Dear parents and carers,

School Council Vacancies: We opened the nominations for the new School Council, which operates from March 2026 until February 2027 last week and unfortunately had no parent nomination, so I have extended it until Wednesday 4th March 2026. All government schools in Victoria have a school council. They are legally constituted bodies that are given powers to set the broad direction of a school, in accordance with Ministerial Order 1280 Constitution of Government School Councils, and the Education and Training Reform Act 2006. In doing this, a school council may directly influence the quality of education for students. At MWPS we meet for about one hour and a half, twice a term. Parents on school council provide important viewpoints and have valuable skills and a range of experiences and knowledge that can help inform and shape the direction of the school. Those parents who become active on a school council find their involvement satisfying and may also find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging. Each member brings their own valuable skills and knowledge to the role, however, to successfully perform their duties, councillors may need to gain some new skills and knowledge. If you are interested in joining school council, nominations for the 2026 will close on the 4th March 2026 at 4.00 pm and forms are available at the front office. If we receive more nominations than vacancies, an election will need to be held. If you would like more information or would like to speak to a parent who is currently a Schol Council member to hear their perspective, please contact the school.

Respect for School Staff Policy: Staff at Melton West Primary School, including teachers, education support staff, office staff, the Assistant Principal/s and Principal, are committed to providing a positive and supportive learning environment for all our students. Our staff take their work very seriously and feel privileged to be able to play an important role in each child’s education. Parents/carers and visitors to our school also have an important role to play in fostering a safe and inclusive environment for the entire school community. All staff at Melton West Primary School have a right to a safe and supportive work environment, and we expect that parents/carers and visitors always behave in an appropriate and respectful manner. The Department of Education and Training has outlined expectations on parent/carer behaviour within Victorian government school communities in the Respectful Behaviours within the School Community Policy – see attached. When parents and carers engage in unacceptable behaviours against a staff member of another member of the school community, this can affect their health, safety and wellbeing.

Unacceptable behaviours include, but are not limited to:

being violent or threatening violence of any kind, including physically intimidating behaviour such as aggressive hand gestures or invading another person’s personal space
speaking or behaving in a rude, aggressive or threatening way, either in person, via email, social media, or over the telephone
sending demanding, rude, confronting or threatening letters, emails or text messages
discriminatory or derogatory comments
the use of social media or public forums to make inappropriate or threatening remarks about the school, staff or students.

Traffic Around the School: It was quite disappointing to see parents and carers encourage their child to cross the road, in busy afterschool traffic, without using the school crossing. Our School Crossing Supervisors are out there in the rain, hail and shine to protect our children and help them cross the road safely. Having a child’s parent or carer encouraging them to cross at other places can give mixed messages to the young person and does not teach them how to be safe around traffic. I have had several parents approach me about having near misses and feeling quite stressed that they narrowly missed a child crossing the road. All adults need to act as role models, and I encourage you to work with the school to ensure the safety of all.

Double parking or stopping in the middle of the road to let children in or out of the car is also dangerous. If a car does not stop as a child is exiting, and hits the stationary car, the child is in great danger.

Supervision at Park: As you may be aware, there is a park on the corner of Coburns Road and West Melton Drive, where a number of students wait for their parents afterschool. Please be aware that the school is not able to provide teacher supervision in this area. I therefore suggest that you consider an alternative location at which your child waits to be picked up. Can I also remind you that we have an After School care facility run by Extend that is safe and well supervised and children can attend at a minimal cost? Please contact the school if you would like further information about Extend. Enrolment Packs are available at the office.

We have staff on yard duty, within the school grounds, before school from 8.30 am when gates are opened and afterschool until 3.20 pm. Please ensure your child is collected promptly at 3.05 pm when they are released from their classroom, as it can be very stressful for a child to be the only one left in the playground when all other children have gone home.

I would like to remind parents that it is your responsibility to:

ensure that your child arrives to school safely and are in the care of school staff at the beginning of the school day, and
ensure that your child is collected from the school premises at the end of the school day, or that alternative arrangements have been made for your children

High Levels of Learning for All

Michelle Costa

Principal