Principal Report
Welcome back to Term 3 everyone!
I have visited all the classrooms over the first few days back and I was so pleased to see that all of our students clicked back into school routine straight away (and even into some really challenging learning!) demonstrating that they must have had a restorative break with lots of rest, and lots of fun. Thank you for returning them all so ready to dive back in!
An Exciting Term 3
Along with the regular whole school events such as Book Week, Science Week and Footy Colours Day, Term 3 also promises to be an extra exciting term this year, with our biannual production occurring in Week 9 - this year’s title is ‘A Day at the Museum’. Following the Dance Program during late last term, the students are already brimming with anticipation and rehearsals are underway! Ticketing will be released soon, but in the meantime, please save the date - the evening of Thursday, September 12th. Note that the following day will be a Curriculum Day. Information about costumes will also be sent out to parents and carers next week. We have been mindful to keep things as simple and as low cost as possible. If you require assistance with sourcing your child/ren’s costume, please let us know. The production promises to be fun for young and old!
Staffing News
A four person selection panel completed their deliberations late last term in regard to the Assistant Principal position. I am pleased to announce that Mat Williamson was the successful candidate. Mat has been at NLPS since 2013 and has grown with the school, having progressed to a team leader and then as a Learning Specialist. Mat brings a focus on developing professional learning communities, a passion for data and student learning outcomes, a commitment to lifelong learning and existing strong relationships with students, staff and families to his new role. As the person overseeing Student Welfare, he will also work closely with Carol Martins (Inclusive Education Learning Specialist) and Samantha Meddis (Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader), as well as head up our PLT Leadership meetings.
On a personal note, I am pleased to be working alongside Mat as a new leadership team and look forward to taking the school to the next step, and beyond, over the next five years. In the very short term, I am also excited to be escaping Melbourne’s long winter and heading to warmer places for my upcoming long service leave. As you may recall from the previous newsletter, David Moss will be returning to be Acting Principal during the seven weeks I am on leave. David will commence at the beginning of Week 4 - August 5th.
Parent Teacher Interviews
It was wonderful to see/hear about so many parents attending our Term 2 parent teacher interviews either online or face to face in the classrooms, and particularly great to hear about the student-led conferences that the Year 5/6 cohort undertook.
If you were unable to attend the parent teacher interviews in the final week of last term but would still like to catch up with your child/ren’s class teacher, or specialist teacher, please contact the school and a mutually suitable day and time will be made for you to meet with them at a future date.
Student Safety Reminders
No Unsupervised Students in the Main Yard Before 8:45
A reminder that there is no staff supervision until 8:45 in the mornings and gates have been installed to ensure that no students are in the main yard unsupervised. If you are with your child/ren, you are more than welcome to come through the office and head out to watch them play prior to 8:45.
For students that are not supervised by a parent/guardian, they will need to remain outside the admin area until the internal gates are open and the before school yard duty person comes on duty at 8:45.
If you drop off your child/ren early and require them to be safely cared for and looked after before 8.45am, then please enrol them in the before school care program via the Quantin Binnah website - https://www.qbcc.org.au/enrolments. The morning OSHC program begins at 6.30am and you can be ensured your child is safely cared for whilst at school. They can also have breakfast and actively spend time with their friends before joining the rest of their peers in the school grounds at 8.45am.
Recording/Photographing Students
We have recently been asked by the Department of Education to update our Photographing, Filming & Recording Students Policy as we will be moving to a one-time consent form. Students starting in 2025 will need to have this form completed prior to starting. Existing students' families will be provided with this form by the end of Term 1, 2025 at the latest. For your reference, the updated policy is now available on our website.
As per the policy, please note that NLPS endeavours to respect the privacy of all members of our school community and formally requests that parents/carers, students and invited guests do not photograph, film or record school performances, assemblies, sporting events and other school-approved activities, besides images of their own children. If you do happen to capture another NLPS student/s in your images, NLPS requests that parents/carers, students and invited guests who have taken the image do not publish the images in any form, including on social media, without the prior consent of persons whose children also appear in the images. Neither the school nor the department own or control any images of students taken by parents/carers, students or their invited guests at school activities.
Therefore, can you please be mindful of this formal request and ensure that you are only photographing or filming your own child at events such as assemblies. The zoom in option is your friend in these circumstances! Thank you for your cooperation.
Personal Accident Insurance and Ambulance Cover
Another friendly reminder that the Education Department does not provide personal accident insurance for students. Parents and guardians are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including any transport costs. Although needing an ambulance is an extremely rare occurrence at a school, it can and does happen, as it did late last term after a very serious fall.
Student accident insurance policies are available from some commercial insurers. These cover a range of medical expenses not covered by Medicare or private health insurance. They can be obtained by parents and guardians for individual children.
Parents are strongly advised to take out family insurance cover or check to see if emergency ambulance assistance is covered under their health insurance policy.
Art is Our Currency Exhibition
Our wonderful Art teacher, Laura Russell, facilitated an art extension program for a select group of Year 5 and 6 students last semester and it was then officially launched at Note Printing Australia, where myself and the students’ parents also had the pleasure of attending. Now, the entire Newport community is able to see our talented students’ amazing pieces as they will be exhibited at Newport Community Hub from this Saturday, July 20th. The exhibition opening will be at 11am. I encourage you to take a look as the concept of the project and creative work is very interesting.
2025 Foundation Enrolments - FINAL REMINDER
We would like to remind families that enrolments for Foundation 2025 are due by next week - Friday 26th July 2024.
If you have a sibling of a student that attends here already, or know of families within our zoned community that have a child due to start school next year please remind them to get their enrolments in so we can plan for 2025 with confidence.
Enrolment forms are attached below or are available from Compass, the front office or on the school website - here.
May we all stay warm and healthy this fortnight!
Carly Bannon
NLPS Principal