Principal Report

Principal’s Report

Dear IPS Families,

I hope everyone is well and enjoying the beautiful rain we have been having. It has certainly been wonderful to see the paddocks and gardens getting some much-needed water. What hasn't been quite so wonderful is the amount of that rain that has found its way into our school building!

The Department has been working closely with us to address the leaks and complete the necessary repairs. Unfortunately, the work has created a fair amount of disruption around the school. I would like to thank our students and staff for the way they have adapted to changes, moved between classrooms and continued with their learning throughout this time. Our students have taken it all in their stride, and it has been wonderful to see how calmly and positively they have responded.

A Few Bugs Going Around

Unfortunately, we have also had a significant number of staff and students away with illness. It certainly feels like we have seen more illness than usual this winter.

We are continuing to maintain a high level of cleaning throughout the school, along with regular handwashing and reminders for students about good hygiene. We will continue this approach to help reduce the spread of illness across our school community.

Thank you to our families for your support in keeping children home when they are unwell. Students are always welcome to return when they are feeling well enough to participate in their learning, even if they have some mild lingering symptoms.

A Principal Back in the Classroom

One of the unexpected positives of the recent staffing challenges has been that I have had the opportunity to spend more time teaching and being in classrooms.

While I absolutely love being the Principal of Inglewood Primary School, spending more time teaching has reminded me just how much I enjoy being in the classroom and working directly with our students.

I think this is one of the great things about being a Principal in a small school,  I really do get the best of both worlds! I get to lead our wonderful school while still having opportunities to teach, work with students and be part of their everyday learning.

SWPBS and Our School Values

Our School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) work is now in full swing, and it has been fantastic to see how much our students are enjoying the upgrades and changes to our positive values system.

If you haven't had the opportunity to come into the school and have a look, please do! The students are very proud of the work that has been done and are enjoying seeing our values brought to life around the school.

Our current whole-school focus is:

“I keep my hands, feet and objects to myself.”

This is an important focus for all students across the school and forms part of our ongoing work to create a safe, respectful and positive learning environment for everyone.

Each fortnight, Mrs Lawson provides information about our SWPBS and wellbeing work on our school wellbeing page in this newsletter. This week she has provided detailed information in regards to the important role SWPBS plays within our school and what it means when a school is required to conduct a "School-Wide Blitz". Please head over and take a look at the information provided to clarify any wonderings you may have in regards to this. 

An Exciting IPS Announcement

This leads me to a very exciting announcement for our school.

Inglewood Primary School is showcased in Life Skills GO!

Life Skills GO is a wellbeing platform that supports schools to develop proactive, data-informed approaches to student wellbeing and social and emotional learning.

Our school has been fortunate to be involved in this work, and I am incredibly proud of the approach our staff have taken to building a sustainable wellbeing model for our students.

A special congratulations must go to Jayne Lawson, our Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader, for the incredible work she has done in this space. Jayne has worked incredibly hard to develop and strengthen our wellbeing approach, and it is fantastic to see her work and the work of our school recognised beyond IPS.

Jayne is going to  take part in a Life Skills GO webinar, “From Insight to Action: Wellbeing in a Regional Victorian School,” hosted by Marcus Barr from Life Skills GO. The session focuses on our approach to wellbeing at Inglewood Primary School and what it can look like when a small regional school develops a proactive and sustainable wellbeing model.

This is a fantastic achievement for Jayne and for our whole school community, and we are very proud of the work being done at IPS.

You can read the full write-up here:

https://lifeskillsgo.com/inglewood-ps-deep-dive/

Thank you, as always, to our students, staff and families for the way you continue to support one another. There are certainly challenges that come with being a small school, but there are also so many positives. The sense of community, the flexibility of our staff and the resilience of our students are some of the things that make IPS such a special place to be.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

Warm regards,

Rebecca Luckman