From the Assistant Principal
BE INVOLVED, BE CONNECTED
PREP STUDENTS:
Our Prep students have done an exemplary job settling into school and their new routines. Our Boohoo/Woohoo for Prep parents was a great success with many parents/carers getting to meet one another and build potential play dates for their children. Thank you to those of you who attended and mingled as our community is often a big support to our families.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU INTERVIEWS:
Our Getting to Know You Interviews had families meeting with teachers to discuss students’ interests, strengths and needs this past week. Thank you to those of you who attended. The parent/carer-teacher dynamic is a core part of your child’s success and we appreciate your time. For those of you who were unable to make it, you can still fill in the Interview form and return it to the teacher to help with some deeper insights as you know your children better than anyone.
UNIFORMS:
It has been great to see so many students in their school hat protecting themselves from the hot days. Any students who do not have their school hat are being asked to play in the turfed area next to breakfast club, which is shaded. Thank you also to those students who are tying shoulder-length hair or longer back with a hair tie. This not only protects hair from being caught, but protects from Head Lice. If you find you need uniform support, please reach out to me directly.
LABELS:
Many hats, lunchboxes, water bottles are being left outside during play times. Please double check that the child’s name is clearly written on your child’s items. If these items have student names on them, it is more likely they will end up back with their owner.
VOLUNTEERS
This year we will have a Volunteer Induction in week 4 on Friday, 21 February 9.15-10.15am in the staff room. The minimum requirements this year to volunteer by reading/helping in your child’s classroom will be a Working with Children’s Check (you need to at least have a receipt of application) and this induction. In this induction we will take you through some Child Safe policies and our emergency evacuation information. We will begin to have Volunteers reading in classrooms from week 5 in Years 1-6, and week 7 in Prep. In our Getting to Know You Interviews this past week, your child’s teacher had a sign up list for you to add your name. Should you still wish to add your name to the list, please let your teacher know.
BREAKFAST CLUB:
Breakfast Club is with us every morning from Monday through Friday. The friendly volunteers will be ready to serve up a nutritious breakfast piece of toast or some cereal from 8.45-8.58am. Please know that if your child arrives for 8:58am, our aim is to feed them, but have them get to class on time too. This means they may just receive a piece of toast with margarine as these can be made in advance and given out quickly. For specific topping requests, we ask you to arrive closer to 8.45am. Food Parcels are still available and I am happy for you to reach out to me directly. Additionally, here is a link for other places where you can access food support.
SOUTHEAST PARENT ZONE:
SouthEast Parent Zone has some upcoming parenting session topics for 2025, such as Creating Calm Amidst Chaos: Managing Tantrums and Meltdowns, Building Better Behaviour, and Emotion-Focused Parenting. Most of these are Zoom meetings over a series for about 6 sessions. Please see the links to find out more.
Emotion Focused Parenting Online
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RESOURCES:
The Department of Education has released some resources supporting the start of a new school year and the building of our community through positive relationships.
https://www.vic.gov.au/new-year-learning
https://www.vic.gov.au/ways-get-involved-your-childs-school
https://www.vic.gov.au/building-positive-relationship-your-childs-school
Regards,
Sam Smrekar Thompson
Assistant Principal
samantha.smrekarthompson@education.vic.gov.au