Principal's Report

Jells Park Primary School

Principal:                         Kevin Oakey

                                           k.oakey@jpps.vic.edu.au 

Assistant Principal:     Julie Hall

                                          j.hall@jpps.vic.edu.au

Assistant Principal:     Scott Zachariassen

                                          s.zachariassen@jpps.vic.edu.au

Basketball Court Resurfacing done.

If you haven't seen the new surface of the basketball court and surrounds, please come and have a look - they are sensational.

And we are having the towers and backboards redone as well - soon.

What does 'being late' mean to your child

Evereyone understands the challenges of being at school on time - getting yourself and the kids up, dressed, fed and packed in time, battling traffic and then car parking around school. It can be an exhausting battle before 9.00am each morning. And we know that for many parents, missing the traffic and parking by arriving 15-20 minutes later can be so much easier. BUT, what is your child missing???

Well, to start with they are missing on one of the key curriculum areas for our school - SEL Time. Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) can help students learn the competencies and skil​​ls they need to build resilience and effectively manage their emotions, behaviour and relationships with others. This is so vital for all children to engage well with others and gain the confidence to strive ahead in life.

Please don't let you children miss this time at school just to miss a little bit of traffic.

Parking - 2min Zone

I would like to re-iterate to parents the requirements around parking in the 2min Zones before and after the school bell. I know the rules and signs lack clarity, however our primary focus to parking around schools is to provide a safe environment for children in a highly active traffic and pedestrian area.

The 2min Zone areas (sign posted) are classified as ‘kiss and go’ zones and are intended to be used by parents planning to stay with their vehicle, drop off their children and then move on. You CANNOT leave your car as this is classified as ‘parking’ and you can be liable for a fine and it is discourteous to the next car waiting in line.

‘Kiss and go’ zones help to provide a high turnover of vehicles thus providing access to as many vehicles are possible within a short time period.

Please look at the attached link for more advice from Monash Council on how to manage traffic congestion around school:

Traffic Concerns | City of Monash

2025 Enrolments - Siblings

Do you have a child ready to start school in 2025 and have yet to enrol them?  Please see the school office immediately as the enrolment process is well under way and with a new online system, you do not want to miss out. Enrolment applications are due at the end of this term. Please don't delay.

Success Stories

Please be sure to click on our Success Stories page in this newsletter. We love seeing past Jells Park PS students doing so well.

A reminder to all parents that we have the space in our newsletter to promote our students and their successes, we just need to have stories and pictures sent through.

Changed Process - Early Departure from School

On the back of some disturbing media reports and with our ongoing focus on child safety, we have changed the process for Early Departure from school.

The office will no longer be sending parents over to classrooms with a departure slip to collect their child. We will be managing Early Departure from the office, making a call to your child's classroom, asking the child to pack their bag and meet their parent in the office. 

Parents wishing to enter the classrooms must be there for a purpose, have checked-in at the office, have shown their WWC check and have a yellow ‘Parent Helper’ badge. Teachers have been asked to 'challenge' any other adult that enters the building if they do not have a badge. 

TeamKids

 We welcome the new Director of Service at TeamKids Jells Park -  Muneera. Please see the TeamKids report for a picture and profile.

Kevin Oakey

Principal

Mid-Year Parent Teacher Interviews

Parent Teacher Interviews are being held on Tuesday 25th June from 12.30 – 5.30pm. Please note this is also a Student Free Day. It is a great opportunity to ask questions about your child's report and their progress so far this year, so please save the date. 

You will be able to book a time with your child's teacher via the SENTRAL parent portal - https://jellsparkps.sentral.com.au/portal2/#!/login. Registrations open on Friday 14th June at 10am and close on Monday 24th June at 3pm. Further information will be sent out closer to the date.

The Mid-Year Student Reports will be published on Friday 21st June which will give you time to read them carefully prior to the interview.

National Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week

Sunday May 26 is National Sorry Day. It is a day of healing and an opportunity to commemorate the Stolen Generations of First Nation's People who were taken from their families. Following on from this is National Reconciliation Week from May 27 - June 3 and is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements. It also gives us the opportunity to explore how we can work together towards achieving reconciliation. Flag poles across the country will fly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, something Jells Park PS does year-round. The dates for this week are significant in our journey towards reconciliation. May 27 saw the successful referendum in 1967 recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the census and June 3 the High Court Mabo Decision. The Mabo Decision led to the legal recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of lands. 

Julie Hall

Assistant Principal