PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

The Moorabbin Primary School Community touch the land and think of the Bunurong People and surrounding Clans of the Kulin Nation who cared for the land before us.

We share our gratitude to their Elders past, present and emerging.

As we touch this land, we promise to treasure it, taking care of all its people,

animals, plants and waterways.

We at Moorabbin Primary School appreciate this land.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Happy Chinese Lunar New year

This week, our school community had a fantastic time celebrating Chinese Lunar New Year. It was wonderful to see students learning about the significance of this important cultural event and participating in activities that highlighted the traditions, colours, and joy of the celebration. Opportunities like these help build understanding, respect, and appreciation of the diverse cultures within our school and wider community.

A special thank you to our students for their enthusiasm and positive participation throughout the week. We would also like to acknowledge Mr Fang for bringing out the dragons with the LOTE leaders and other very excited and enthusiastic students who shared this exciting tradition with us, bringing good luck and energy to our school. It was a vibrant and memorable celebration enjoyed by all!

BSEM (Berry Street Educational Model)

This year, our school will be implementing the Berry Street Educational Model (BSEM) to support the social, emotional, and academic development of all students. BSEM is a research-based approach designed to help children thrive by creating safe, predictable, and supportive learning environments. It focuses on trauma-informed practices, strengthening relationships, and promoting self-regulation, resilience, and wellbeing alongside academic growth.

Parents will notice BSEM in action throughout the school in several ways. Classrooms and learning spaces will have clear routines, visual cues, and consistent expectations to help students feel safe and confident. Teachers will use strategies that promote engagement, manage emotions, and support positive behaviours, and students will be guided in building respectful relationships with peers and staff. You may also see students participating in activities that develop self-regulation, emotional literacy, and collaborative skills.

We have chosen BSEM for 2026 to provide a strong foundation at the start of the year, helping to set routines, establish clear expectations, and build a positive school culture. This approach supports all students in feeling valued and understood, reduces disruptions, and ensures that learning time is maximised. Importantly, BSEM prioritises building healthy relationships and emotional wellbeing, which underpins academic success and helps every child feel connected and confident in our school community.

Over the last 3 weeks all staff have been adopting the BSEM routines in their classrooms including our specialist teachers.

The next step in our whole school focus on consistent predictable routines is to continue to develop smooth and safe transitions from one activity to the next, to different areas in our room, to different classrooms, to social spaces and when entering and exiting rooms.

Here are the areas that we have been actively and explicitly teaching:

A Display of class timetables
Highlight main transitions that occur across the day or week
Discussion of current transitions that are working well and which are proving more difficult
Sharing ideas as a class about ways these routines can be improved
Choosing one that is more challenging (e.g. moving from desk to floor, packing computers away, getting fruit snack from bags, putting hats away, getting packed up at the end of day, lining up quietly in roll order etc.)
Setting a class goal around this challenging routine to work together as a class to improve
Practise and track progress - using incentives, such as house points for reaching set goal
A visual display of each child’s chosen strengths in or near their classroom. You will also notice that the staff have completed one in the main foyer of the main building

GET TO KNOW YOU INTERVIEWS

Thank you to all families who attended our recent Get to Know You interviews. These conversations are an important opportunity to build strong partnerships between home and school, share valuable information about your child, and set goals for a positive and successful year ahead. We appreciate your time, engagement, and commitment to working together to support student learning and wellbeing. If you were unable to attend, we encourage you to please contact your child’s teacher to arrange a mutually convenient time to connect.

SUPERVISION AT RECESS AND LUNCHTIME

School staff are rostered on for Yard Duty during recess (10:40am – 11:10am) and at lunch (1pm – 1:50pm). Staff members are on duty for half before being released by another staff member.

Our Yard Duty staff outside will be wearing a bright blue vest and have a small first aid kit that can help address minor cut and abrasions. Anything more serious normally results in the student being sent to the first aid room. Some of our Year 6 student leaders will soon be taking lunchtime activities.

Here is a full list of our lunchtime clubs that are also supervised by a staff member, please note, this will not include user pay groups operating at lunchtime:

Lunchtime Clubs Term 1

Important Start of Year Reminders

As we settle into the year, I would also like to share some important reminders. These expectations reflect our shared commitment to ensuring every child is safe, well and ready to learn.

On time arrival – our classrooms are open from 8:50am with a prompt start to learning at 9am. If your child arrives after 9:00am, they may miss important instructions and key information that supports a positive and successful start to their learning.
Parking & Safe Driving – Our Kiss and Drop zones operate each morning on Dane and Wickham Road. To ensure traffic flows smoothly and safely, please do not leave your car when using these areas. Our Kiss and Drop areas rely on a quick departure. We also ask that you show consideration for our neighbours by avoiding stopping across driveways. Although everyone has places to be, taking time to model safe driving helps keep everyone safe. This week unfortunately we have had a number of parents displaying dangerous and illegal parking. For example see this picture that was sent to me. I am not a road traffic inspector but by the same token I am urging everyone to be respectful and safe at all times.

Hats – please remember that school hats are essential for outside play and learning.
Jewellery – For safety reasons, students are not permitted to wear jewellery. The only acceptable jewellery items are – stud earrings or sleepers worn in the ears and watches. This policy ensures safety, particularly during physical activities.
No food birthday treats – please do not send food items to school for birthdays due to allergies and anaphylaxis concerns. If you would like your child to share something with their classmates, we encourage non-food treats such as stickers, pencils, bookmarks or small novelty items.
Phones & Smart Watches – as per our Mobile Phone policy, these devices should be handed into the office at the start of the day. Some year 3 and year 4 students are bringing in their phones before school, and some have been confiscated due to children trying to use them before school. Please remind your child that they are not permitted to play or use their phone AT ALL while on school premise before or after school.
Fake tattoo’s being drawn on hands and legs- we have noticed a number of our students drawing designs on their hands, arms and legs. Fake or drawn-on tattoos are not permitted at school unless they are part of a recognised religious or cultural celebration. In these cases, families are asked to provide a note to the classroom teacher explaining the occasion. If a student is seen with a Texta drawn tattoo’s that do not meet these requirements, they will be asked to attend sick bay to have it washed off.

These reminders are a collective responsibility, and we all play an important role in supporting a positive, focused and respectful school environment for our students.

A reminder about dogs on site and in the reserve that adjoins our school

We would like to remind all families that dogs are not permitted on school grounds at any time, including before and after school, unless they are registered assistance animals.

This is to ensure the safety and comfort of all students and community members. For those using the public reserve next to the school, we ask that dogs remain on a leash and are closely supervised, particularly during busy drop-off and pick-up times, to help keep children safe. Thank you for your cooperation and support.

Child Safety standards

Legislation introduced by the Victorian Government which took effect from January 2017 ensures organisations that deal with children have appropriate and consistent measures in place to prevent and respond to allegations of child abuse.

The Child Safe Standards are compulsory minimum standards for all organisations that provide services to children including Victorian schools. The aim of the Standards is to ensure organisations are well prepared to protect children from abuse and neglect.

Relevant resources for parents and students can be found at: https://ccyp.vic.gov.au/child-safety , on the school website or by contacting the school office.

Here is the link to our website: www.moorabbin.vic.edu.au

As part of our child safety policy, all visitors to school outside of the drop-off and pick-up times must report to the office.

All visitors need to sign into Compass as a visitor. You will be handed a visitor pass, you will require a volunteer Working with Children Check and will need to complete an OHS/Child Safe Induction to be in the school during the day.

If you arrive and need to drop off your child/ren, we will accompany them to class for you.

Inclusion

Inclusion refers to the practice of ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their background, abilities, or circumstances, can access and participate fully in educational and social environments.

Welcoming student differences

Victoria has a strong and vibrant education system that celebrates diversity and is committed to supporting the achievement and participation of all students. Inclusive education acknowledges that some children and young people have intersecting identities or additional needs that schools may need to take into consideration. These identities may relate to:

having a disability or additional learning needs
gender identity
sexual orientation
being an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person
race
cultural identity
speaking a language other than English
social factors
economic factors
experience of abuse, neglect or family violence.

Please see our school policy …………………………………………. as well as a number of policies that are provided by DET.

Inclusive education for students with disabilities | vic.gov.au

LGBTIQA+ Student Support: Policy | VIC.GOV.AU | Policy and Advisory Library

Noxia Angelides

Principal