Greetings from Shaun

Welcome Back!

As the first fortnight of school wraps up, it's great to see everyone back and reconnecting with the school community after the summer break. Time seems to have flown by, but it's been wonderful catching up with familiar faces and meeting new ones. Our students have settled in incredibly well and are enjoying the opportunity to begin a new year of learning.

I would like to extend my gratitude to our school community and staff for the positivity and enthusiasm that has been brought into 2024. Whilst we have had some last minute changes around staffing, the children have settled into their new learning environments and are building new social relationships, routines and learning good habits quickly. 

It was especially lovely to see everyone come together for the welcome picnic this week. Hearing everyone's stories about their time with family and friends has been a highlight for me.

You may have noticed a dedicated focus on reinforcing classroom expectations, especially regarding our school values of respect, collaboration, and community-mindedness. We encourage you to engage in conversations with your child about the expectations, procedures, and routines they have been actively discussing and practicing over the past two weeks. Your involvement in reinforcing these principles at home will greatly contribute to their understanding and implementation in the school environment. 

Communication 

At Northcote Primary School we believe that building a positive relationship between home and school plays an essential role in the education of your child. One part of this is the communication. With a new year upon us and some changes in our staffing, we thought this would be a great opportunity to share with you a communications diagram that may assist you with who to contact about any queries you may have: 

Please bear in mind that our teacher's official response hours fall within the school day, from 8:45am to 4:45pm. It is important to understand that during classtime, teachers are fully engaged in supervising and teaching children and cannot reply to emails. If you would like to organise a meeting with your child's teacher, our staff meetings are held on Monday and Wednesday evenings at 3:45pm, staff are unable to meet on these nights. Additionally, some staff members may have meetings on Tuesdays starting at 3:45pm, so please be mindful of this when arranging to meet. 

Rest assured that our staff will endeavor to address all communications in a timely manner. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in respecting these boundaries, as they ensure our teachers can focus on providing quality education and support to our students. 

If you have urgent concerns or inquiries, please feel free to reach out to the office and we'll be sure to assist you promptly. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Numeracy Consultant

This year we have enlisted the expertise of a numeracy consultant, Carmel O’Beirne, to work with us in the area of maths. Carmel has been working as a numeracy consultant for over ten years, having previously worked in a coaching role across different school regions. Carmel spent 2 days with us in Term 4 last year, getting to know our school and context and the areas of focus for us this year. 

This has allowed us to hit the ground running, with Carmel spending 3 days in our school this week. Across the three days, Carmel has been observing maths lessons, running coaching and feedback sessions with teachers, working with our leadership team and attending team PLC (Professional Learning Community) meetings, where teachers analyse student data and plan sequences of learning. A key focus within these meetings is understanding how to target students at their point of need and provide a level of challenge for all students.

Carmel also ran an after-school workshop for our teachers on one of the Big Ideas in maths – Trust the Count, which is the foundation for all students’ mathematical learning. It’s been a great way to start our school year, with a lot of excitement in the air for all things mathematics. Carmel will be back in Week 6 for another 3 days which will also include a full day of professional learning for our teachers on the Curriculum Day – Friday 8th March.

Cyber Safety 

This week our school hosted a series of really informative, interactive cyber safety sessions aimed at empowering students with essential online safety skills. These sessions covered a range of topics including internet privacy, social media etiquette, and strategies for staying safe online, including things like password management and the responsible use of devices. Students actively engaged in discussions, shared their experiences, and learned really practical tips for navigating the digital world responsibly. By equipping our students with this knowledge and tools we are hoping they will be supported to make informed, safer decisions online. We will be holding a parent information later this term, keep an eye out for more information. 

Landscaping Update

In the upcoming week or two, we anticipate receiving feedback from the Victorian School Building Authority regarding their evaluation of our landscaping proposal. Should the submission meet their requirements, it will proceed to the tender stage for landscape architects to undertake the project.

While awaiting feedback on the submission, we are advancing with other assessments and investigations. Scheduled for next week, we have arranged for tradesmen to conduct a soil contamination assessment and provide a geotechnical report. This process involves excavating a few test holes throughout the designated area and analysing the soil for metals and other potential contaminants.

Working Bee- Save the Date

Attention all volunteers! As we gear up for the much-anticipated school fete, we're reaching out to you for your assistance. Our working bee to get ready for the fete will take place on the 2nd of March, from 12 pm to 3 pm. 

During this time, we'll be rolling up our sleeves to transform our school grounds into a vibrant and welcoming space for this special event.  If you are willing to lend a hand, your help is needed and greatly appreciated. 

Saturday 2nd March - Working Bee for Fete Day 12 - 3pm 

Parent Volunteer Induction Session

We will be hosting an Information session for Parents and Family Members who would like to be helpers in the classroom. During the session we will cover how you can best support students in the classroom, and your legal requirements (such as Working With Children, Child Safety Code of Conduct etc.). 

All parents/carers who would like to be a classroom helper in 2024, will need to:

• Have a current Working With Children Check which can be obtained free of charge for a volunteer Visit https://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/
• Complete the NPS Child Safety Induction Agreement (see attached)

The session will be held at school in the Staff room at 9:15 - 10:00 am Friday February 23rd, 2024. 

If this time is unsuitable for you, there will be an opportunity to access the information via a recorded meeting at a later date to be confirmed. 

You can book by following the link below to the online Google Form:

https://forms.gle/Rr6nrwSRXtQiYMKT6

Announcing our 2024  Teaching Teams 

We are very pleased to anounce our Teaching Teams for the 2024 school year:

Prep Team 

Prep A- Natalie and Amy

Prep B- Meg

Year One/Two Team

1/2A- Nick

1/2B- Brigitte

1/2C- Izzy

1/2D- Sam

Year Three/Four Team

3/4A- Matt

3/4B- Luke

3/4C- Eleanor 

3/4D- Stephanie 

Year Five/SixTeam

5/6A- Declan

5/6B- Emma

5/6C- Angus

5/6D- Steve 

Introducing our newest staff member: Angus

Hi, my name is Angus and I’m Grade 5/6C’s classroom teacher at Northcote Primary School. As an educator, I have a passion for languages, problem solving and creativity. Outside of the classroom, I love participating in Melbourne’s live music scene, cooking dinners for my friends and tearing around the Dandenong Ranges on my bike. I feel so fortunate to be a part of the Northcote Primary School community and I’m looking forward to a year of growth and exploration with 5/6C. Please come say hello if you see me in the yard!

Annual privacy reminder 

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy. https://www.vic.gov.au/schools-privacy-policy 

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy (available on our school website https://northcoteps.vic.edu.au/ ), this describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn. We ask parents to also review this guidance. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child, please contact the school. 

Finally, an open invitation to our first official assembly for the year, on Monday at 9:10am in the hall. Drop the kids off and while teachers mark the roll, you can get yourself a seat. 

At the assembly, we will celebrate our first pupils of the week for the year, which is made even more exciting by the fact that our Preps will be attending their first assembly ever!.

Take Care,

Shaun.