Principal's Report

Jells Park Primary School

Principal: Kevin Oakey

k.oakey@jpps.vic.edu.au

Assistant Principal: Julie Hall

j.hall@jpps.vic.edu.au

Assistant Principal: Scott Zachariassen

s.zachariassen@jpps.vic.edu.au

Child Safety in our School

I need to remind all parents about our regulations around entry to the school. Please understand that from 9.00am-3.00pm (approx) we need to know who is in our school grounds. This is to protect your children, so that we can identify any potential threats to their safety and manage the environment in which they are learning.

It is mandatory for any parent coming into the school between 9.00am-3.00pm to check-in at the office and explain your purpose for being in the school. The office will either assist you or provide you with an identification badge that will allow you access to the grounds or classroom.

It is not permitted for parents to be wandering the grounds or entering the classrooms and particularly the student toilets, during school time without authorisation from the school office or Principals.

Twilight Market - 22 March

Please see the posters included in this newsletter. It should be a great night so we look forward to many families attending.

We have:

Market stalls and activities
Food trucks for dinner and dessert
Live music with "That 70's Band" performing.

Thank You

A massive thank you to all the parents that helped our with the impromptu Working Bee last Friday. We managed to move 5 cubic metres of tanbark and 2 cubic meters of sand, as well as collect up a good amount of leaves around the yard. The community spirit and support was fantastic and the grounds are starting to look pretty good.

There will be a second one of these coming soon as we replenish the softfall around many of the climbing frames and playgrounds.

Kevin Oakey

Principal

International Women's Day

The 8th of March is International Women's Day. It is a day when we can celebrate and honour the achievements and contributions of women. Everyone has at least one woman in their life - be they mother, sister, partner, friend, teacher, colleague, etc who has inspired

and cared for them. Today is an opportunity to reach out and thank them. The Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships program is a big part of our daily SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) time. Through this work we want to ensure not only our young girls, but all children are given the opportunity to "…build their capabilities and strengthen their capacity to learn, earn and lead." (UN 2024)

Ramadan

Ramadan is an important celebration for Muslims and this year will be celebrated from the 9th March to 8th April. During this time, Muslims fast, which means they don't eat or drink anything during daylight hours. Children do not usually fast until they are 14. After sunset, time is spent with family and friends sharing special meals called iftar which include dates, apricots, sweetened milk, many courses of vegetables, breads and some meats. As well as fasting, Muslims try to help other people, give up bad habits and spend time in prayer or reading the Koran.

At the end of Ramadan there is a big celebration called Eid ul-Fitr where friends and families celebrate the end of fasting. Some families decorate their home with lights and swap presents.

Julie Hall

Assistant Principal