining hands-on experience in understanding habitats and the critical role of water ecosystems. The excursion connected to our inquiry unit, ‘Sharing The Planet’, provided a rich learning experience, enhancing students’ understanding of plant adaptations and the diverse habitats within Australia's natural landscape.
YEAR 6 INCURSION | CARLTON RESPECTS
This Thursday, Year 6 students had the pleasure of participating in the Carlton Respect: Road to Respects program. During this half-day experience, students were introduced to challenging pre-existing gender stereotypes and strengthening positive, equal, and respectful relationships among young men and women. The program covered important topics such as managing emotions, bullying and help-seeking, being a buddy, and values and respect. Students enjoyed engaging in various activities and discussions to deepen their understanding of these crucial issues.
GREEN & GOLD DRESS UP DAY
We were excited to show our support for Australia in the Olympics with a Green and Gold Dress Up Day! Students wore their favourite green and gold attire and cheered on our athletes as they competed on the world stage. It is also extra exciting that we have a past Milgate student by the name of Abbey Caldwell competing at the Olympics in the 800m. Students have been enjoying celebrating and exploring the Olympics through a range of activities.
FOUNDATION STORYTIME | Session 1
Today was our first Foundation Storytime session for 2024. It was wonderful to see so many prospective Foundation students join us in the library, read a story and play outside while their parents got to know each other in the staffroom. We look forward to welcoming more students to Storytime in the coming weeks.
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES
CYBER SAFETY PROJECT PODCAST | Digiknow Parent Series
As a partnering school to Cyber Safety Project, we would highly recommend our parent community listen to the new Digiknow Parent Series, where they have byte-sized conversations with guest experts to provide real-world insights and strategies to foster a safe online environment at home.
The Cyber Safety Project DigiKnow Podcast for Parents equips caregivers with strategies to manage and improve their children’s digital experiences. Each episode features experts discussing topics including cyber safety, digital resilience, and the impact of social media on youth. Through expert insights and practical advice, parents learn how to guide their children through the complexities of the online world, fostering safer and more positive digital interactions.
There are four episodes, with the latest episode - Game Aware with Andrew Kinch, being released this week.
This episode explores why gaming captivates young people and the educational and social benefits it can offer. Andrew discusses how to identify unhealthy gaming habits and the importance of parents becoming involved as teammates rather than opponents, enhancing the gaming experience and preventing addiction. He shares practical advice on setting safe gaming environments and fostering open communication to ensure children are safe and polite in online games.
https://open.spotify.com/show/42zrcaijder3ZG9nYjaM0L?si=601e8f00d13743e2
PARENT SEMINAR
Open Parachute will be running a free parent seminar this Tuesday from 7-8pm. The seminar, ‘Understanding Friendships and Bullying’ will be run by Vicki Martin, a psychologist and founder of ‘Harmony and Growth’.
If you are interested in the online seminar, please scan the QR code on the attached flyer.
COMPASS | UNEXPLAINED LATE ARRIVALS
We have identified an issue where Compass was not correctly displaying unexplained late arrivals for parents to approve. This has since been fixed, so if you now see more unexplained late arrivals on your student’s compass profile, please do approve these. Instructions on how to approve late arrivals, and absences can be found in the link below:
PARENTS VICTORIA | School Saving Bonus Survey
The School Saving Bonus will be available to parents and carers of every child enrolled in a Victorian government school in 2025. If you are a parent or carer of more than one child, your school will receive the $400 credit for each child under your family account. The Department of Education is currently working on how the School Saving Bonus can be spent. The department is seeking feedback from parents and carers through a short survey. Your feedback is important. More information about the School Saving Bonus is available here School Saving Bonus | vic.gov.au (www.vic.gov.au). The department will provide more guidance about the Bonus in Term 3, 2024.
Click this link to take the survey now
ART COMPETITION
AUTHOR VISITS
