From the Principal
Tomorrow is photo catch up day for those students who missed having their photog taken.
Welcome to IPS
Welcome to Rekha Colaco who has joined the office administration and first aid team. You may know Rekha from her extensive role at our wonderful Out of School Hours Care program. She steps into the role vacated by Samantha and is already immersing herself in the many and varied tasks that our admin team manage everyday to keep our school running effectively.
You will have heard the news that the government has committed 2.5 million dollars to addressing gaps in learning growth during the pandemic period of remote learning. Schools have been charged with identifying ways in which a tutoring program will work within their individual context to benifit our students. While we are yet to receive the funding and guidance to manage this significant one off resource package we can tell you that our moral compass as educators is to use this funding to the greatest effect for our students. That the focus of the tutoring is relationships, engagement, curiosity as the platform for building literacy, numeracy and thinking skills.
The Victorian Chief Health Officer has written a letter to parents, carers and guardians reassuring them of the low transmission risk of coronavirus (COVID-19) in schools.
The letter also provides information on the effective risk-mitigation strategies in place at schools and links to useful information and resources.
I encourage you to read the health and safety advice for schools for further information on what schools are doing to keep students and staff safe.
National NAIDOC Week
This year National NAIDOC Week will be held from Sunday 8 November to Sunday 15 November, after being postponed in July due to coronavirus (COVID-19).
NAIDOC Week 2020 invites all Australians to embrace the true history of this country – a history which dates back thousands of generations.
NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced to the advocacy of Aboriginal groups and organisations in the 1920s and 1930s, which sought to increase awareness in the wider community of the status and treatment of Aboriginal Australians.
NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
This year, the NAIDOC theme is: Always Was, Always Will Be.
The theme acknowledges that this nation’s story didn’t begin with documented European contact; that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years and are spiritually and culturally connected to this country.
Foundation transition
Our talented Foundation team are working hard on strategies to enable our newest students to familiarise themselves with schoool before they come to school. Over the next few weeks keep an eye out for visuals and information you can use with your child(ren) to help their transition.
Meet Foundation.
Foundation Transition Orientation Dates:
Session 2 - Thursday 12th November – 9:10-10:00am
Session 3 - Tuesday 15th December – 9:10-10:30am
Keep an eye out for more vignettes of our current students showcasing our school.
*The Evening Foundation Information/School Readiness Session where you will meet your child’s teacher on Monday 14th December at 7:00pm.
(Hopefully in person but we will have to see.)
PFA Coordinator required
The PFA is a volunteer group composed of members of the school community and members of the IPS staff. Please read the IPS Parents & Friends Association page for details on how to get on board.
IPS PFA Tea Towel Keepsakes (fundraiser)
What is a Tea Towel Fundraiser? Each year level are creating a tea towel, with every
student’s self-portrait included! Download the information and order form below.
Finally
There is no higher priority than to get our kids to reconnect with school.
Victoria has been apart of the longest period of systemic lockdown anywhere in the world. Coming back into a social environment for all of us, especially our students, has been confronting after six months of isolation. So it shouldnt be a surprise to see that some people's trigger points are hightened. Perhaps this is in the form of over sensitivities to the comentary of others or the reluctance to engage in community activity.
One of the big challenges for us as educators and parents is to make sure that we are listening to the social cues around us and enable children to re adjust to returning to, not just the academic life but also the social aspects of school.
There is no question that the disruptions to education has caused us to think carefully about how to proceed with returning to normal schooling. That one of the fundemental priorities and conditions for success is to look after our communities' wellbeing. That's all students, all staff and all parents.
Thank you for your continued support. Remember if you need support consider the following services.
Stay safe, look after each other and thank you for supporting our great school.
Mark Kent
Principal
