Principal's Message
Please take the time to read each page of our newsletter, as we provide you with information updates across our school.
Department of Education (DE) Privacy Policy
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 and the Schools’ Privacy Collection Notice.
Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy , 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 The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn.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 the guidance we provide on what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child, please contact the school.
For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents.
Parents' Association 2024
In 2024, our Parents and Teacher Association has been rebranded as the "Parents' Association" with a focus upon providing;
- social opportunities for parents/families to interact beyond the classroom
- opportunities for parents/families to become involved in school events
- fundraising support for School Council initiatives
- support for Student Representative Council (SRC) initiatives
In support of our Parents' Association (PA) we want to hear from you.
The USPS Parents' Association are seeking input from parents/carers regarding the future directions of our association. We would love to hear from as many parents/carers as possible. We have an amazing school community, and we aspire as an association to support the school, and our students, in everything we do.
This survey link will close 4:00pm Friday 29th March 2024.
Please only complete one survey per family. We trust that your responses will capture input from all parents/carers in your family.
There are four main sections of this survey, which should take ~10 minutes to complete.
Please contact the school office if you require assistance, or an alternative format, to undertake the survey.
Please click on the link below to complete a short survey, which asks parents/carers for their input regarding future directions of the PA.
https://forms.gle/PHV44FxQyUJSsDGa8
For further information on the PA and events, please click on the relevant page of this newsletter.
Events and Student Achievements
Once again, our newsletter is packed full of exciting events, news, and achievements from our amazing students.
As the Principal, I am extremely fortunate to be be currently visiting Somers School Camp with 13 of our selected Year Five/Six students. Somers Camp is a DE funded regional based camp, involving 160 students from across our area attending a nine-day adventure camp.
You can see our students boarding the bus in the images below, and we can't wait to see more photos in our next edition.
Recently we experienced storm damage across suburbs and homes within our area. Whilst we lost power for a short time at school, we remained open for students and families. Please be aware that during future loss of power emergencies, our school will remain open if we have access to running water and our sewerage system is working.
For those families who may require support following the storms, please refer to the below link:
Whilst the storm may have impacted some school events (such as District Swimming) we were fortunate to hold a number of events for our students over the first three weeks of school, including our own localised swimming trials (refer to Mr Scicluna's piece in the Health & PE section of this newsletter), and our first immersion excursion to John Monash Science School (JMSS).
Throughout the year, selected Year Six students will visit JMSS on 12 occasions during which they will undertake and explore senior school science and mathematics.
Below are quotes from students who were took part in our first session at JMSS:
"I enjoyed learning about little bit about what a parabola is. I still want to learn more about this. Our lesson was mostly about codes and number connections. I was lucky to work with three Year 11 mentors. '
"I really loved the car ride to JMSS because it was a chance to learn more about each other. JMSS was a really big three storey school- it looked like a hotel. I can’t wait for the next session!"
"I loved making friends with my Year 11 mentors. I was a little bit nervous before our first session, but my mentors made it so much fun. We learnt about coding. I can’t wait to go back!"
NAPLAN Dates and Information
Each year, students in Year Three and Year Five sit a national assessment known as NAPLAN.
The sitting dates of each assessment are marked clearly in the school Compass Calendar. (March 12th- March 18th).
For information regarding this year's NAPLAN, please click on the attachment below:
Celebrating student achievements beyond the school gates
We have the most amazing students at Upwey South Primary School, and quite often their brilliance extends beyond the boundaries of our school fence. With community sport, artistic endeavors and other events back in full-swing we are wanting to use our newsletter as another chance to celebrate the achievements of our students beyond the school gates.
If you know of a student who has achieved something beyond the school gates which should be celebrated, please email damien.kitch@education.vic.gov.au
Communicating with the Principal
We look forward to partnering with you in 202, and welcome your input:
Damien Kitch (Principal) damien.kitch@education.vic.gov.au