News From Mr Smith

Dear School Community Members,

Planning for 2025: Our Leadership Team continue to work on planning for 2025. This includes planning our class structures, staffing and learning spaces for 2025. To support our process of allocating all students to a class for 2025, each student has been provided with an opportunity to complete a ‘Friendship Card’. This ‘Friendship Card’ will allow students to indicate some students they would like to be in a class with in 2025. Students will be guaranteed to be placed in a class with at least 1 of these students from their ‘Friendship Card’. I will continue to share aspects of our 2025 planning as it becomes formalised.

2025 Student Leadership Team: Next week, some of our Yr 5 students will present a speech as a nomination for our various student leadership positions for 2025. Our students will present to their peers as well as staff in their quest to gain one of the student leadership positions. This includes school captain, school vice captain and house captain. Our other student leadership positions will be available early next year. Whilst not all students will be awarded a formal leadership position, I am confident each student will play a pivotal role as the senior students in leading their younger peers in 2025. I wish all Yr 5 students well for the remainder of the process!

Staff Forum – Individual Education Plans: Led by Mr Beck, this week our staff forum was focused on compiling and implementing high quality Individual Education Plans (IEPs). An IEP is a written plan that describes the adjustments, goals and strategies to meet a students’ individual educational needs so they can reach their full potential. Our staff develop an IEP for approximately 10% of our students. Part of the process in developing an IEP, staff engage both the student and his/her family to gain input into the plan. Ultimately, the plan is co-developed by the teacher, student and the family. This maximises ownership and clarity, and in turn motivation to achieve the goals set in the plan. Teachers will continue the process of developing the IEPs for the selected students and contact families over the coming weeks.

Mano Colour Run – Friday, 8th November: Once again, thank you to the families who have registered their children for the Mano Colour Run. We encourage all families to register their children ASAP to support our Parents and Friends Committee with their planning of the event. Information regarding our Mano Colour Run has been sent home over the last few weeks via Compass.

School Council: Our School Council met again Monday night where key agenda items included:

Jonathon Connor (President) updated School Council on our advocacy in securing an extra classroom for 2025 – more information to come when available
Our 2024 Staff Survey results were tabled and discussed
School Council discussed the plans for our oval – including the Narmbool Street end opening by middle of November and the entire oval being closed from 12th December for the Manifold Street end to be levelled and completely re-turfed
Our new student uniform items were displayed to School Council – these items will be available from Bellarine Uniforms in the coming weeks. More information is available in today's newsletter
School Council reviewed the Digital Learning Policy with the key amendment that Parents/Carers of Gr 3, 4, 5 & 6 students will have the option to have their child’s device to remain at school rather than come home each night

Each of our School Councillors are deeply committed and invested in our school. Please contact them if you have any feedback or concerns (details available from our school website).

Safety – Staff Carpark: As a school, our highest priority is the safety of all community members. Recently we have had some near misses or “close shaves” in the staff carpark due to families utilising the staff carpark as a drop off and pick up zone. 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