SMPS Family iNewsletter

Principal's Message

Our children are our future...

Headlines - Please Note

We encourage you to read this entire newsletter as lots of effort has been put into its production.  Here are the  most urgent and important details to read in this edition (not just on this first page):

  1. Noel on Secondment for 4 Weeks, Leaders Stepping Up
  2. Forecourt Dilemma
  3. Attendance, Lateness and Uniform Appreciations
  4. New Extra Curricular Sports Provider Term 3
  5. Financial News - Next Page (please read carefully)

Principal's Message

Welcome to Week 7 of an 11 week term. I hope you and your family are healthy and happy. I extend goodwill to you all. 

 

There is a bit to report in today's iNewsletter. First up, I saw an advertisement in my inbox for a Senior Education Improvement Leader (SEIL) position and put my name down as an EOI. I was lucky enough to be successful in this short-term opportunity. My role is to support 32 Beachside Network schools and 19,000 students. The role will begin the day after King's Birthday long weekend and conclude the day before Term 2 finishes. I assure all families that the opportunity only encompasses these three and a half weeks. My heart well-and-truly beats for SMPS and I am going nowhere. The chance to learn by doing this role was too good to turn up as I seek to get the next edge in excellence to bring back to SMPS. When I learn, SMPS benefits. I am also a role model for taking chances and learning for my staff and children. 

 

In my absence, Callum Freel will assume Acting Principal duties (he is currently Assistant Principal) and Maddy Morrison (currently Learning Specialist) will assume the Acting Assistant Principal role to support Callum. Jo May (Leading Teacher) and Orlaith Kenny (Learning Specialist) will round out the leadership team in my absence. I have 100% confidence this team will do a stellar job. I will miss you and the kids, but I will be better for the experience. My last day will be this Friday and my first day back will be the last Friday of term. 

Forecourt Dilemma

Hmmm, not sure how to solve this one. We open the front gates at 8:30am - they are locked before that so parents don't drop off their child unsupervised (which would put the child at risk). We encourage everyone to arrive after the gates open in the window of 8:30am-8:45am. When we have been going to open the gate at 8:30am, there seems to be a crowd - and many students in the crowd have been prematurely dropped off by parents and left there unsupervised. They should be at OSHClub. 

 

Guess what? Those unsupervised students are often involved in incidents that require hours of follow up by teachers during the day. The same happens after school. On Friday, an unsupervised student broke a window which will require $3,000 of our school's money to repair. Not to mention the follow up with the student and parent themselves.

 

Most parents have been sensational in following the rule after school to supervise their child and to exit by 4:30pm so our staff who close the gates are not held up waiting for the stragglers to leave. This is very respectful behaviour. Sadly, there are a few students whose parents either are not in the yard (or they are in the yard but are not actively supervising the child as they get up to mischief).

 

We don't like the feeling of locking gates on families who just want to supervise their children and play happily. But, what do we do?

 

Please write to our school email (south.melbourne.ps@education.vic.gov.au) with suggestions with ATTENTION MR CALLUM in the subject line and your creative suggestions as to how we might solve this sticky dilemma. 

 

We need your kids safe before and after teacher supervision stops (pre-8:45am and post-3:45pm). We love when kids and families play happily inside the 8:30am-4:30pm time windows (as long as each child is supervised). We don't like locking gates on our lovely community. But how do we all work this one out?

 

The rules at the moment are:

  • Gates are locked until 8:30am and we don't really want earlier arrivals (especially unsupervised children)
  • Active parent supervision starts at 3:45pm and parents have to be with their children directly (not sitting in cars or not even there)
  • Everyone needs to leave by 4:30pm at the latest to respect the staff member who is locking the gates

Any change in this is subject to feedback from our community and agreement by leaders to trial a new idea. Please support the current policy and we will convey if it changes. 

Attendance Appreciation

We crunched some numbers this week and it revealed a good news story. Given the context that the majority of our families are from overseas and sometimes take holidays during learning time, the attendance record is very healthy. 

Here are the facts:

  • Our overall attendance rate is 92.3% and this factors in absences due to extended family holidays. This is our highest outcome so far in the history of our school and a credit to families for trying their best to get kids to school each day. Also, credit to families in limiting taking holidays to actual school holidays to lessen the effects of absences on learning. 
  • When we take out extended family holidays, our attendance rate is 95.5%. This is an extraordinary figure and among the highest in the State!

Thanks for trying to plan family holidays during school holiday times where possible and thanks for getting your children to school each day when they are able to (and are not sick or contagious for others).

Big Improvement in Late Arrivals

I want to extend a huge thank you to all of you who are making the effort to get your children to school on time each day. We know it’s not always easy - balancing busy mornings, family needs, and your own work schedules is no small task. Your efforts are seen, and they’re making a real difference!

 

The numbers speak for themselves:

  • In 2024, by the end of May, we had 2,102 late arrivals across 471 students.
  • In 2025, by the end of May, we’ve reduced that to 1,272 late arrivals, even though we now have 508 students.

That’s a remarkable improvement - well done! But we also know there’s still work to do. We completely understand that life happens - traffic, missed alarms, or just one of those mornings. One-off late arrivals are part of life, and we appreciate your understanding and support. But it’s important to be mindful that when lateness becomes a regular pattern, it sends the wrong message to our children.

 

Just as we wouldn’t expect a teacher to arrive late most days (imagine a classroom with no teacher!), we cannot prepare our students for success if being late becomes the norm. Punctuality is a life skill, and school is where we help develop it.

 

Please aim to arrive by 8:45am. Although the bell rings at 8:55am, arriving right at the bell - or just after - means a rushed trip up the stairs and a stressful start to the day. Students need those extra minutes to settle in and begin their learning calmly and confidently.

 

Let’s keep building on this positive momentum together - every on-time arrival is a step in the right direction.

Uniform Improvement

The hits just keep on rolling! Thanks for your fantastic support in helping our students look so smart in their school uniforms. On our recent uniform check day, we had a whopping 92% compliance – that’s a huge achievement and a credit to your efforts at home.

 

We’ve also noticed a big improvement in one particular area – shoes! In Term 1, we had 26 students with incorrect footwear, but by Term 2, 17 of those students were stepping out in the correct shoes. 

 

We know uniforms aren’t always the easiest part of school life, but your support really helps set the tone for pride and belonging in our school. We’re currently in the process of reviewing a number of our policies, including the School Uniform Policy, which will be updated later this year.

 

Thanks again for all you do – your partnership makes a real difference.

General Notes

Kirrip Park Access: 

As you know, we have not been able to access the Kirrip Park across the road in Term 2. We thought this restriction was going to be tricky, but it is working out OK. The new turf in the park has now been laid and it should be open for use at the start of Term 3 (probably). The kids have been great as we utilise our gym and other spaces during recess. 

 

New Zealand Visitors:

Our school is a magnet for international educators trying to crack the code of success at SMPS. This Wednesday, we have a contingent of New Zealand educators touring the school. It is a testament to our community that others want to look under the hood of our success as a school. 

 

Koorie Morning Tea:

On Friday, we held a Koorie Morning Tea to celebrate and recognise our Indigenous students. It was a lovely time and we had our Koorie Educational Support Officer (KESO), John Murray, present as he yarned with the kids. We have a wonderfully diverse community that we are extremely proud of and this event recognised part of that success of our school. 

 

End Note:

Phew, that is a lot of information, right? That's OK. We know that you are all invested in your child's education and school. And, to do that right takes time. I will be away for a few weeks and I will think of you all as I take a departure on my journey. I wish you all well as you navigate the last part of Term 2 and look forward to seeing you this week as I finish off. Be well.