From the Principal

Dear families,

Building Works Update

It was wonderful to see the scaffold come down from the redbrick building prior to welcoming our new Prep students this year. This milestone also coincided with the completion of our new junior toilet facilities over the holiday period — a significant improvement for our youngest learners.

Work, however, continues on our historic bluestone building. Families will have noticed the increased scale of scaffolding, particularly around the metal bell tower turret. As is often the case with buildings approaching 150 years of age, once works commence certain elements can be found to be in poorer condition than first anticipated. Recent heavy rains further exposed areas of roof deterioration requiring additional attention.

While a confirmed completion date has not yet been set, the school continues to work closely with the Victorian School Building Authority to ensure all learning environments remain safe and that our remarkable Bastow-designed building is restored to the highest possible standard.

We sincerely thank our school community for your continued support, patience and understanding as this important work progresses.

Keeping School Access Driveways Clear

As works continue on site and contractors remain active across parts of the school, we are asking for the support of all families in ensuring that school access driveways are not used for parking or drop-off/pickup at any time.

These driveways must remain clear at all times to allow:

• Emergency vehicle access
• Contractor and maintenance vehicles to enter and exit safely
• Uninterrupted access to essential services

Even short stops or “quick drop-offs” can create significant safety risks and access issues.

We understand that drop-off and pick-up times can be busy, and we appreciate families planning ahead and using designated parking areas and surrounding streets in accordance with local traffic regulations.

The safety of our students, staff and wider community is our priority. Thank you for your cooperation and continued support.

Department of Education Mobile Phone Policy & Online Safety

As a reminder to all families, our school implements the Victorian Department of Education’s Mobile Phones — Student Use Policy, which requires that all student mobile phones are switched off, handed in and securely stored during school hours (including recess and lunch).

This policy is in place to:

• Reduce distractions to learning
• Promote positive social interactions
• Support student wellbeing
• Minimise cyberbullying and online safety risks during the school day

Students are permitted to bring a phone to school; however, it must remain switched off and securely stored unless a teacher provides explicit permission for educational purposes.

After School: Partnering with Families for Online Safety

While the school day is phone-free, we know that many students have access to devices after hours. We strongly encourage families to actively monitor and guide their child’s device use at home.

Access to mobile phones and online platforms can expose children to harmful content, including:

• Inappropriate websites and explicit material
• Violent or distressing content
• Online grooming risks
• Cyberbullying
• Social media pressures and unsafe messaging

Open communication, clear family expectations, and consistent supervision are critical in helping children navigate the online world safely.

Supporting Families: eSafety Commissioner Resources

The eSafety Commissioner provides outstanding, evidence-based resources to help families manage online safety at home. We encourage parents and carers to explore:

• Parent and Carer Guides – Practical advice on apps, games, social media and device safety
• eSafety Kids – Age-appropriate learning modules for children
• Webinars for Parents – Free sessions on topics such as cyberbullying, online gaming and social media
• Reporting Tools – Guidance on how to report serious online abuse or illegal content

You can access these resources at:www.esafety.gov.au

A Shared Responsibility

Keeping children safe online is a shared responsibility between school and home. By working together — maintaining clear expectations at school and consistent supervision at home — we can help ensure our students develop safe, responsible and respectful digital behaviours.

If you have any questions about the school’s mobile phone policy or would like support in accessing online safety resources, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office.

The school is in the process of planning parent workshops in this space.

Reminders:

Tuesday 17th February - School Photos 

Tuesday 17th Feb we will be undertaking school photos. We are asking families to ensure that all students are wearing official school uniforms, which includes the official school uniform colours.

• No Grade 6 t-shirts or jumpers
• No sports t-shirts
• No alternative colour leggings/pants (Required school royal blue)

As photo day approaches, we just need to make families aware of important information regarding the use of photos taken.

All students presented to our photographers on photo day will be photographed, their images will appear in school photography packages which will be available to purchase by school families.

If you have any questions regarding the use of photos and images within photo packages, please contact the office prior to photo day.

School Volunteer - Annual Registration

Each year all parent volunteers are required to complete the annual registration form. This form ensures that parent volunteers are across important Department requirements and policy. 

Key to this process are 3 steps

• Complete registration form
• Complete volunteer OHS module (Link located in the registration form)
• Ensure school has an up to date Working With Childrens Card

If you have any questions about this process please contact the school office

Volunteer Registration Link - https://forms.gle/vM933fttXMk66XBG7

Warm regards,

Mat Montebello