Assistant Principals' Report

House Performing Arts 

On Thursday, we held our annual House Performing Arts Day, with our six Houses sharing their amazing sport-themed performances. We were absolutely blown away by the creativity of each House and the way they interpreted the sports and team-based theme through their performances. 

A huge thank you to our House Leaders for their commitment to ensuring our students and staff were prepared and ready to perform. It was fantastic to see the large number of families who attended the event, and we hope you were as impressed by the performances as we were!

Footy Day

It was fantastic to finish Term 3 with our much-loved Footy Day! 

A huge thank you to Mr Silipo and Mr Mai for all their organisation and preparation to make the day such a success.

It was wonderful to see our students embrace the footy spirit, arriving at the College dressed in the colours and jerseys of their favourite teams. The day began with our exciting Footy Day Parade in the Gym, where students proudly showcased their team colours and enjoyed seeing the incredible range of teams represented across our College. The energy and enthusiasm from our students made the parade a fantastic way to celebrate together.

Throughout the day, students also enjoyed a range of footy activities on the oval, giving everyone the opportunity to get involved, have fun and show off their footy skills. 

Thank you to all the parents and carers who joined us for the parade and helped make the day so special. We also appreciate everyone who got into the spirit of the day by sending their children to College dressed in their favourite team colours.

Kids First

Next Term, our Prep to Year 2 students will participate in All About Safety, a program facilitated by Kids First trainers. The program supports children to develop the skills to identify difficult or unsafe situations. It aims to promote resilience, familiarise children with empowering strategies, and develop their understanding of clear communication and “safe” behaviours.

Kids First Australia is a proudly independent, national child, youth and family services provider and early education specialist. Events are now live on Compass and will be closing soon. Please ensure you have provided consent and completed payment. 

As part of our partnership, Kids First will be delivering a Parent Information Session on Thursday 8th of October (week 1) from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. This session will be held at the College in the Primary Years Learning Lab. 

The session will explore protective behaviours education and how parents can support this at home with your children. It will also cover online safety, including measures and strategies you can implement to help protect your child when using the internet at home. Kids First trainers will also discuss the program in which our Prep - Year 2 students will participate during Term 4. All Primary Years parents are welcome to attend this session. Please note this is an adult only event. If you are interested in attending, please complete the TryBooking registration as soon as possible to secure your place. 

 https://www.trybooking.com/DOPVN

Cyber Safety Tips for the School Holidays

With more free time during the school holidays, children may spend more time gaming, using social media, watching videos and chatting online. The holidays are a great opportunity to revisit some simple cyber safety habits with your child.

• Set clear boundaries for screen time – Agree on when, where and how devices can be used, including regular breaks from screens. Avoid children using devices in their bedrooms and encourage use in open spaces at home.
• Know what your child is using – Check the apps, games and online platforms your child is accessing and make sure they are age-appropriate. 
• Review privacy settings – Check that accounts are set to private where appropriate and that your child is not sharing personal information such as their full name, school, address or phone number.
• Talk about gaming safely – Online games often include chat and messaging features. Remind your child not to share personal information or arrange to meet anyone they have only met online.
• Talk about positive online behaviour – Talk about being respectful and kind online and remind children that there is a real person on the other side of the screen.
• Make time for offline activities – Balance screen-based activities with outdoor play, hobbies, reading, family time and seeing friends.
• Keep the conversation going. Regular, relaxed conversations about what your child is doing online can help them feel confident to speak with you when something doesn't feel right.

Hats and Sun Safety

In Term 4, all students will be required to wear a hat outside when playing and participating in PE and Sports.  In the Primary Years, students are required to wear the College bucket hat. If students forget their hats on any day, they must play in a shaded area to ensure they are protected from the sun.

Caps that were previously worn in Middle School are not acceptable, and students who wear them will be asked to take them off and move to a shaded area.

Over the holidays, please check that your child has a bucket hat ready for next term. If you need a new hat for your child, please visit our uniform provider PSW in South Morang or order online. Bucket hats can also be purchased from the main College office for $18.45 if required.

Grandparents Afternoon

We are delighted to invite all grandparents and special friends to join us for Grandparents Day. Please check Compass for more information.

Classrooms will be open for students to welcome their grandparent or special friend, show them around their classroom, and introduce them to their teacher and classmates. Students will have an activity that they will be completing and will invite their Grandparent or special friend to complete with them and their classmates. 

Following the classroom visits, we invite everyone to gather for an afternoon tea picnic on the fake turf outside the Learning Neighbourhoods. Please bring your own afternoon tea to share as a family. Teachers will be in attendance, and there will be games and seating set up and HFactor activities for everyone to enjoy together. 

Sincerely,

Ms Steph Reid, Assistant Principal of Positive Climate & Wellbeing and Ms Kate O'Halloran, Assistant Principal of Teaching & Learning