Principal's Message
Please take the time to read each page of our newsletter, as we provide you with information updates across our school.
Smile Squad is coming to Upwey South Primary School
The Smile Squad team from EACH are coming to our school from Monday 17th February 2025. Smile Squad is the Victorian Government free school dental program, which visits schools on an annual basis. This means all students can get a free dental check-up, preventive services, and treatment at school.
How to access free dental care
Smile Squad need your consent before we can provide services.
Consent is required to be provided by a parent or guardian by:
Signing up to Smile Squad at: https://bit.ly/smilesquadvic
OR using the below QR code:
Please complete and submit the consent form, this will be sent directly to EACH. The electronic consent form can be translated into more than 100 languages, and the paper form is available in 13 languages.
Paper copies of the consent form are available. Please contact the school office if you would like to request one.
Dogs at School Policy
Whilst we all love our pets, we must also understand that sometimes bringing a dog onto school grounds may not be suitable. Therefore, to support the welfare and safety of our wider student community, please refer to the below details:
Assistance dogs vs family pet dogs
Upwey South Primary School acknowledges its obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) and the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic) and will make reasonable adjustments for members of our school community with a disability who require an ‘assistance animal’ to help alleviate the effects of their disability. Assistance animals are permitted to attend our school with their handler.
The Principal can lawfully ask a person to produce evidence that an animal:
- is trained specifically to assist a person alleviate the effects of a disability (eg: seeing eye dogs)
- meets standards of hygiene and behaviour appropriate for a school environment.
We understand that in some circumstances, students may require an assistance animal to attend school to help them to participate in their educational program. Upwey South Primary School will consider a request by a student with a disability to allow an assistance animal to attend school with them on a case-by-case basis.
Our school community is diverse, and may include people that are allergic or uncomfortable around dogs. We are also conscious of the health hazards that may be posed by dogs. We expect that families leave their pet dogs at home, or safely tether them outside school grounds when attending our school.
The Principal reserves the authority to prohibit certain dogs from school grounds to ensure the safety and wellbeing of staff, students and members of our school community at any time.
Implementation of Policy
Upwey South Primary School is not a public place, and the Principal and school staff have the authority to permit or decline entry to school grounds and impose conditions of entry.
Whilst Upwey South Primary School understands that many families in our school community keep dogs as pets, to ensure that our school remains a safe and inclusive place for everyone, we have in place a number of expectations which will be enforced to promote the safety of students, their families, and the pet dogs of families.
The rules that we expect all members of our community to adhere to are:
During the hours of 8:00am – 4:15pm on school days:
- Pet dogs are not permitted to be on school grounds. This is inclusive of school drop-off and pick-up times.
- Should you wish to bring a pet dog to drop-off/ pick-up your child then you should arrange a meeting point along the school boundary.
During the hours of 7:00am-8:00am and 4:15pm-6:30pm on school days:
- Families are asked to be mindful that the school operates an Out of School Hours Service, conducted by TheirCare OSHC from 7:00am-6:30pm on school days.
- Community members may walk their dog through school grounds prior to 8:00am, or after 4:15pm being aware that all dogs must be leashed at all times and in the control of a responsible adult.
- If there is a dog on the premises during the OSHC service hours (7:00am-6:30pm), TheirCare staff reserve the right to direct the owner and their dog to leave school property if the dog is deemed by staff to be impacting upon students and their ability to move around the school.
- Visitors to the school that bring pet dogs onto school grounds are required to pick up their dog’s excrement
- Pet dogs must not be tied up on school grounds and left unaccompanied.
During sanctioned school events either inside or outside of normal school hours:
- Pet dogs are not permitted to be on school grounds during approved school events at which Upwey South Primary School students will be present (for example: Working Bees, Christmas Concerts, Parent Teacher Interviews, Open nights and Family nights).
During school term breaks and curriculum days:
- All dogs must be leashed at all times and in the control of a responsible adult
- Visitors to the school that bring pet dogs onto school grounds are required to pick up their dog’s excrement
- Pet dogs must not be tied up on school grounds and left unaccompanied
- Families are asked to be mindful that the school operates an Out of School Hours Service, conducted by TheirCare OSHC from 7:00am-6:30pm during term breaks and on curriculum days.
- If there is a dog on the premises during the OSHC service hours, school staff reserve the right to direct the owner and their dog to leave school property if the dog is deemed by staff to be impacting upon students and their ability to move around the school.
During approved in-school activities:
At times, pet dogs may be approved to attend the school grounds for educational purposes. This includes accredited dogs used as part of the Responsible Pet Ownership Program. Where families wish to bring their pet dog into the school for a particular event, prior permission of the Principal is required.
Unaccompanied and/or stray dogs
Unaccompanied or stray dogs sighted at our school should be reported immediately to the school office. School staff will contact municipal authorities and/or Victoria Police for assistance in managing and removing a stray dog from school grounds, to ensure staff and students remain safe at school. Actions of the school staff are in alignment with Yarra Ranges Council lost animal procedures https://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Property/Pets/Lost-animals
Term One: Getting to Know You - Classroom Teacher Interviews (Year One-Year Six only)
Bookings are now open via the Compass Parent Portal
These interviews present an opportunity for parents/carers and teachers to share learning and wellbeing information regarding each individual student.
Please note: That bookings can also be made for Mrs Oakley and Ms Stjerne if your child is involved in the Tutoring Program. Interviews will take place on Tuesday 18th February.
Should you not be available to attend on one of these evenings, please make contact with your child's classroom teacher to arrange an alternative meeting time.
Tuesday 18th February 4:00pm- 7:30pm and Thursday 20th February 4:00pm-6:30pm
Booking system open 3:00pm Friday 7th February - 9:00pm Tuesday 18th February.
Bookings can be made via the Compass Parent Portal.
For assistance, please speak with your child's classroom teacher.
Please note: These interviews are open to Year One-Year Six students only. Foundation student interviews occur during previously arranged Wednesday early-years-interview bookings.
HOW TO BOOK:
Using a PC: Enter the Compass Parent Portal, and look for the green banner in the top right-hand corner of the screen. Follow the prompts.
Using the app on a mobile device: Select your child's name. Follow the prompts.
For assistance with bookings, please contact your child's teacher via email. All teachers can be emailed through the Compass Parent App by selecting "Email my child's teacher". Or alternatively, you may call the office on 9757 0200.
Supporting our students to attend school - arriving on time every time
Our school's Guiding Principles highlight the importance of consistency and predictability to promote student wellbeing and learning.
When arriving to school, please support our students by focussing upon the following:
keep morning routines consistent and predictable for each day; this can include factors such as what time you leave home each morning, points of drop-off, how your child/ren enter the schoolgrounds, and modes of travel to school.
aim to have your child/ren arriving at school between 8:30am-8:45am each day; this is an important part of a morning routine. Being able to say hello to friends, engage in enjoyable play routines, and simply not feel rushed, are all factors that contribute to a smooth detachment from parents/carers.
look for our friendly yard duty teachers when arriving to school; staff are on morning supervision from 8:30am-8:55am. If something has arisen in your morning routine which you need to share, look for our friendly yard duty teachers who can provide you with support.
- allow your child/ren to carry their own school bag; this level of independence helps your child to feel prepared for the school day. Knowing where their school bag is placed helps to alleviate anxiety, and also helps your child to have a task to focus upon when entering the school grounds.
A reminder of our morning bell routines:
- 8:45am- first bell rings, signifying students should enter the classroom and setup their belongings
- 8:50am- class attendance rolls are taken by the teacher, and classes commence promptly.
Arrival after 8:50am requires a late pass from the school office.
If you do arrive late for school, which we understand sometimes happens, you are required to bring your child/ren via the office. The purpose of this parent/carer accompaniment is so that you may share any updates/experiences which may have impacted upon your family that morning. Our friendly staff can then provide you and your child/ren with appropriate support to help them with their learning/wellbeing.
Emergency Management Information
At Upwey South Primary School, we review and update our Emergency Management Plan (EMP) annually.
The management of EMP actions is highly detailed, and can alter dependent upon environmental changes which may impact upon schools (e.g. geographical location, changes to surrounding bushland/vegetation, changes to community access/buildings, etc).
In order to simplify the complexities of an EMP, we provide families with a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) reference. These FAQs provides you with:
- possible emergency scenarios which may require a school to enact its Emergency Management Plan
- actions specific to our school, when enacting our Emergency Management Plan
- information about the Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS)
Please familiarise yourself with the actions we are taking to provide a safe learning environment for our students by visting:
https://www.upweysthps.vic.edu.au/page/26/Emergency-Management-Planning--FAQs
School Saving Bonus (SSB)
We have many families that have not yet actioned the email they received from SSB in November/December 2024.
If you haven't actioned this email, you should action it as soon as possible so that you may allocate funds to support your child's education within the specified guidelines.
Families who have not actioned the instructions as per the SSB email, are unable to access funds.
If you cannot find your personalised School Saving Bonus (SSB) email, please contact the following email directly:
school.saving.bonus@education.vic.gov.au
Camps, Sports, Excursions Fund (CSEF)
CSEF is a financial support package available to families who qualify for additional support based upon a number of factors.
The applicant of CSEF must be one of the following on the first day of Term One (28th January 2025) or Term Two (22nd April 2025):
- a parent or carer who is the beneficiary of a financially means-tested card – please refer to the list of eligible cards below
- a temporary foster carer
Applications must be submitted to the school by 4th July 2025.
Where the parent or carer is seeking eligibility based on an eligible financially means-tested card, eligibility will be determined when the relevant concession card successfully validates with Centrelink on either the first day of Term One or Term Two.
Please note that all families who received CSEF in 2024 have automatically been uploaded for 2025.
For families new to our school, application forms are available from the office or attached below.
2025 Continuous Improvement Structure
In our final newsletter of 2024, we provided our community with information regarding staffing and school placement; known as our Continuous Improvement Structure.
Summary information from this post, is duplicated below:
In 2025, we will be expanding to a 14-class model of delivery.
This will consist of 2 x Foundation, 3 x Year One, 2 x Year Two, 4 x Year Three/Four, 3 x Year Five/Six.
We also welcome the following staff to our school team:
- Tanya Howell (Class 1C) - joining us from the Dandenong Ranges Network
- Rebecca Hobson (Class 2B) - joining us as a mature-aged graduate from Mountain Gate Primary School
- Katherine Jones (Class 34C) - joining us as a mature-aged graduate
- Hellen Lloyd (Foundation) - joining us as a Learning Support Officer
- Merryn Olman (Foundation) - joining us as a Learning Support Officer.
In 2025, we are also expanding our school’s executive leadership profile with the following appointments:
Assistant Principal (1.0FTE)
Following a rigorous recruitment process, Llewela Humphries has been appointed to the substantive position of Assistant Principal for 2025 - 2028.
Ms Humphries will be responsible for student wellbeing and inclusion, strategic development of our wellbeing curriculum, and daily operational aspects of the school.
As Assistant Principal, Ms Humphries can be contacted on 0428 959 358.
Please save this mobile number, which you are welcome to utilise for matters related to your child’s emotional wellbeing and sense of inclusion.
Llewela Humphries’ email address is Llewela.Humphries@education.vic.gov.au
Acting Assistant Principal (1.0FTE)
Following a rigorous recruitment process, Melinda Rowe has been appointed to the position of Acting Assistant Principal for 2025.
Mrs Rowe will be responsible for overseeing our high-abilities practice programming, strategic curriculum development, instructional pedagogies, and assessment and reporting.
As Acting Assistant Principal, Mrs Rowe can be contacted on 0467 290 948.
Please save this mobile number, which you are welcome to utilise for matters related to your child’s curriculum learning and teaching practice.
Melinda Rowe’s email address is Melinda.Rowe@education.vic.gov.au
Attachments:
Notification of 2025 curriculum (school closure) days
Please be aware that due to a data entry error, for a short period of time a student-free day appeared in the live Compass calendar as Monday 28th April. This is not a student-free day, and the error has been corrected.
Please note that the below information is a duplication of dates provided in our final December 2024 newsletter.
The following Curriculum Days have been allocated as per Department of Education Guidelines. Please add these dates to your family calendar:
Term One
- Tuesday 28th January (Week One, Term One) - Focus: Statewide Curriculum Day
- Friday 7th March (Week Six, Term One)- Focus: Instructional Pedagogies and the Victorian Curriculum 2.0
Term Two
- Friday 6th June (Week Seven, Term Two)- Focus: Victorian Curriculum 2.0 Assessment and Reporting
Term Three
- Monday 25th August (Week Six, Term Three)- Focus: Instructional Pedagogies and Learning Science
Term Four
- Friday 31st October (Week Four, Term Four)- Focus: School-Wide Professional Practice Assessment & Reporting
Notification of 2025 Victorian School Terms
Term One
- Year One- Six students commence 8:50am- Wednesday 29th January 2025
- Foundation students commence 9:10am- Friday 7th February 2025 (2:00pm dismissal)
- Term One concludes for all students: 2:30pm- Friday 4th April 2025
Term Two
- All students commence 8:50am- Tuesday 22nd April 2025
- All students conclude 2:30pm- Friday 4th July 2025
Term Three
- All students commence 8:50am- Monday 21st July 2025
- All students conclude 2:30pm- Friday 19th September 2025
Term Four
- All students commence 8:50am- Monday 6th October 2025
- All students conclude 2:30pm- Friday 19th December 2025
We encourage all families to stay informed with our Compass Calendar, as there are a number of exciting events occurring throughout December.
We look forward to sharing an exciting 2025 partnering with our community, and we thank you for your ongoing commitment of our school.
Communicating with the Principal
We look forward to partnering with you in 2025, and welcome your input:
Damien Kitch
Principal
m: 0459 864 712