Principal's Column

Welcome to our 2024 school year! 

The first two weeks of school have flown by. The students are extremely settled, eager to be at school and settling into their new classroom routines with ease. 

Our Prep children have completed their first  week of school, with today being their first full day. They have settled in well to school life and learning the routines within their classrooms. 

We would like to thank our staff and families for enabling such a smooth start to the year. 

Staffing Update

This year we welcomed some new and returning staff to our team. We have welcomed:

• Keeley Thorp - Grade Prep
• Mikeala Hay - Year 5
• Dean Hamence - Year 6
• Genn Collier (returning) - Performing Arts
• Mat Vrettas (returning) - PE

Curriculum Day - Monday 19th February

On Monday 19th February there is NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS as we have a professional learning day for all staff with Berry St Education. The professional learning is focused around:

• Trauma & cultural focus on unconditional positive regard, attachment and co regulation 
• Additional cultural focus on understanding and connecting to Aboriginal culture, creating cultural safety, and understanding the impacts of power and cultural loads 
• Focus on BSEM Strategies related to Body and Relationship for learning.

2024 Class Structures

This year we have approximately 510 students enrolled at Westgrove. With this in mind, we have have implemented the following class structure for 2024:

In having the structure above, we have managed to keep our class sizes quite low across P-6. As a result, when teaching staff are absent class splitting will occur in the first instance. This will allow our students to have continuity in their learning programs and consistent routines and expectations.

Supervision of Students before and after school

Student safety at Westgrove Primary School is our highest priority and the safe and appropriate supervision of students is an important element of our duty of care to students. Part of this duty is ensuring parents and students are aware of our student supervision arrangements before and after school. 

• Before school: School gates open at 8.45am and grounds are supervised from this time. Unless involved in an extra-curricular program students are unable to access the school grounds prior to 8.45am.
• After school: School grounds are supervised until 3.30pm.  

Students on school grounds outside these times will not be supervised (unless they are attending a before or after school care program or supervised extracurricular activity). 

Parents/carers are requested to ensure that students do not attend school outside of these supervised times unless they are attending before or after school care, or a pre-arranged supervised activity (i.e. sports practice). 

Families are encouraged to contact Quantin Binnah Community Centre for more information about the before and after school care facilities available to our school community.

For a copy of our school’s Yard Duty and Supervision Policy please refer to our website or contact the office.  This policy includes Westgrove Primary School’s student supervision arrangements across the school day, including before and after school.

Annual privacy reminder for our school community

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 https://www.westgrps.vic.edu.au/policies , 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, please contact the school. For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in Amharic, Arabic, Dari, Gujarati, Mandarin, Somali, Sudanese, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese.

Fishing Kits

The Victorian Government is investing $1.5 million from the Recreational Fishing Licence Trust Fund to provide up to 95,000 Little Angler Kits to primary school aged children in Victoria.  The free kits provide a wonderful activity for children with their families and help ease the cost of living, providing a fun activity close to home.  Kits were distributed at the Family Picnic.