Principal Team's Report

This fortnight...

Can you believe that we're already over the mid-point of Term 2?! Where does the time go? This fortnight, we started our initial planning for 2026 with our Prep enrolment Evening and the first of our Preps in Action sessions. It was lovely to see our current Prep students displaying our School Values, along with their amazing learning during these sessions. If you have a child coming to school next year, please see the office as soon as possible for enrolment information.

Reconciliation Week

Last week, Pakenham Springs Primary School acknowledged National Reconciliation Week. National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. We had a group of students represent our school at the Cardinia Shire Reconciliation Event, and we are incredibly proud of the way they showed our School Values throughout the excursion. Our students also joined their Buddy Class on Friday to take part in Reconciliation Week learning tasks. 

Meeting the diverse needs of our Learners

Pakenham Springs is committed to creating a safe, supportive and engaging environment where students have the tools they need so that they are ready to learn. This year, staff have begun training in the Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) to build our capacity to use research-based, trauma-informed practices to meet the diverse needs of the students in our school.  Throughout the next two years, we will continue to participate in the BSEM training and implement the BSEM strategies into all of our learning areas.

The first aspect we are working on is creating consistent, predictable routines. You may have noticed a change to the way our classes line up each morning, the greetings and interactions the classroom teacher has with their learners from the very first moment of the day, as well as the way our students leave the classroom at the end of each day. Entering classrooms in a calm and orderly manner sets us up for an awesome day of learning and allows each student to have a positive, settled and predictable start to the day.

Our new morning routines mean that our teachers may not be able to chat with families before school. Please use Compass to set up appointments with teachers to discuss any issues or concerns you may have. We also ask that parents/carers remain outside of the classrooms to allow students to enter and complete their morning routines independently. 

We will continue to provide updates on our BSEM journey as we go along!

Advance Notice - Bring Your Own Device program

**Update** - Parent Information Evening will be held for parents of Year 3 and 4 students from 6pm-7pm on Monday 16th June. There will be a representative in attendance from Learning With Technologies with samples of the devices on offer, answers to questions you may have and a demonstration of the ordering portal.

At Pakenham Springs, we believe that students' knowledge and ability to effectively use technology within their learning is crucial to develop them into productive members of the global community. As such, we will be moving to a Bring Your Own Device Program in the 2026 school year. This will mean that families with students in Years 4 & 5 for 2026 will be asked to purchase a Chromebook for their child to use at school. More information will be distributed shortly regarding this, including specific instructions on how to purchase a school-approved and supported device. 

We will also be holding an information session later in the term for families to ask any questions they may have. Payment plans will be available for families, and a bank of devices will be available for use at school by students whose families may not be in a position to purchase a device outright.

Attitudes to School Survey

This week, our Year 4-6 students have taken part in the annual Attitudes to School Survey. This anonymous survey provides us with valuable information from the voices of our students and allows us to dig deeper into creating a school where students can thrive. We appreciate the time and effort our students put into giving their feedback, and we look forward to receiving their aggregated data later in the year. 

Uniform Reminders

As the weather becomes cooler and wetter, please remind your child to bring a jumper and/or jacket! Keeping a change of pants in their bag (regardless of the age of your child) is recommended, as the puddles get bigger and the mud gets more widespread. Remember that we have school beanies on sale from the office to keep heads nice and toasty!

Parking and Road Safety

Cardinia Council has received a concerning increase in the reports regarding illegal parking, dangerous driving and pedestrian safety around schools across the Shire. Together with Cardinia Shire Council, we wish to remind all drivers of the importance of safety and adhering to road rules when parking around the school, at pick-up and drop-off times.

To ensure the safety of all pedestrians, students and members of our school community, we ask that you:

• Park only in designated areas: parking is not permitted on nature strips, no-stopping zones, no parking zones, bus zones or areas reserved for staff (internal carpark areas). Please adhere to all signage and the road rules.
• Follow drop-off and pick-up procedures: use the designated drop-off and pick-up zones to ensure a smooth and safe flow of traffic.
• Be mindful of pedestrians: Follow directions from School Crossing Supervisors and take extra caution during peak times when children are arriving or leaving school.
• Be respectful: Council Parking Officers are required to conduct regular patrols around the school to ensure safety. Please be respectful and courteous.

Semester Reports

At Pakenham Springs, we encourage effective partnerships between the school, family and student to ensure that we are all working together to get the best outcomes possible for our students. Celebrating success and sharing goals is important, and we encourage families to check in regularly with their child's classroom teacher to ensure the communication lines remain open. At the end of this term, you will receive a written report assessing your child against the Victorian Curriculum 2.0 standards. We encourage you to read the report carefully, discuss with your child and seek clarification of anything that is unclear. As we move to a new curriculum this year, the reports may look a little different (particularly in the Mathematics progression points). There will be communication around how to read these reports, and we encourage families to read this carefully.

Supervision before school

Students are not to arrive at school until 8:30 am on school mornings.  Staff do not begin their workday until this time, and there is insufficient supervision available in the mornings.  Any student arriving before 8:30 am will be asked to sit at the office and wait. We ask for your support in this matter.  Likewise, under no circumstances are students allowed to leave the school grounds in the morning and go across to the shops.  Not only is this incredibly unsafe, with them crossing the busy Heritage BLVD road unsupervised, but a small number of students are also coming back having purchased items inappropriate for the school day.  

Please contact OSHClub if you need to organise care and supervision for your child/ren outside of 8:30 am - 3:30 pm.

Have a wonderful fortnight,

The PSPS Leadership Team