Principal's Message

Principal's Message

Welcome to the start of Week 5 of a 10 week term. Wow, nearly at the half way mark, can you believe it? The year continues to offer up so many positives at SMPS. 

We had lots of positive media and accolades over the last two weeks. We appeared on Channel 9 News last week and received positive feedback from the Italian and Finnish educators who dropped in the week before. I was so proud of the children and staff who appeared on the news. It is a credit to our community that our school, out of the over 1500 government schools, was chosen for positive recognition of our work. Parents should also feel proud of SMPS and I know they do by the smiles on their faces when I see them each morning at the door.

I want to pay particular respects to the manners that you (the parents) teach your children. Manners are the currency of decency in a world needing a dose. Manners don't come naturally and must be taught. Adults of high character are meticulous about their manners. Starting the children off in households that patiently and diligently insist upon good manners is such a credit to our families. What is evident is that the positivity and optimism shown by the children is modelled by you. Each morning, there are just so many lovely people at the front door - good morning, hello, smiles - such wonderful traits to model and practise! I want to say how much your respect to our staff, students and other families mean to the tone at the school. Visitors sometimes comment that they have entered Disneyland when they see the parents. Just fantastic!

Recently, we 'cracked' the 500 mark with our enrolments. This is quite a landmark. We are bound by a strict zone and stick to that rule diligently for obvious reasons - we would overflow. More people want to get into SMPS than we can allow, of course. Nearby schools are dropping in number and can accept students outside of their zone. This represents the market forces of parent choice along with natural demographic changes over time. 

I have always felt that parents shouldn't stay at a school where their children (or they) are unhappy. If you don't like Kmart - don't shop there. If you don't like a school - don't stay there. The vast majority of our parents and children are very happy. We have positive data on these measures that track between 92%-100% on student and parent questionnaires. At times, as in all human pursuits, children and parents can be unhappy. That's natural and how the world works. We are not perfect and sometimes we make mistakes; as do children and parents.  It's all part of the human condition to mess up, then have to clean up. It is unrealistic to expect your child to have a problem-free passage over 7 years at primary school. 

Our staff have been working hard to create positive links with families through our Parent Teacher Chats, positive Compass chronicles and personal contacts with parents when issues arise. It is our goal to improve in these areas. Staff report to me that they are very happy with how this communication is handled at your end. You provide respectful conversations and, if your child is at fault for an issue, work hard to back up the school messaging.

If, at any time, you become disgruntled at SMPS and it lasts a while, I would strongly urge you to use your agency to find another setting that best caters for your (and your child's) needs. It takes a village to raise a child and that village should problem-solve through thick and thin and stick together even when the going gets tough. When trust is fundamentally lost in your school - for the sake of your child - move on. Why would anyone stay at a place they are miserable or dissatisfied? Especially when there is a choice to move onto another school which is the case in our Network. 

Our children, staff and families are our greatest asset. We are recognised statewide and across our country (and now, internationally) for the quality of our work. We know we are not 'there' yet in terms of reaching our potential. But the support of our community is pivotal in reaching the next step of excellence towards which we strive. 

Appreciation: Vacate Yard After School by 4:30pm

I wanted to thank the community for responding to my request to vacate the school grounds before 4:30pm each night. Being one of the 'lock gates' crew, I really appreciate being able to perform this task after 4:30pm without having to wait ten minutes each time to usher the last people out the gate. 

As I have said before, I totally understand why families want to have their children playing happily in the forecourt for as long as possible. But the reality is we want to lock the gates at night to prevent any graffiti or damage to our yard. Thank you for being so considerate of others' needs. 

Remember, I am more than happy to give a key to anyone who wants to check for the vacant yard and locked gates after 4:30pm if we have a reliable volunteer who is happy to do it. But, if not, then I ask that the 4:30pm rule is followed.

Ramadan Mubarak

As a diverse and inclusive school community, we acknowledge and respect the many cultural and religious traditions observed by our families. Ramadan begins for many of our families on the evening of Thursday, 27 February to Saturday, 29 March (subject to moon sighting).

Ramadan is a significant time for many Muslim families, marked by fasting from dawn to dusk, prayer, reflection, and acts of kindness. We understand that some of our students and families will be observing this important period, and we encourage an environment of understanding and respect.

If your child requires any adjustments during this time, such as a quiet space during lunchtime or other considerations, please feel free to reach out to our staff. We appreciate the diversity in our school and value the opportunity to learn from and support one another.

Excursions Payments - Flag Grade 4 Students

We don't want any child missing out on attending excursions (unless parents do not want them to attend). We have an event this week (check Compass) that involves Grade 4 students. If you have a child in that class, please check you have given permission and paid the excursion/invisit fee (if you are choosing to support this part of the program). It is user pays - so it is now over to you.

Privacy Policy

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and the Schools’ Privacy Collection Notice.

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn. We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use Microsoft 365 safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using [Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education], please contact the school. For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for Parents. This information is also available in ten community languages:

• Amharic
• Arabic
• Dari
• Gujarati
• Mandarin
• Somali
• Sudanese
• Turkish
• Urdu
• Vietnamese