The Moorabbin Primary School Community touch the land and think of the Bunurong People and surrounding Clans of the Kulin Nation who cared for the land before us.

We share our gratitude to their Elders past, present and emerging.

As we touch this land, we promise to treasure it, taking care of all its people,

animals, plants and waterways.

We at Moorabbin Primary School appreciate this land.

Dear Families,

We are just over the midpoint of Term Two and things are progressing very well, thanks to the whole school community. As we head into the winter months, we need to think about our wellbeing (see ‘Winter Wellness Reminder’ below) and we encourage families to keep children home if they are unwell. Equally we hope students can be at school as often as possible to maximise their learning, as discussed in the next item below ‘Student Attendance – Every Day Counts’.

STUDENT ATTENDANCE - EVERY DAY COUNTS

The following extract comes from the DE website: https://www.vic.gov.au/attendance-and-missing-school

Going to school every day is an important part of your child’s education. Children and young people learn new things at school every day, connect with friends, have fun and develop good habits that help them to succeed. Attending and participating in school will help your child:

Develop important skills and knowledge to help them learn
Develop social and emotional skills such as good communication, resilience and teamwork
Establish friendships with peers which help develop self-esteem and a sense of belonging

There is no good number of days for missing school. Being away from school for 1 day a fortnight adds up to missing 4 whole weeks of school a year – I’ll let you do the rest of the maths (but there are only 200 school days in a year). Where possible, you should avoid your child missing school, for example, make appointments for your child outside of school hours, and keep family holidays to outside term time.

Winter Wellness Reminder - As we move further into the winter season, we are beginning to see an increase in colds, flu-like illnesses and a small number of stomach-related bugs across the school community. To help keep everyone healthy and well, we ask families to reinforce some important hygiene habits with children at home.

Simple steps can make a big difference in reducing the spread of illness, including:

Sneezing or coughing into your elbow
Washing hands thoroughly with soap after using the toilet
Washing hands before eating
Washing hands after blowing noses, coughing or sneezing
Using tissues and placing them straight into the bin
Avoiding sharing drink bottles or food

Students are encouraged to bring a named water bottle each day and dress warmly for the colder weather. Thank you for your support in helping us maintain a healthy school environment for everyone.

REMINDERS- UPCOMING DAYS WHERE STUDENTS ARE NOT REQUIRED AT SCHOOL

Curriculum Day- No School Friday June 5th – NB: Pupil Free Day
King’s Birthday Public Holiday No School Monday June 8th – NB: Pupil Free Day

Student Reports and Parent-Teacher Interviews Our student reports will be ‘live’ on Compass from 3:30pm on Friday 12th June. As I have already advised, there will be no teacher comments in these reports, as part of the teacher’s industrial action. Our Parent-Teacher interviews will be held from Monday, 14th- Thursday 25th June (bookings will be open two weeks prior to this via the compass portal)

National Reconciliation Week

This week, our school proudly recognised National Reconciliation Week, an important opportunity to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to reflect on how each of us can contribute to reconciliation in Australia. Throughout the week, students across all year levels participated in a range of meaningful learning experiences designed to deepen their understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures and perspectives.

These activities encouraged students to explore the significance of reconciliation and the role they can play in building respectful relationships and a more inclusive future.

Classrooms engaged in a variety of learning experiences, including creating Indigenous-inspired artworks, exploring First Nations music and storytelling, and developing their understanding of significant historical events, including the impact of the Stolen Generations. Students also participated in discussions about identity, belonging, truth-telling and respect, helping to foster empathy and understanding.

We are proud of the thoughtful way our students engaged with these important topics and remain committed to embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives throughout our teaching and learning programs as part of our ongoing commitment to reconciliation.

Here are some of our foundation students making “gathering baskets”

NEW RECYCLING SCHEME FOR OUR SCHOOL

This week our Environmental leaders will be launching an exciting new recycling and fundraising initiative. Every recess and lunch we will collect used drink containers including cans, juice boxes & bottles to raise money for our school while doing our bit for the environment. Students can drop their empty drink boxes, cans and bottles into the specially designated yellow recycling bins located around the school.

These containers will be recycled through the Victorian Container Deposit Scheme, with 10 cents raised from each container going directly towards improvements to the school grounds, through a team effort this can quickly add up!

What a wonderful opportunity to teach our kids that small actions can make a big difference — for our school and for our planet. MPS families can also support this initiative at home by saving your drink cans, juice boxes, plastic or glass bottles and nominating MPS when taking these to your nearest CDS refund point https://cdsvic.org.au/locations. To nominate MPS scan the barcode below or type in our school’s ID number C2000058575

Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge 2026

The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge is now open, and we’re excited to be taking part! All children from birth to Year 10 are welcome to join in.

This year’s Challenge theme is ‘Stories to discover. Stories to tell’. Stories can inspire and challenge us and help us grow. They open our eyes to new worlds and new ways of thinking. The number of books read can be varied for everyone's needs.

All children who complete the Challenge will receive a certificate of achievement signed by the Victorian Premier and former premiers.

To learn more about the Challenge, visit Premiers' Reading Challenge | vic.gov.au

You can also contact our Challenge Coordinator at Moorabbin.ps@education.vic.gov.au with any questions or if you need any password assistance.

Happy reading!

This week’s leader board

Zoe M- 2A- 60 books
Alexandra L- 2K- 50 books
Elena L- 3M- 64 books
Harry H- 3T- 59 Books
Roman M- 61 books
Kiernan B- 2K-104 books

Special mention

Jasper R-4J- 30 Books

Football and Pokeman cards

Over recent weeks, we have seen a significant increase in issues related to football/pokeman cards being brought to school. Despite repeated reminders and expectations being communicated to students, there have been ongoing concerns involving trading, swapping, disputes over ownership, and reports of cards being lost, damaged, or taken by other students.

These situations have resulted in unnecessary conflict between students and have taken valuable time away from teaching, learning, and play.

As a result, football/pokeman cards are no longer permitted at school. This decision applies to all students across the school and is effective immediately.

We ask families to support us by ensuring that football cards remain at home and are not brought to school. If football cards are brought to school, they will be collected by staff and taken to the school office, where they will be held until the end of the school day and returned to the student before they leave.

We appreciate your support in helping us maintain a positive and focused learning environment for all students.

Dogs on School Grounds

We would like to remind all families that, for the safety and wellbeing of our students, staff and community members, dogs are not permitted on school grounds at any time unless they are an approved assistance or therapy dog. While we understand that many families enjoy including their pets in daily routines, schools are busy environments with large numbers of children, and not all students are comfortable around dogs. Some children may have allergies, fears, or past experiences that make interactions with dogs distressing.

Additionally, even well-behaved pets can become unpredictable in crowded or unfamiliar environments. Restricting dogs from school grounds helps ensure a safe, calm and inclusive environment for everyone. If you are walking your dog during drop-off or pick-up times, we kindly ask that you say goodbye to your child at the school gate and keep your dog outside the school grounds. We appreciate your cooperation and support in helping us maintain a safe environment for all members of our school community.

Farewell Anthea from TEAM KIDS

This Friday, 5 June, we will be saying goodbye to Anthea as she finishes her role with TeamKids after five years of dedicated service to our school community.

Throughout her time in the Before and After School Care program, Anthea has been a constant source of care, warmth, fun and support for so many of our students and families. She has built strong relationships with countless children, creating a welcoming environment where they felt safe, valued and connected. Her positive influence has extended well beyond the program itself, and she has played a significant role in the lives of many students during their primary school years.

On behalf of our entire school community, we would like to thank Anthea for her commitment, kindness and the genuine care she has shown to our children over the past five years. While she will be greatly missed by students, families and staff alike, we wish her every success and happiness in the next chapter of her journey.

Thank you, Anthea, for the difference you have made. Your contribution to our school community will not be forgotten. We wish you all the very best for the future.

HAPPY LONG WEEKEND

Wishing everyone an enjoyable long weekend and look forward to re-connecting with our community on Tuesday 9th June.

Noxia Angelides

Principal

SEL NEWS