Carlton North Primary School

Message from the Principal Team

Principals' Update

Week 7

 

Foundation Transition - Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 November

This week we welcomed our 2023 Foundation students and their parents onsite for the first Foundation Transition session. Our 2023 Foundation teachers, Eoghan and Jacqui, worked with the students in their learning spaces as they started familiarising themselves with the concept of starting ‘big’ school. We look forward to welcoming them back next Wednesday for their final session when we will also be conducting an Information Session for the new Foundation parents.

 

Online Safety & Digital Wellbeing Webinar for CNPS Parents/Carers

This Monday 21st of November (7pm-8pm), we will be running an online Safety & Digital Wellbeing webinar for all parents and carers of F-6 students.

Here is the link - Webinar registration | Microsoft Teams

 

Rebecca Martin and Steve Villani from Evolve Education will be presenting practical strategies to help your child make the most of the online world.

Parents and carers will be empowered with the skills to:

  • model safer internet practices in the home
  • participate in your child's online world
  • communicate openly about your child's digital life
  • supervise and support

*Please note that this session is not suitable for children to attend.

 

 

Bec and Steve will then be working with CNPS Yr 3-6 students on Wednesday 23rd November.

 

Yr 3/4s will complete 'Being Kind Online' - investigating ways to be kind online and how to protect themselves and others from unkind words and actions. Topics addressed within the workshop are:

  • Responding, Resilience & Reporting
  • Harmful or Helpful 

Yr 5/6s will complete 'Brain, Balance and Boundaries' - evaluating the effect social media and online games have on their wellbeing. Topics examined within the workshop are:

  • Like, Comment, Share 
  • Digital Wellbeing Challenge 
  • Balance and Boundaries 

We hope to see as many parents and carers in attendance at the online webinar as possible. 

 

Changes to the 2023 School Timetable - Thank you for Your Feedback

The 2022 Victorian Government Schools Agreement provides our teaching staff with less face to face teaching time and more time to plan for quality teaching and learning. Staff are also required to take their 30 minute lunch break between 11:30am and 2:30pm. In order to be able to accommodate our teaching staff work conditions for 2023, we need to make changes to our school timetable. 

In 2023, we will be moving to 1 hour learning sessions as opposed to the current model of 50 minute sessions. Our teaching staff welcome this change as 1 hour sessions mean they have more teaching time to implement our teaching and learning models and this means that our weekly teaching time for Reading, Writing and Mathematics will increase from 250 minutes per week to 300 minutes per week in each of these learning areas. 

If you have not yet contributed to the consultation process please follow the link for the survey.

FAQs

Please find the answers below to some frequently asked questions about the proposed models.

  • Is it not possible to have the recess after one session, eg recess 10-10.30am, so that lunch time can be at 12.30pm?
  • Has 1 session between recess and lunch been considered?
  • Has a 15 minute morning recess and 15 minute afternoon recess been considered?  

We are looking at 2 blocks of 1hr sessions to prioritise learning particularly in the areas of Reading, Writing and Mathematics. 1hr stand alone sessions are not ideal as our children take time to settle back into the learning space after they’ve been out in the playground. Using strategies such as mindfulness takes time out of the hour session.

  • Any chance of changing the school start times to make this work better as part of a Model 3? Bringing the whole day forward half an hour would solve the late lunch problems, and be much better for most working families. 

This could be considered and discussed with School Council; a change to school hour start and finish times also requires DET approval.

  

Swimming in Schools Program - Foundation to Year 4

The Swimming in Schools Program will be run this term for Foundation to Year 4 students. It will be held at Carlton Baths, beginning 28 November. The program will run for 2 weeks and be held every day except for Wednesdays (8 sessions in total). The Swimming in Schools Program is designed to increase opportunities for students to learn how to swim and develop lifelong skills in swimming and water safety to reduce their risk of drowning and injury.

 

The Swimming in Schools Program is considered part of the Standard Curriculum and is partially subsidised by the Department of Education. The remaining cost is to be borne by the school, so we are requesting parents and carers, if you are in a position to do so, to please consider a voluntary contribution toward the cost of running this program. This can be found under Course Confirmations (not Events) in your Compass Portal. The suggested contribution is $19, however, any contribution to this program is greatly appreciated.

 

We are also in need of some assistance from any parents/carers who are available to help out with walking to and from the pool. If you can assist, please let your child/ren's teacher know.

 

New School Term Dates for 2026

There have been changes to Victorian school term dates for 2026. This will provide an opportunity for Victorian communities to participate more broadly in the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games will take place across regional Victoria from Tuesday 17 March to Sunday 29 March 2026, with Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Gippsland and Shepparton hosting a range of activities and events for 20 different sports and 9 para-sports. 

The 2026 Victorian school term dates are:

• Term 1: Tuesday 27 January to Friday 13 March 2026 

• Term 2: Monday 30 March to Friday 19 June 2026

• Term 3: Monday 6 July to Friday 18 September 2026

• Term 4: Monday 5 October to Friday 18 December 2026.

For the list of school term dates until the end of 2030, refer to School term dates and holidays in Victoria.

 

Teacher Professional Practice Days (PPD)

The new Victorian Government Schools Agreement states that each teacher is entitled to be released from their scheduled duties including any face to face teaching, for three Professional Practice Days in 2022 to focus on the improved delivery of teaching and learning. These days are additional to pupil free days and planning time.

 

The following staff have their PPD days next week and will not be teaching in the classroom on those days: 

  • Monday 21 November - Isabella and Carla
  • Wednesday 23 November - Wendy and Emily
  • Thursday 24 November - Eoghan and Sophie

Principal Team

Rachel Corben and Jane Bilby