Assistant Principal's  Report

Welcome to our fourth newsletter of Term One. It is almost the end of Term, it’s gone by so quickly.  We are fast approaching the Easter break, which will be a great time to relax and refresh ready for a busy Term Two. A reminder that the last day of Term One is Thursday 28th April at 2:15pm. 

Attendance

Well done to the 237 DPS students that have achieved 100% attendance in February. The following students are just some of those 237 that have achieved excellent attendance. Well done Layan 5F, Mohamad 6J, Farniya 1G, Vansh 1G, Leena 2M, Elena 6C, Noor 5K, Heman 1L, Melody 3P, Sebastian 4S, Sarah 2S, Vivaan 6J, Joly 3G, Hana 3P, Thomas 6M, Jazmin 4K, Noah 6S and Wali 2F.

Remember: it is not okay to be away!

School Uniform 

It has been great to see all students in full school uniform the past few weeks. Remember navy blue shorts, skirts and tracksuit pants are part of school uniform. Black pants, grey leggings and jeans are NOT accepted as part of the School Uniform. Our school uniform is available at PSW, 12 Strathalbyn St, KEW EAST. Our school uniform is an important part of the identity and culture of our school. It is important that we consistently wear the correct school uniform. If this is an issue, please come and see us at the Office as we have some second hand uniform.     

Respectful Relationships

We continue our whole school approach of Respectful Relationships. In Respectful Relationships there are 8 topics that we focus on across the year. In Level One, the students have been exploring how to show respect towards their friends, school and themselves. They have started to think about what healthy and positive emotions look like. The students have learnt that different scenarios and situations can make us feel many different emotions and it is okay to feel a range of emotions throughout the day. They have explored a range of situations that could evoke different emotions and have compared these emotions with their peers and discussed why some people might have different feelings for different scenarios. The students have enjoyed illustrating their emotions on faces and playing emotion statues. They can now recognise what emotions feel and look like and can respond positively towards others if they see someone who needs a helping hand. Well done to all of our Level One students, this sounds like some great learning and lessons for you. 

SWPBS Update 

Congratulations to all of our SWPBS winners for Weeks Five and Six. All of the students listed below have earned themselves and our school a star in the jar.

Be Respectful – Rastin 4G, Giselle 4S, Logan 6C, Malek 1M, Katie 4S, Celine 2M, Evelyn 2M, Joseph F 2M, Ken 1M, Benjamin 2F, Ivanna 4G, Noah 1M, Anna 5C, Luka 5E, Adib 4S, Kate 5F, Benita 3B, Megan 2S, Cooper 3J and Giti 4G. Be Safe – Jerry 4WB, Araz 5C, Cooper 3J, Adib 4S, Jazmin 4K, Luke 4K, Ruchen 4WB, Regina 3B and Amin 3G Be Your Best – Renee 4G, Daniel 5C, Roonika 5C, Maggie 5C, Anna 5C, Makayla 2F, Julia 3G, Ethan 6J, Elina 4S, Raaif 4WB, Will 5C, Jason 4K, Mika 5C, Parniya 5C, Torres 4S, Logan 6C, Shayan 4G, Aleeza 4G, Hannah 5K, Menaal 1M, Tara 1M, Zachary PM, Audrey PM, Chloe 3B, Rex 4K, Parham 4K, Albe 5F, Radmehr 5C, Omar 3B, Bella 3B, Toby 3B, Aadhavan 3B, Jasmine 3P, Hajun 1L, Avina 1M, Ryteous 1L, Annabelle 4WB, Avalyn 4WB, Caleb 4K, Lochlan 4K, Lucas 5E, Austin 3G, James 3G, Radvin 1G, Hudson  5E, Laith 4WB, Keilen 4WB, Isabella 3B, Alfred 3B, Araz 5C, Rehaan 5C, Nicolas 3B, Layan 5F and Christina Prep M.

Congratulations to all of these students, you are wonderful. We are so proud of you!

We are so close to filling the jar completely which is a HUGE achievement. We are approximately 25 stars away from our whole school reward of icy poles, chosen by the students. We can’t wait for this whole school reward! 

Fathering Project: Term One Event

The Fathering Project Committee are proud to offer our DPS Community a free soccer clinic with professional coaches from Next Gen Soccer Academy. Come along  with your child to network and learn some new ball skills. Students from all year levels are welcome.

This event will take place on Friday the 22nd of March 2024 on our school oval from 4:45pm to 5:45 pm. Please see the flyer on Compass for more information and to register. A free sausage sizzle  will be kindly provided by the school. We look forward to seeing everyone at this event!

Be You Survey Results

Across this term our students from Years Three – Six participated in the ‘Be You Wellbeing Survey’. Students were given statements and they had to either strongly agree, agree or disagree with these statements based on their feelings and experiences. There were some interesting findings that I’d like to share with our community:

92% of students believe their teacher encourages them to treat others with respect.

80% of students believe their teacher encourages them to take on challenges.

73% of students believe that if they were worried, they have a friend here at DPS to talk to.     

Using this data, we will be planning some explicit Wellbeing lessons and working with students across the school to drive improvement and build on our students overall wellbeing. 

Brain Food

Do you want your child to do better in school? Experts say to take a close look at children’s diet. Certain ‘brain foods’ may help boost a child's brain growth -- plus improve brain function, memory, and concentration. In fact, the brain is a very hungry organ -- the first of the body's organs to absorb nutrients from the food we eat. Growing bodies need many types of nutrients -- but these superfoods will help kids get the most from school. Brain foods include: Salmon, eggs, peanut butter, wholegrains, oats, berries, beans, colourful veggies, milk, yoghurt and lean beef.   

A superfood lunchbox could include strawberries and blueberries with yoghurt, a boiled egg, cucumber and capsicum sticks and a tuna/ salmon sandwich. That sounds delicious! Let me know if you try one of these superfoods in your lunchbox this week!    

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS 

Kids Help - kidshelpline.com.au phone 1800 55 1800 

Parent Line - betterhealth.vic.gov.au phone 13 22 89 

Headspace - headspace.org.au phone 1800 650 890 

eSafety Commissioner - esafety.gov.au - Advice for parents and carers to help children have safe experiences online 

Have a great week ahead DPS families,

Carly Epskamp