Mr. Barclay's Bulletin

Hello NPS families. 

As always I hope that you've all had a great week! 

The term continues to (steam) roll on with many events having taken place as well as many more to come! We have had a few glitches with our whole school calendar however this has now been resolved and is completely accessible once more. Please make sure that you are visiting this regularly, along with checking your Compass dashboards for Event approvals and schoolwide updates.

I am aware that there has been some recent chatter amongst the community regarding student safety - particularly outside and our grounds being accessed by 'random' people. It is no secret that our fencing is not where we/I would like it to be. I have lost count of the sheer amount of emails sent and phonecalls I have had with DET and the VSBA regarding our fencing situation. I believe things will only improve if we as a community keep that pressure on. All unwanted persons onsite are reported to both DET and VicPol and reports are made. As per our previous newsletter, I encourage families to contact DET and or our local MP to express what concerns you may have.   

At the end of 2023, we were notified that we were unsuccessful in 2 major grant opportunities that we applied for. One being for external/boundary fencing, and the other for a new playground. 

Our playground underwent an audit last year, determining a 60K bill to repair, paint, and upgrade what we currently have. The cost to replace the playground entirely with a larger more inclusive playground was closer to 90K. Either way, we will continue to source, fundraise, and seek other grant opportunities to tackle this huge project.  

In recent years our school community has assisted us greatly in our fundraising efforts which we are ever so grateful for. The asphalting of the basketball and netball courts, line marking, and new decodable readers have all been possible due to those fundraising efforts. In 2024, we are looking to establish a 'Reflection, Relaxation, and Regulation Space' to support all of our students, especially those needing support with emotional regulation - especially when they are in that unwanted red zone. I will be sure to keep you all updated as to the process of that project. 

A HUGE thank you to those parents/caregivers who attended the SLA camp this week. As always we are thankful for the support we receive and like the SLA camp, we are also in need of volunteers and helpers for our upcoming Cross Country (Monday 18th March) and Whole School Athletics (Thursday 21st March) events. If you believe that you can assist at one or both of these events, please access the Google Form below.  

Google form

https://forms.gle/KtDXuzPr9u1TpEEu9

Towards the end of this term, I will once again be running our Parent Helper Course - date and time TBC. This will allow parents and or caregivers the opportunity to access learning spaces and assist within our literacy block. 

That is it from me. Have a great and safe weekend and we'll see you all next week!  

Kind regards,

Newtown Primary School 

Principal

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