Merri-bek Mail

Principal's Report

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents and Carers,

Acknowledgement of Country and Acknowledgement of Diversity:

We proudly acknowledge The Wurundjeri People as the custodians of our school land.

We openly welcome and accept everyone regardless of their background or beliefs and promote a respectful and inclusive school culture at all times.

 

We have some exciting things occurring this term and in Term 4 including – Footy Day, Father’s Day and Special Persons Stalls, some new lunchtime clubs, Hispanic Day, the swimming program and graduation.

 

We have had many new students starting at our school, so to our new families joining us, welcome to our Merri-bek Primary School Community. We look forward to developing a working relationship with you and trust that you and your child feel welcomed and supported in our learning community.

 

VPA Leadership Conference:

On August 22 – 23, Bianca and I attended the VPA conference titled, ‘Our Communities, Our Schools.’  Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, The Hon. Ben Carroll MP officially opened our conference and then our first keynote speaker, Mark Carter, commenced a whirlwind of possibilities as we look forward to the importance of school leadership both within and beyond the school gates.

 

Kieran Flanagan spoke with energy about the importance of adaptability and innovation in our work. Our final speaker on Thursday, James Castrission took us on an emotional roller coaster as he shared his journey to the South Pole and back.  His focus on the importance of collaboration was amazing and his session finished the day with a standing ovation.

 

Friday morning commenced, with Gihan Perera taking us on an inspiring journey into the future to ensure we all become more aware of what ‘future fit’ leadership looks like.  Nathan Wallis then shared, through a neuroscience lens, the critical importance of a positive and loving environment during the first 1000 days for our children and how this shapes lifelong outcomes for all.

 

Julie Cross closed out our conference as the force of nature she is.  An outstanding person, who models resilience and humour in the face of diversity.  

 

NAPLAN RESULTS:

Our NAPLAN 2024 results have been recently released and have shown pleasing improvements in both Years 3 and 5. In 2024 students were reported against the following proficiency standards:

 

• Exceeding: the student’s result exceeds expectations at the time of testing.

 

• Strong: the student’s result meets challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing.

 

• Developing: the student’s result indicates that they are working towards expectations at the time of testing.

 

• Needs additional support: the student’s result indicates that they are not achieving the learning outcomes expected at the time of testing. They are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily.

 

Our results have shown that in Year 3 our students are performing above the state in reading, writing, grammar and punctuation and numeracy. We are performing below our network schools in spelling. In Year 5 we are performing above our network and state schools in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation and numeracy. We will continue to work towards improvement across all areas to provide the best learning opportunities for our students.

 

HEALTHY LUNCHES:

It is important to provide children with a balance of healthy and nutritious food to fuel their brain and body during the day. Please ensure that you provide our child/ren with something substantial to eat such as a sandwich, roll, wrap or salad as well as other tasty and healthy treats for morning tea. If possible, avoid the use of packaging and support our goal to have as much nude food as possible.

 

STUDENT ATTENDANCE:

The types of absence that require Principal approval are:

  • Bereavement
  • School refusal
  • Family holiday
  • Cultural observance- example Eid, Ramadan
  • Leisure or social activities
  • Special event
  • Participation in elite sporting event/training

 

If your child is absent, please notify us using Compass to explain their absences. All absences must be accounted for on the day of absence.

 

The diagram below shows the link between regular school attendance and achievement. Regular attendance is essential to assisting with social, emotional and academic development.

Maria Giordano

Principal

 

Reminder: Sun Safety

 

As of the beginning of Term 4, both students and adults at Merri-bek Primary School are required to wear a hat when outside in the playground. Acceptable hats include legionnaire, bucket, or wide-brim school hats. Please note that baseball caps are not suitable, as they do not provide adequate protection for the ears and the back of the neck.

 

For the first week of Term 4, students will be given a grace period to ensure they have a suitable hat. After this period, students without hats will need to stay in shaded areas during outdoor activities.

 

Please take this opportunity to locate your child's hat or purchase a new one from our uniform shop at [psw.com.au](https://psw.com.au).

 

To help us return lost items, kindly ensure your child's hat is clearly labelled with their name.

 

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school community sun-safe!

 

 AssistantPrincipal’s Report

Hello wonderful Merri-bek families, 

I hope you have all endured our windy weather.  Earlier this term the teachers and ES staff had a PL with Narissa Leung, Oz Lit Teacher, to learn about Phonological Awareness, Phonics, Vocabulary and Dyslexia.  The feedback from teachers has been great and we are continuing this learning this year in our Professional Learning Communities.  This learning also links with the Education Departments  Teaching and Learning Model.

 

Thank you to all families and students who put in so much effort to participate in our Book Week Dress Up.  Students engaged in cross community activities to celebrate Book Week and enjoyed their visits to the Library to see and listen to the nominated books. 

 

Bianca Hudson

 Assistant Principal