News From Mr Smith
Dear School Community Members,
At Manifold Heights Primary School, the wellbeing of every student is at the heart of everything we do. Through our participation in the Respectful Relationships initiative, our ongoing commitment to the School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) framework, and regular Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons that reinforce our School Values, we strive to create a safe, supportive and inclusive environment where every child can thrive.
I recently discovered a valuable resource for families called The Parents Website, developed by Independent Schools Victoria. This website offers a wealth of practical information, articles and resources to support parents in navigating many of the challenges that can arise throughout their child's development.
Topics include:
- Listening is Helping
- Supporting your child through bullying
- Managing screen time
- Understanding anxiety
- Homework
- Avoiding safetyism
Parenting advice and strategies
If you are interested in learning more about any of these topics, I encourage you to explore The Parents Website:
https://theparentswebsite.com.au/
Celebrating 100 Days of Prep!:
Congratulations to our 76 Prep students, who will celebrate their 100th Day of School next Wednesday! Reaching this milestone is a wonderful achievement and a great opportunity to reflect on how much our Prep students have learned and grown since the beginning of the year. They have made a fantastic transition to school, and we congratulate our students, families, teachers and Prep buddies for the important role they have all played in making this such a positive and successful start. To mark the occasion, our Prep students will enjoy a special dress-up day along with a range of fun, hands-on activities centred around the number 100. We look forward to seeing their creativity, enthusiasm and, most importantly, their smiling faces as they celebrate this exciting milestone together.
Supervision:
As a staff, we are committed to our ‘Duty of Care’ and ‘Yard Duty and Supervision’ policies (can be found on our website) to maximise the safety of our students. A friendly reminder that our grounds are supervised by school staff from 8.50am until 3.40pm. Outside of these hours, supervision cannot be guaranteed and our Duty of Care policy is not applicable. Families of students who are on school grounds outside of these hours are encouraged to contact our Outside of Hours School Care provider, TheirCare.
It’s not Okay to be away!:
As a follow up from last week’s newsletter, I would like to continue to highlight the importance of regular attendance at school.
Why does 20 days matter? Research shows that 20 or more days absent directly impacts on student learning and their ability to develop friendships and relationships.
Our target for 2026 is no more than 15 days absence per student (on average).
We ask families to please reinforce the motto that It’s not Okay to be away!
The table below highlights the importance of regular attendance to school.
0-6 days per semester | This is within the normal range. The child can take advantage of the teaching and learning opportunities available to them. |
7 – 10 days per semester | This attendance rate is below average. A child with this attendance rate could miss over one year of schooling between Prep and Year 10. |
11- 20 days per semester | This is a poor attendance rate. A child with this attendance rate could miss up to two years of schooling between Foundation and Yr 12. |
If you’re having attendance issues with your child, please let your classroom teacher know or contact Mrs Geary or Mr Smith so we can work together to get your child to school every day.
Safety – Staff Carpark:
As a school, our highest priority is the safety of all community members. Recently we have been made aware that some families are utilising the staff carpark as a drop off and pick up zone – this compromises the safety of our students. To maximise the safety of our students and all community members, I remind our families of the following:
- The staff carpark is strictly for staff only, as well as any community member who has the appropriate permit to park in the ‘All Accessible’ parking bays that are located in the staff carpark (permit must be on display)
Students often use the staff carpark as an entry and exit from school – for this reason no moving vehicles are permitted in the staff carpark during these times.
Thank you in anticipation for your support of this matter.
Thank you for supporting our school and have a great week.
Christian Smith