Principal's Report

Our newsletter is being posted on Wednesday due to the 

Curriculum Day tomorrow, Thursday.

In this week’s newsletter:

• Appreciations and Acknowledgements
  • Reconciliation Week extends into a second week, highlighted by Mabo Day on Monday. 
  • FWPS’ Vision and values Icon Design Competition
• News
  • School Council met on Monday
  • JSC Clubs day 
• Coming Up
  •  The Berry Street Educational Model
  • Musical Futures Concerts for grades 5 and 6 
  • Student learning conferences 
  • Camps, sports and excursions fund
• Repeated (and updated messages)

Appreciations and Acknowledgements

Reconciliation week extends into a second week, highlighted by Mabo Day celebrated on Monday - We acknowledge that we live and learn on the lands of the Bunurong people.  We pay our respects to their Elders both past and present, and value the contribution they have made to education as part of the oldest living culture in the world.

Marrung representatives presented a report on Reconciliation Week at assembly last week. 

‘Reconciliation Week is a time to acknowledge and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultures. People all across Australia have been celebrating our First Nations people. At FWPS, we celebrated Reconciliation Week in many different ways. Some of these included in the Preps where students worked together to make Rainbow Serpent drawings. 3TM made posters to show their understanding of Reconciliation Week. The grade 5 and 6 classes discussed Reconciliation Week and made collaborative artworks and 3TN made 3D handprints, inspired by First Nations artwork.

Thank you to all classes and teachers for making Reconciliation Week a priority this week at FWPS!

FWPS' Vision and Values Icon Design Competition - Our new values of Belonging, Respect, Resilience and Responsibility have been a focus through our Vision and Values Icon Design Competition.  All submissions have been displayed in the Wallaby corridor.  We are thankful to the management of The Plough and The Victoria hotels in Seddon for their generous support to provide four separate $100 meal vouchers for our winning icons representing each of our values. Prior to our School Council meeting on Monday, our JSC members were involved in selecting their shortlisted entrants. The School Council Communications and Policy Committee met to complete their shortlist and then the winning entries were selected for our FWPS school values icon competition.  With 68 entries received, the decisions were difficult.  The chosen entries will provide inspiration for the creation of a visual set Values for display around the school and beyond. We thank all students and family members who joined in the challenge.  

The successful entries are:

• Belonging Value: Clementine (6MA)
• Respect Value: Lola (5HT)
• Responsibility Value: Pepper (5TC)
• Resilience Value: Vi (2TF) and Mai (4AF) - sibling inspiration!

We will acknowledge the prize winners and provide the prizes at assembly on Friday.

News

Our School Council met on Monday evening in the staffroom.  The 2023 Annual Report to the School Community had been shared in final draft form at our previous meeting and in published format prior to this meeting.  It has been uploaded to the school website at: www.fwps.vic.edu.au/uploaded_files/media/fwps_2023_annual_report.pdf

We will now present our Annual Report prior at our next School Council meeting, to be held online on 29th July, during Term 3.  Our community members will be invited to attend this aspect of our next meeting.  

School Surveys

• The annual Attitudes to School Survey (AToSS) is nearing completion.  The survey poses a comprehensive set of questions for students in grades 4 to 6 (at primary level) that provide insight into the students’ perspective of our school, their teachers and themselves as learners. There are significantly more focus questions relating to student wellbeing and this enables schools to consider additional ways to meet the needs of our students.  Leaders, Carolyn and Towela will continue to catch up with students who have been absent, in order to thoroughly meet this requirement.
• Our next survey will be the annual School Staff Survey (SSS) held in Term 3.  This provides an insight into the staff  experience of the FWPS workplace.  
• Both the AToSS and SSS surveys are confidential for all respondents.

Staffing

• Staffing remains a challenge for schools.  Jess Russell-Davies joined us in 2016 and initially worked as a classroom teacher prior to becoming a member of the specialist team, predominantly teaching our performing arts and visual arts program in collaboration with others.  For personal reasons Jess has decided to resign from her role at the end of this term.  She has written a piece for this newsletter. Jess has been an engaging and creative contributor to our school.  We will all wish her well and welcome her back at FWPS as a relief teacher at any time.
• Vision and Values with the BSEM (Berry Street Education Model) - The Morning Circle is another way we are embedding our new values across the school.  On my recent visits to classrooms to observe Morning Circle routines, I have heard students discuss what value would be highlighted during that day or be demonstrated in a particular activity
• Parents Association have been busy at work looking at terrific ways to bring our community together. Exciting announcements will be made by our PA team very soon.
• The Facilities sub-committee have been focussed on the new building project, repair considerations for the cracks to the walls that have developed in Wallaby and practical aspects of organising a working bee with so many changes relating to risk and child safety in recent times.

Junior School Council … celebrated our (delayed) Education Week on Tuesday with a construction club yesterday.  Firstly, the Juniors and then the Seniors participated, supported by Laura, Lee and members of the JSC.

Coming Up… 

BSEM Curriculum Day - Tomorrow we will be holding our professional learning for Day 2 of The Berry Street Education Model.  This curriculum day is a pupil free day.  TheirCare will provide a full day program on this day - please book online or by phone - www.theircare.com.au / 1300 072 410.

Assembly - This week the grade 2s will start their assembly presentations, with the students in 2BL presenting first.  Assembly will be held outdoors if the weather is fair, and in the gallery space in Dingo if the weather is adverse.

Musical Futures Concerts for Grades 5 and 6 Classes will be held on Wednesday, 19th June throughout the day in a series of mini performances. For more details, read the information that Jane and Maddie have added to today’s newsletter.

Student Learning Conferences - Student Learning Conferences - Bookings for our Semester One, Student Learning Conferences are available via a pinned Compass post.  Families of P-2 students will be able to book a ten minute conference with their child’s class teacher between 1:10pm to 6:00pm on Tuesday, 25th June. Our families of Year 3-6 students will be able to book a ten minute conference with their child’s teacher between 12:10 pm to 6:00 pm on Wednesday, 26th June. Please note, our Year 5 and 6 conferences are student led. This involves students attending and talking to their family about some of their work samples and the successes and challenges they have experienced. They will also discuss their learning goals for Semester 2. 

Please note, for students of Mikala in 6MI, the student-led conferences will be held on Thursday, 13th June during school hours, due to Mikala’s absence from school during the final week of term.  Thanks to all who have booked conference times in the last few days.  There is still availability - we encourage all families to be represented.

Cheers,

Brendan

Repeated (and Updated) Messages…