Principal's Report
Dear families and friends of MPW,
Well done to our senior JSC representatives, Shiloh, Abby and Jade who led our ANZAC Day the observance assembly for students. Their presentation included an explanation as to the importance and meaning of ANZAC Day and the typical ceremony for an observance. They then led us through the observance with a reading of ‘In Flanders Field’ and ‘The Ode’, followed by the playing of the ‘Last Post’, 1 minute silence and the ‘Reveille’.
Our F/1 student have their first excursion this Friday. This is the first time our Foundation students will jump on a bus and leave the school. Thank you to the parent helpers heading along to assist with supervision on the day. I hope they enjoy the experience.
Upcoming Student Free Day and Public Holiday this term
Looking ahead, a reminder that there is an upcoming student free day this term and a public holiday.
Monday 27th May is the Common Teacher Professional Practice Day, this day is to recognise and support teacher workload. Teachers will be onsite working on their assessments, planning and reporting obligations. Camp Australia will be operating for those requiring their services.
The school will be closed on Monday 10th June for the King’s Birthday Public Holiday.
Upcoming Mother’s Day Events
Hopefully families received the Compass notification last week regarding the upcoming Mother’s Day activities at MPW.- Thursday 9th May- Mother's Day Stall (a note went home last week with information for families). Thank you to those parents who have volunteered to help run the stall throughout the day.- Monday 13th May (next week) - The day will begin with a with a special Mother's Day Raffle prize drawn at Assembly (9.00-9.20am), all students will be entered into the raffle.
After assembly we invite our mums (or a special person for those without a mum) into classrooms for a Mother's Day activity with their child(ren). We are aiming for older siblings to join the younger sibling’s classroom for this time for your convenience.
Australian Early Development Census
This term, as with other schools around the country, MPW will be participating in the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC). This helps to build a nationwide picture of our children’s health and wellbeing as they start their first year of schooling. Foundation teachers will complete a reflection tool regarding important areas of children’s development:
- physical health and wellbeing
- social competence
- emotional maturity
- language and cognitive skills
- communication skills and general knowledge.
We will be sending more information to our Foundation families regarding the AEDC in the coming week. For more information, please visit the AEDC website: https://www.aedc.gov.au/
Annual General Meeting and Annual Report
On 27th May at 5:30pm in the staffroom, we will be holding our Annual General Meeting (AGM) prior to our School Council Meeting. The AGM provides the opportunity for the school to present the Annual Report for 2023 to the community, sharing highlights, areas of focus and achievements for the 2023 school year. The meeting is open for all school community members to attend.
After this meeting, the Annual Report document will be shared on the School’s Website.
School Uniform Reminders
As we move into the colder months of the year, a reminder that the expectation is that students are always wearing a school logoed top, including a school hoodie or bomber jacket. Students should not be wearing non-school logoed casual jumpers or hoodies over their school uniform.
On a very cold or wet day, students can wear a non-uniform coat over their uniform to and from school but then should be in school uniform during the day.
Students are required to wear school uniform on any offsite activities, including excursions and sporting events.
I thank you for your support in meeting the expectations of the school’s Dress Code policy, which is available here: https://www.mooneewestps.vic.edu.au/uploaded_files/media/mpw_dress_code_policy_final_approved_june_2022.pdf
2025 Foundation Enrolments
Applications for Foundation enrolments for 2025 are open. The new statewide process continues this year, with specific timelines where application close on 29th July.
For families at MPW that will be having siblings join the school in 2025, please ensure that you collect your enrolment form at the office
You can find information and resources about the new timeline, including factsheets, at: Enrolling in Foundation (Prep).
Capital Works Update
We continue to see progress of the building works, whilst it may not be obvious from the outside, much internal work has been completed to both buildings. You will notice more external works have commenced with the Hall Building (Junior building) and Library building. This includes repairing windows, doors and brickwork and repainting the external façades.
There will be some temporary fencing placed on the Tiger Turf side of the Library building this week for external works to commence on that side of the building. Please be mindful of this out of school hours and weekends if you are using the facilities.
We are still aiming for the Junior building to be handed back to the school for use in the second half of the year. In Term 3, after handover, the portables will be taken away and work will commence on the central courtyard area between the 5/6 building and the Junior building for resurfacing and new Little Adventure equipment. Any required changes to temporary fencing and entry points will be updated and communicated to families once established with the VSBA.
NAPLAN Results
The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) have indicated to schools that NAPLAN reports and results will be released at the beginning of Term 3, mid-late July. Students in years 3 and 5 will receive an Individual Student Report (ISR) if they participated in the tests. The ISR will display students’ results against the new proficiency levels for each NAPLAN domain, as well as performance ranked against the national average for the applicable year level. The report also includes descriptors for each proficiency level and NAPLAN test domain.
Student Attendance
As mentioned in the last newsletter, a standing item in my report will be on Student Attendance, as this is a continual focus for our network and region.
Whilst most of our student absences are for illness or family holidays, we will be tracking attendance more closely this year.
Over the coming weeks, we will continue following up with families who have large numbers of non-attendance for the beginning of the year.
There is more information in the Wellbeing section of the newsletter regarding attendance at school.
Regards,
Jarrod Sutton
Principal