WELCOME BACK...

Dear school community,

I hope this message finds you well and trust everyone had a wonderful, restful break. I hope that you were able to make some beautiful memories with your family and friends during the two week term break.

I welcome you back to term 3 and am eagerly looking forward to seeing everyone back on site and hearing all about your adventures and experiences from the holiday break. It's always inspiring to hear your stories and share each other’s experiences.

I'm excited to kick off another productive term filled with lots of learning, fun and new opportunities. I am particularly looking forward to the MPS Writer's Festival that will take place this term (dates and times TBC). We also have our Family/Teacher report interviews that will be taking place in term 3 and a curriculum day lined up in week six (TBC). Swimming will go ahead this term for our years Foundation to two students (more information to come). In addition, year levels will also be organising some exciting excursions for our students.

I extend a warm welcome to our new staff members who will be joining our school community beginning this term. I look forward to working together with everyone to make this term a fantastic one for all.

Thank you for your continued support and commitment. Here’s to another wonderful school term.

MPS KINDER TREASURES

We are so incredibly fortunate to have a vibrant and joyful kindergarten right here on our school grounds at Meadows Primary School. Our dedicated 3- and 4-year-old kinder students regularly engage with our school community bringing energy curiosity and smiles to everyone they meet.

It's always a delight to see them playing on our fantastic play equipment, exploring, learning, and having fun in such a lively and nurturing environment. Their presence truly adds a special sparkle to our school, fostering a sense of community, joy, and early learning that benefits us all. On this day, I was very fortunate to be outside to engage with our kinder students and walked away feeling absolute joy as you can see from the big smile captured on my face.

I feel so lucky to have this wonderful on site kinder, and proud of the warm, inclusive community we've built together. Here’s to many more exciting moments with our amazing little learners.

COMMUNICATING the PREVENTIING and ADDRESSING RACISM in SCHOOLS POLICY

Racism is not tolerated in Meadows Primary School

Meadows Primary School is committed to fostering a welcoming, inclusive environment where racism is not tolerated. Racism harms students’ mental health, learning and sense of belonging. We celebrate the diversity of cultures, ethnicities and faiths of all our students. It is up to all of us at Meadows Primary School to make our school a place that is free of racism and where everyone feels respected and can learn in a safe and inclusive environment.

What Meadows Primary School is doing to prevent racism

Meadows Primary School follows the Department of Education’s Preventing and Addressing Racism in Schools Policy. We are building a culturally safe school with inclusive learning for everyone by working with staff, students, families, carers and communities. We will:

provide programs that teach about and celebrate diversity, inclusion and the impact of racism to build understanding and empathy
celebrate the diversity of our school community e.g. Harmony week, recognition of special cultural celebrations, recognition of reconciliation week, NAIDOC week, ANZAC Day etc…
have a dedicated Marrung Leader in our school
use practices that support all students to thrive
implement anti-racism efforts to prevent and address racism effectively
make sure everyone feels safe, with clear and accessible pathways to report racism
ensure our Inclusion and Diversity policy is updated and accessible upon request
explore and learn about different cultures through excursions/incursions

What to do if your child experiences or witnesses racism at school

If your child experiences or witnesses racism or religious discrimination at school, please let us know. You can tell your child’s teacher or any of the following school staff members: Mrs Figen Mustafa (Principal), Sara Johns (Assistant Principal), Stephanie Millan (Assistant Principal). You can also request to speak with any of our school leaders by asking our personnel at front office.

Report Racism hotline

If you don’t feel comfortable reporting racism to school, or you are not happy with the school’s response, you can report racism to:

the Department of Education’s Report Racism hotline via email report.racism@education.vic.gov.au or phone 1800 722 476 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc. (VAEAI) via email vaeai@vaeai.org.au or phone 03 9481 0800 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) online, via email complaints@veohrc.vic.gov.au or phone 1300 292 153 (Monday to Friday 10am to 2pm).

For additional support following an incident of racism:

First Nations students, staff or families can contact Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc. (VAEAI)
Jewish students, staff or families can contact the Jewish Community Council of Victoria
Muslim students, staff or families can contact the Islamic Council of Victoria

For more information about how to report racism to the school, and to get information in community languages, visit this website: Report racism or religious discrimination in schools.

If you need an interpreter to call the school, please use the details available at: Guide for Families: How to use an interpreter to contact your school.

How Meadows Primary School will respond to racism

When you report a racist incident, Meadows Primary School will:

take your report seriously and act quickly
give you ongoing support
investigate and respond safely and appropriately
keep you informed, while respecting privacy
review the incident to help avoid it from happening again.

Stay well, stay safe
Figen Mustafa

From our Foundation Classrooms