School Leaders

Late Arrivals to school 

We would like to remind all families of the importance of ensuring that students arrive at school on time. Recently, we have noticed a significant number of students arriving late to school.  

When students arrive late, it interrupts the flow of lessons and can be unsettling for both the child and their classmates. Additionally, office staff are sometimes required to accompany late arrivals to their classrooms, which diverts them from their important duties. 

Arriving on time is crucial for helping your child settle into the school day, build good habits, and maximize their learning potential. We kindly ask for your cooperation in ensuring that your child arrives at school by 8:55am at the latest each day. 

Together, we can create a more effective and positive learning environment for all students. 

If you have any concerns or need to discuss why you may be finding timely arrivals to school a challenge, please feel free to reach out to your child’s class teacher or our office staff.  Thank you for your understanding and support in this matter.  

School Photos

2026 SMPS Easter Raffle - Thursday 2 April

🎉 SMPS is holding an Easter raffle fundraiser!

🍫Seeking donations: Our raffle prizes are made up of generous donations from our wonderful SMPS community. If you are able, please purchase one chocolate egg, two chocolate eggs, or a packet of chocolate eggs and hand them in to the SMPS office.

All the chocolate donations will be put together to make up some fantastic prizes! All donations are greatly appreciated, even an Easter basket or gift bags to package the prizes in would be gratefully accepted.

We're sorry, we are unable to accept home-made treats. Only store-bought products please. 

🎯 Drawn: The raffle will be drawn on the last day of term, Thursday 2nd April, after the Easter Hat Parade for our students.

🎟 Raffle Tickets: In the coming weeks, each student will receive an envelope with 10 raffle tickets inside. We will ask students to please sell as many as they can. Tickets cost $1 each. Cash only. All money raised will go to help fund improvements to benefit the SMPS students and the community.  Such as, the playground line markings (installed in 2022), our new BBQ (purchased in 2023), and a playground shade sail (installed in 2023!).

🎟 Volunteers Needed: If you are able to help with the following tasks to support this school fundraiser - please contact the office via email on south.melbourne.ps@education.vic.gov.au to put your name down.  These tasks can be done at a time that suits you, and we will provide a working space for you at school.  Get a group of friends together and help us out for a few hours over the next few weeks. 

• Counting Tickets and Sorting into Class groups to be distributed to each student by the teachers
• Laminating some Signage and Advertising Flyers
• Packaging a variety of Prize Packs from donated Easter egg items
• Helping Collect tickets from families before and/or after school

In the meantime - please drop off Easter eggs, Easter gifts or Easter packaging for our Raffle at the office.

Prizes from Previous Years Easter Raffle:

A special thank you to our lovely parent volunteers who offered up their time this week to package all the easter raffle tickets for our families to sell over the coming weeks! 

Doug, Chloe, Agiimaa, Claudy, Ed, Emily, Richa, Sherly, & Varuna.

Delivered Items to the Front Office - Please Don't

The office team have noticed a significant increase in the number of items being dropped off at the front desk each morning after students arrive at school. This is occurring daily and, at times, in large volumes. Items frequently delivered include water bottles, cutlery, library bags, hats, devices and bomber jackets.

While we understand that busy mornings can sometimes mean items are forgotten, the front office manages a high volume of calls, student needs, visitors and administrative tasks throughout the day. Unfortunately, we cannot always guarantee that dropped off items will be delivered to classrooms in a timely manner as this takes us away from our core administrative duties.

We kindly ask families to support us by encouraging children to pack their school bags each evening and check they have everything they need before leaving home each morning. Establishing this routine supports a smooth start to the school day and helps students build independence and organisational skills.

Learning to manage personal belongings is an important part of primary school. When items are forgotten, it provides an opportunity for children to develop responsibility and understand natural consequences. Consistent expectations between home and school help reinforce these habits.

Please note:

• If your child forgets their water bottle: there are multiple water fountains located around the school, including on every learning level and in outdoor play areas – your child will not be without access to water through the day if they do not have their drink bottle.
• Our “No Hat, No Play” policy remains in place during Terms 1 and 4. Students without a hat are still able to go outside but must remain in shaded areas – which limits their play space and serves as a reminder to bring their hat. 
• Library Bags – If students forget their library bag, they will be unable to borrow books until the following week. While not a serious consequence, it can be disappointing and encourages students to remember next time.
• Devices – Each year level has a small number of spare devices available for emergency use if required - your child can go without their device if forgotten.
• Jackets – Our building is temperature controlled and students are generally active during recess and lunch and often warm up quickly. Being without a jacket for a day will not have a significant impact, nor will they catch a cold (as colds & flu are a virus unrelated to weather)

Before bringing items to the office, we encourage parents to pause and consider whether the time taken for both families and office staff to manage these deliveries is more valuable than the learning opportunity it provides for children to build independence, organisation, and resilience.

We appreciate your understanding and support in helping us minimise disruptions to learning time and allowing the front office team to prioritise administrative responsibilities and student wellbeing.