Melton West Primary School

Principal's Report 

Dear Parents and Carers,

 

Welcome to my final newsletter for Term 3. It has been a busy and productive term, with swimming completed today. Thank you to the parents and carers who assisted at the pool and simply came to support their child by watching. It was pleasing to know that all Year Prep – 2 students who wanted to attend were able to and that although there was a waitlist for Years 3-6, it wasn’t too long. My apologies to those few students who missed out on a place, however, to make all the necessary arrangements including arranging the correct number of staff to supervise, we need to work on the number of students the pool can accommodate as well. 

 

School Saving Bonus:

In Term 4, 2024, families with a child enrolled in a government school from Prep to Year 12 in 2025 will receive the one-off $400 School Saving Bonus. The $400 School Saving Bonus provides families with support for education-related costs, such as school activities and/or school uniforms and textbooks. The School Saving Bonus is not available for full-fee international students, home schooled students, TAFE students and students attending kindergarten in 2025. What parents/carers need to do to access this money: Before 18 October 2024, the Department of Education is asking parents and carers to:

  • Complete enrolment: If your child, or children are changing government school for Term 1 2025, or starting Prep or Year 7 in 2025. For more information, read about Enrolling in School. 
  • Check your contact information: Ensure your email address and phone number is up to date with us. You can check this information by contacting us directly.

We need to ensure your contact information is up to date as the Department of Education will email you twice:

  • in October, to verify your email address
  • in November, with your $400 School Saving Bonus.

Please check your junk mail regularly to make sure you do not miss an important email.

To learn more about the School Saving Bonus, download the School Saving Bonus Information sheet for government school parents and carers or visit vic.gov.au/school-saving-bonus. 

 

Special Requests for 2025 Class:

Part of the work we do in Term 4 is to form the new classes for the following year. If you have any concerns or requests about children you feel your child should or shouldn’t be with please put these in writing before Friday 25th October. Any requests received after this date CAN NOT be considered, due to the flow-on effect that any changes to classes already created has across the board. I will need to stick to this timeline quite tightly to ensure the process runs as smoothly and as efficiently as possible. Please note, requests for specific teachers will not be considered. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this process, please do not hesitate to contact the office to make an appointment to speak with me. 

 

Student Toilets:

Unfortunately, we have had a number of toilets vandalised over the past few weeks, with toilet paper dispensers broken, and large chunks of paper thrown into toilets. Not only is this expensive, it also impacts all students as we have had to close some toilets as we wait for replacement stock. This can take up to 2 weeks to arrive and limits the number of cubicles available for students to use for this period of time. We have been working hard on curbing this behaviour by reminding students of expected behaviours related to the toilets through student messages at assembly, explicit teaching of appropriate behaviour and continuous monitoring. However, unfortunately, these disappointing actions continue. We would appreciate if you could speak to your child about behaviour they may witness in the toilets and encourage them to let an adult know if they see someone deliberately destroying them. 

 

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:

  1. Ensure that your child arrives to school safely and are in the care of school staff at the beginning of the school day, and, 
  2. 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