Principal's Report

Over recent weeks, students in Years 3-6 have been writing and presenting speeches as part of the nomination process for this year's Student Representative Council (SRC).  On Monday, the new SRC was announced, and I am delighted to congratulate Sunni and Sebastian (Year 6), Goldie and Ollie (Year 5), Chilli and Kit (Year4), and Erin and Christian (Year 3), on their successful nominations.  I look forward to working with them throughout the year and I'm sure they will make a great team.   

I would also like to thank and congratulate our outgoing SRC students.  They have done a fantastic job over the year, and have always represented our school with pride and respect. It has been wonderful to observe how they have stepped up to their responsibilities, and how they have grown and strengthened in confidence through this process.  I have no doubt that they will be a great support for the new SRC!

Congratulations also to all students who participated in last week's Division Swim Finals. By all accounts, this was a great day of swimming and it was great to hear, how well all students represented our school.  We are also excited to announce that Cleo, Luella, Ferdi and Charlie have all qualified for the Regional Finals in Shepparton, next week. Cleo, Luella and Ferdi will compete in the freestyle relay, after they placed first in this event. Luella will also compete in the backstroke event, after finishing in 2nd place in the individual event, along with Charlie who qualified to compete in breaststroke, after finishing 2nd in his event. On the day, Queenie also took home a 3rd place ribbon in her breaststroke.   This is a fantastic achievement, by these students, and we look forward to hearing about the Regional Finals, next week.

Thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination for School Council.  I am pleased to announce that Owen Davies, Tory Thomas and Alison Kennett will be returning to council for another term, together with our newest member, Lauren McKechnie.  Many thanks to all members of council, for their commitment to the governance of the school. At the close of nominations, we still have one parent vacancy on council.  If you would be interested in nominating, please contact me on 57544354. 

Our Term 1 Parent Teacher meetings are now open for bookings.  If you haven't already done so, please take a moment to book a time through Compass/Conferences.

Families of students in Years 3-6 are reminded that on Friday March 21st, the Victorian Interschools MTB Race will be held at Falls Creek.  Registrations are now open and can be completed here.  The entry fee is $45 per rider, which includes a snack lunch, race plate, timing, insurance, and medals for the winners. While we will have a staff member in attendance, families are responsible for student and bike transport, bike maintenance, as well as ensure the safety and supervision of their child.

Our School's Emergency Management Plan

Last week, we held our first emergency drill for the year.  I was very impressed by the way all students, participated in both the drill and the feedback session, as part of our review and reflection at the end of the drill. 

Our school plans for a range of hazards, such as bushfire, severe weather, building fires, intruders, etc, and develop specific response procedures to address these risks. We conduct drills regularly, ensuring that our core procedures of on-site and off-site evacuation, sheltering-in-place, and lockdown/lockouts are well-rehearsed and understood by staff and students. 

Our school is listed as Category 3 on the Bushfire At-Risk Register, which means our school is at risk of bushfire or grassfire, and will close on days of Catastrophic fire danger in the North East Victoria fire district. 

For more information about our bushfire risk, please refer to the bushfire news article on our website. The Country Fire Authority also has more information for schools at risk of fire: https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/schools.

If we enact our emergency management plan, we will notify you by email and Compass notifications, with updates on our actions. Please do not come to the school unless directed to do so, as you may put yourself and others in danger. If there is anything we need you to do, we will let you know. 

In the event of an emergency that impacts telecommunications, we will endeavour to update you by email and local radio announcements.

During an emergency, the school will work closely with emergency services to get specific advice to keep our community safe. Additionally, the Department of Education has dedicated emergency management staff to help monitor the situation and provide additional support to schools during emergencies.

If you have any questions about our school’s emergency management plan, please contact us at mount.beauty.ps@education.vic.gov.au or on 57544354. Please be assured our top priority is the safety of our students and school community.