Principal's Report

It was wonderful last week to see so many parents engage in Parent Teacher Interviews with over 500 bookings. This opportunity to establish a relationship with your child’s teacher is highly advantageous, as is the chance for them to learn more about your child through your eyes. Parent connections and engagement is one of three pillars at our school and I therefore encourage you to maintain this relationship, sharing the wins, the woes and the interesting with the teacher throughout the year! 

A reminder too that the newsletter will take a more succinct form this year (on this page at least), largely covering off on updates and reminders as opposed to long form overviews, with some exceptions. In reviewing the data as to the average time readers spend on each page, it’s obvious that keeping things short is what is sought after, so I’ll do my best.

School Council Elections

School Council provides an important avenue by which to engage in the workings of our school, in a governance role. This year, council’s priorities will include continuing to advocate for the final funding for the $9.8M capital works grant and then execution of this spend, as well as monitoring Annual Implementation Priority outcomes and general governance. A skill set in major projects, architecture and/or education would be greatly valued with these priorities. There is a formalised process that we are required to follow with respect to members joining School Council which is outlined below.

OVERVIEW OF COUNCIL

Our Council has the responsibility of governing our school. All government schools in Victoria have a School Council. They are legally constituted bodies that are given powers to set the key directions of a school within state-wide guidelines. Membership on Council requires formal nomination (and a ballot if enough candidates nominate) and members must meet certain prerequisites. The nomination for candidates is now open and will close Wednesday 26th February at 4:00pm. If you wish to nominate, please collect a form from the office.

2025 Priorities

This year’s Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) has been approved by the Senior Education Improvement Leader and reviewed by School Council in December.

The key priorities for this year build on from last year and are summarised as:

Key Improvement Strategy 1. Build staff capability to consistently apply agreed explicit teaching practices in the 'we do' and 'you do' phases of lessons.

KIS 2. Build staff capability to increase instructional time by consistently applying positive classroom management strategies (PCMS).

These key priorities are closely linked to our school philosophy and priorities (see below graphic) and reflect a focus on further improving the strong academic performance of our students over recent years. They also align with departmental priorities, are heavily underpinned by research and are being supported by further resource development across the state. 

We have aligned our Curriculum Days, Professional Learning Schedule, our Learning Specialist’s Position Descriptions, coaching program and budgets to support the successful implementation of these priorities and in turn, stronger outcomes for your children.

Class Representatives

We are still requiring Class Representatives for  2C, 3E and 5A. If you can take on this role, I’m sure the grade of parents will be incredibly grateful, with the expectation from the school being minimal. Please contact the office should you be able to do it. 

Parent WhatsApp Groups

If you have completed your permissions on Compass, shortly you will get an invitation from the Class Representative to join a class WhatsApp Group. If you haven't completed permissions, we can't share your details with the Class Rep. 

To support the Class Representatives in their role and ensure the groups are meeting their intended purpose, please see below the expectations with regard to parent engagement with them. 

WhatsApp Expectations:

WhatsApp Parent Groups are not an official school communication tool. They are facilitated by volunteers who should not have to moderate content. Their primary purpose is to provide a forum for families to connect, receive updates and reminders and ask the occasional question. Should families wish to raise concerns or complaints, this should be done directly with the school, and if necessary, following the Raising Concerns and Complaints Policy.

Bayside Big Bash Game

Don't forget to get down to Boss James reserve this afternoon to enjoy our dads taking to the oval to retain the BBBL trophy this year. 5:15pm start time with food and drinks available. See the Compass post from yeseterday for details. 

Fishing Kit Donation

We have been provided with a large number of fishing kits (rod, reel, basic tackle) as a part of a partnership the DE have. If anyone is aware of a charity that would benefit from a donation of these brand new kits (either in Australia or abroad), please contact the office.

Is Your Child Safe Online Presentation

I hope the parents that attended this information session last week found it both informative and practical. For those that could not, you can access the recording and resources on how to set up persmissions, limits and monitoring on your child's iPads and iPhones below.

Morning Drop Off

Please be reminded that the school does not accept duty of care for children until 8:40am. If your child(ren) arrive before this time, they are not supervised and still under your care. All families are welcome to arrive before 8:40am to play, attend trainings and clubs and the like, however it's important to note that you must remain on site to look after your child until at least 8:40am. 

Thank you

Many thanks to both Megan Lester and Melissa Da Silveira who spent many hours organising the Grade 6 hoodie orders last week; a large number of students are very grateful!

A big thanks also to Alicia McKimm for her time and generosity in offering some of her highly sought-after interior design expertise to the school, we are very lucky to have such talented and giving parents in our community. 

School Saving Bonus (SSB)

Please ensure you commit your total or remaining SSB towards school activities as soon as possible. Once school events and activities are put on Compass, you cannot retrospectively allocate these funds to them.

These funds do not expire.

New & Important Dates

• NAPLAN Tests: Specific test dates in Compass Calendar
• End of Term: Friday 4th April
• Start of Term 2: Tuesday 22nd April
• Curriculum Day: Thursday 24th April
• ANZAC Holiday: Friday 25th April