Message from Principal Sarah

As we near closer to the halfway point of Term 3, I wanted to reiterate to our school community that at NMPS we are committed to creating a positive and proactive environment where every student can thrive. Our staff work diligently to ensure that all our students are happy, safe, and achieving their best at all times. 

School Values of being Responsible, Inclusive, Sagacious and Ethical and School Wide Positive Behaviour Matrix 

Rest assured, we always take the time to engage with our students to understand and unpack any incidents that occur. Our approach includes re-teaching expected behaviours or assigning consequences that are appropriate to each situation. We aim to instil our School Values of being Responsible, Inclusive, Sagacious and Ethical to all students using our School Wide Positive Behaviour Matrix as a guide.

We prioritise open communication and do our best to reach out to you as soon as possible when incidents do occur. However, please appreciate that our teachers’ primary responsibility during the school day is actively teaching your children and engaging them in their learning program.

As a school, we are committed to maintaining privacy and confidentiality. We can only discuss your child’s needs and supports with you. Remember, we are on the same team and share the common goal of providing the best for all our students with a focus on learning and wellbeing.

For school-related matters, please refrain from taking actions into your own hands, such as approaching other parents or students directly. It is important to model respectful relationships for your child and to trust the processes and decisions made by our school staff. 

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. 

100 Days of School for our Preps

This week we celebrated our Preps 100 days of school. We are immensely proud of our prep students for their growth, learning and development over the last 100 days, and we look forward to seeing them continue to strive over the remainder of the school year. 

Thank you to our Prep teaching team, Specialist teachers, ES support staff and parents who have worked in partnership to support our preps at school.

Leadership Conferences

Last week Tom D and I attended the Government Schools Principals Conference where we heard from renowned educators about collaborative leadership and participated in innovative workshops focused on the new Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0. It was a rare opportunity for us to take a step back to reflect on the great things that are happening at NMPS, and to begin thinking about our strategic focus for 2025 and beyond.

On Wednesday this week our Learning Specialist and Leading Teachers (Phil, Mike, Joe, Tom Mc, Shaun and Ben L) are attending the M&M Workshop with Viviane Robinson. This is a full day workshop focused on developing an understanding of Virtuous Educational Leadership, collaborative problem solving and building trust and efficacy through quality conversations.

Following this, on Thursday the Principal class team will attend the M&M Network Conference, where we will also hear from Viviane Robinson while having the opportunity to network with other principals and assistant principals in our region, focusing on utilising complex collaborative problem solving in schools. Our Learning Specialists and Leading Teachers will ensure the school runs smoothly in our absence.

Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey

As shared in our last newsletter our school is conducting the annual Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey offered by the Department of Education and is seeking your feedback. The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage and appreciate your participation.

Our school will use the survey results to assist in identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies. 

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open online from Monday 29 July to Friday 30 August 2024. A random sample of parents / caregivers / guardians have been selected to participate in this year’s survey and details have been sent to these families via email.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. 

The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese. Resources are also available in additional languages to assist parents / caregivers / guardians who speak a language other than English at home. Please reach out to the school directly for survey guides in your language.