Semester One

As we come to the end of the semester, I would like to thank our students, staff and families for their support and contribution to what has been a very positive and busy start to the year.

We have had many outstanding highlights across the school.

Two groups of students participated in Equine Learning as part of our Wellbeing program, focusing on social and emotional learning, confidence and teamwork.

Our students also enjoyed participating in swimming and our Athletics Carnival, showing great enthusiasm, sportsmanship and persistence.

This semester, students took part in a series of NRL clinics, which culminated in a very special experience for a group of our Year 5/6 students, who had the opportunity to run onto the ground with the Melbourne Storm players before a game at AAMI Park.

We also had some fantastic success in Interschool Sport, with our girls’ softball and soccer teams both winning at district level. This was a wonderful achievement and a great reflection of their teamwork and effort.

Our Junior School Council held a “Dress Up as Your Future Self” fundraiser. It was fantastic to see students coming to school dressed as their future careers and sharing their hopes and aspirations.

Our Grade 3/4 students had an amazing time at Weekaway for their school camp, participating in a range of exciting outdoor activities and building independence, resilience and friendships.

We have also seen great success with the introduction of our School Wide Positive Behaviour Support program. Students have really embraced our Caring Koalas reward system, with more than 90 students already awarded their first gum leaf.

Thank you again to our whole school community for a wonderful semester. We look forward to another exciting and positive semester ahead.

School Uniform Reminder

We are currently seeing a number of students attending school out of uniform. We understand that there may be times when a student’s uniform is not available due to washing, damage or other circumstances. However, being out of uniform should not be a regular occurrence.

We have noticed some students wearing hoodies and clothing from local sporting teams. While we absolutely support our local clubs and community teams, these items are not part of the school uniform.

Starting next term, parents and carers will receive a Compass notification if their child is out of uniform. This is intended as a reminder and to help us work together to maintain a consistent approach across the school.

Please support us by ensuring your child attends school in the correct school uniform each day.

School uniform items can be purchased online at beleza.com.au.

Mobile Phone Reminder

We have noticed a number of students bringing personal mobile phones to school without following our usual process of handing them in at the office, so this is a timely reminder of how the policy works.

Macedon Primary School's Mobile Phone Policy allows students to bring a personal device to school, which is particularly useful for those travelling to and from school independently. Any phone brought onto the school grounds must be switched off and signed in securely at the front office before nine o'clock each morning, then collected again after half past three in the afternoon. Phones are kept in a lockable cabinet for the day and should not remain in a student's bag, pocket, or desk during school hours.

If your family has a specific reason a phone needs to be carried during the day, such as a health condition, please speak with your child’s teacher, as an exception can be arranged with the right documentation in place.

Beyond following the process, there is good reason behind the rule. A range of research now shows that simply having a phone nearby, even switched off and untouched, is enough to draw on a child's attention and reduce how well they can focus on their learning.

One well-known study from the University of Texas found that people perform worse on tasks requiring sustained attention when their own phone is merely present in the room, even without using it at all, and an earlier study reached a similar finding using a visible phone alone. More recent evidence, from a 2024 study of schools in Norway, found that introducing phone bans led to better academic results, less bullying, and improved student wellbeing.

We would really appreciate your support in reinforcing this with your children: if a mobile phone comes to school, it should go straight to the office first thing in the morning and be collected at day's end. And as always, if you need to reach your child urgently during the day, please call the school office directly rather than their phone.

Attendance Update

Regular attendance is very important and makes a significant difference to student learning. In Victoria, all children aged 6 to 17 are required to attend school every day unless an exemption has been granted, and parents and carers must provide an explanation for any absence.

At Macedon Primary School, we are aiming for our average number of absences per child to be under 16.5 days for the year. If a child is averaging more than 5 days absent per term, Sue, our Mental Health and Wellbeing teacher, will contact families to discuss how we can work together to support improved attendance. We also ask that any family holidays during school time are discussed with the school and approved in advance.

Number of Absences	Average Number of Absences
1497	6.65
Number of Late arrivals	Average number of Late arrivals
708	3.15

Warm regards,

Andrew Bloomfield

Principal

andrew.bloomfield@education.vic.gov.au

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