Principal's report
Greetings Parents, Carers and Students,
The first week of our new Specialist timetable is almost complete and it seems to have had a seamless introduction. Implementing a new timetable relies on teachers taking collective responsibility, staying informed and a willingness to understand the bigger picture. All of these elements have ensured success. My thanks to Michelle Bovèwho has mastered the timetable in the past and liaised with Jarrod Sutton to develop the timetable we are now implementing. Well done team!
Lost Property
We still have a lot of clothing now gathering in the corner of the Gym. I urge students to have a look for any items they may be missing. Shortly these items will be ‘culled’. There are many ‘other’ items like lunchboxes, drink containers etc. The schools ‘Rubbish Free’ lunchbox or ‘Nude Food’ arrangements is a wonderful whole school strategy, so have a look for any of your lost items and get them back into circulation!
Parent Forum last night
Thank-you to the parents who were able to come to the Forum for our upcoming School Review. We had a small but dedicated group of parents who provided feedback on our school. Lesley Tulloch (a School Reviewer) facilitated the evening giving an outline of the new Review process and enabling parental comment on two questions: What do you value about Moonee Ponds West PS and where would you like the school to be in 4 years’ time? It was pleasing to see such similarity in each group’s responses. Our next step is a school-developed survey. All members of our school community will be able to contribute in this way.
The Annual Report
On Monday August 27 in the Library from 6-7pm, I will be sharing the school’s Annual Report before posting on our website. As we are in a Review cycle much of the information presented at this meeting will form part of our Pre-Review Self Evaluation. Parents and friends of MPWPS are invited.
Chess Club
During Open Library each day, the children have a chance to play chess. We have some skilled chess players within our student populations. How wonderful is this! Chess is a strategic game and encourages wider thinking by our students. At MPWPS, we offer Chess instruction after school in the Performance Space. It is a user pays system but worth joining if, your child is at all interested. Information about Chess is available at the General Office.
Independent Reading
Last week the teachers in our 1/2 and 2/3 classes watched our Literacy Consultant Paul Ledwidge model an Independent Reading session. The focus of the mini lesson at the beginning of this time was visualising. In Independent Reading, the teacher has an explicit focus for students whilst they read a ‘just right’ book. Reading silently for a period builds reading stamina, and real reading skill. At the end of the Independent Reading session, the teacher will conduct a sharing session where the students will show evidence from the book or discuss the focus of the lesson. The explicit focus during this time and the sharing of the students evidence from their reading in relation to focus, are the different elements from SQUIRT. At the end of the demonstration, Paul led the teams through a reflection of what they saw and answered relevant questions. Paul will confer with the teams again when he returns next week. He will be conferring on how the adjustments have gone within each 1/2 and 2/3 class. Guided reading practice is so important for young developing readers.
Parent Reps Morning Tea
The Parent Rep Morning Tea is approaching and I am hoping all Reps will be able to attend. We will hold our first gathering in the Staffroom. Looking forward to speaking with you and gathering your ideas.
Well that is about it from me. Until we meet in person.
Sincerely
Kerri Simpson
Principal (Acting)