Principal's Message
Thank you to our School Community
As a school community, we are extremely proud of what has been achieved thus far!!!
First and foremost, we would like to acknowledge our amazing parents and carers. As a school our transition to Remote Learning has been extremely smooth, with amazing levels of engagement and learning happening across our entire community.
Under the "Student of the Week" section of this newsletter we acknowledge some of the amazing learning which has been sent though to the Principal, but we know there is even more out there!!!
We want your amazing learning to be featured in our upcoming newsletters!
If you want your learning to appear in an upcoming newsletter, click on the link titled "Newsletter Uploads" which is on the Student of the Week Awards Page of this edition.
Are You Okay?
This is an important question to ask of each other during Remote Learning. School at the moment is different, and it is challenging for everyone. You are not alone if you are struggling, and it is important to keep in mind that this situation will not last forever.
As a community, we should be proud of whatever we have achieved to date, and remember how important it is to find a balance. Everyone is trying their best, and this weekend you should take some time to check in with those around you and ask "Are you okay?". These three words can go a long way to helping people feel supported.
As a staff we have held a number of briefings to discuss the importance of remaining focused upon our core business, whilst promoting community welfare.
It is challenging to spend so much time apart, and the teachers are missing our students like crazy! As highlighted in Edition Four of our newsletter, we see our role as two-fold:
1) To provide our students with "normality" in their daily routines.
2) To be respectful of diversity across our school community.
Whilst the current situation may inevitably present challenges, it also presents an opportunity for us to be kind and to take care of each other. It presents the opportunity for our school community to shine, and to put into action our School Values of Respect, Responsibility, and Resilience.
During this time, it is important to make time for yourself and your family, therefore we encourage you to listen to the message of our Principal, and use the information on this page to help guide your family decisions.
The EACH Organisation have released the above document, providing some useful tips for families. You can access the .pdf below
Staying Healthy, Safe and Well while Working from Home
The below is an extract taken directly from the DET website. Whilst this extract is directed at DET employees, it provides some timely reminders for families during the period of Remote Learning:
Working from home is more than just having a good ergonomic workstation set-up. Creating a healthy work routine and finding the right balance that works for you has a big influence on your health, safety and wellbeing. Here are some tips to creating a healthy work routine:
1. Start your day right
Don't rush to start work in the mornings. Our normal daily commute creates a space between getting up in the morning and starting work. Recreate this space to help you ease into the day. Eating a healthy breakfast and getting dressed for the day can also have a huge impact on your state of mind, and you might even like to exercise, stretch or meditate.
2. Make sure you're set up correctly
Take the time to make sure your workstation is set up correctly to avoid injury and minimise any risks around you. Some practical steps you can take are outlined in the Working from Home – Ergonomic Guide on the Department's Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) pages.
3. Make your day work for you
Try to maintain a regular schedule throughout your day. Planning out your day and writing a list of goals will help give you structure and a sense of achievement. Schedule breaks to make sure you get up and move around. Find time each day to catch up and connect with friends and colleagues, talking about non-work things just as you would at work.
4. Be mindful of the fundamentals
Eating well, keeping active and getting good rest are important in staying mentally and physically well. Keep a big jug of water on your desk during the day and stock up on healthy snacks, rather than tempting, sugary snacks. Get outdoors during the day when you can. Consider taking phone calls outdoors. At the end of the day, create your own wind down routine to switch off and prepare yourself for a good night's sleep.
5. Give yourself permission to switch off and recharge
At the end of your workday, it can be helpful to write a to-do list for the following day to help you clear your mind and leave you relaxed knowing where to pick up the next day. Make a point of closing your work devices and putting them away to resist the urge to check back in later in the evening. Find a way to unwind and transition into your personal life, like a quick walk around the block or picking up a magazine, to mark the end of your workday.
Respectful Relationships
During the current period of social-distancing, and rules governing isolation, families are spending an increasing amount of time within their home environment. Whilst this may be a positive for many families, for some families it raises challenges around safety in the home.
As a school within the Outer Eastern region of Melbourne, we have been asked by DET to provide information to our families; should they require reaching out during these uncertain times.
EDVOS, the specialist family violence service in the Eastern Metropolitan Region has unfortunately seen an increase of family violence incidents and demand for their services as result of COVID-19.
In response, EDVOS in partnership with Outer East Primary Care Partnership, Inspiro, Eastern Health, Women’s Health East, Yarra Ranges Council, Maroondah City Council, and Outer East Respectful Relationships have developed a social media campaign guide promoting ways to stay safe, healthy, connected and respectful while at home. This campaign takes a collaborative and evidence-based approach to prevent violence against women during the pandemic through promoting respectful relationships and positive mental health and wellbeing strategies.
Times of stress and hardship are never an excuse for violence. All people deserve to live free from fear and family violence.
The #Together for Respect at Home Campaign encourages our community to choose kindness, compassion and respect during this difficult time.
Should this information be relevant for your situation, please refer to the images below for further information.
A Message from our School Council President
On Monday 27th April, School Council had it's first (remote) meeting with our newly appointed council members. At this meeting all executive positions were declared vacant and new office bearers were nominated to take on these roles for the next 12 months.
The outgoing President, Nick Orr, who has held the position of President for three years is certainly a tough act to follow- he has carried out the role with a fair, balanced and insightful approach. On behalf of the School Council and wider school community I would like to thank Nick for the time and energy he has put into, not only the role of President, but all of his contributions to School Council over the past 5 years. I am also very grateful that he will be staying on as Vice President for the coming year to support me as I learn the ropes! Thanks Nick!
Trudi Bons has taken the role of Treasurer and Llewella Humphries will remain in the Secretary role for the coming year. We are also pleased to have Lisa Dam and Julia Collins remaining on council, as well as welcoming Belinda Stevens, Rachel Morrissey and Janet Young on board. Thank you to all these parents and staff who volunteer their time to be on School Council.
I would also like to acknowledge and thank the parents and staff who retired from positions at the February meeting- Rowan Miller, Jodie North, Vanessa Mullins and Paul Hennessey. Your time and contribution to the school community is equally appreciated.
The sub-committees of the School Council will be confirmed at the next meeting. Parents with interest or expertise who are not school council members are welcome to join sub-committees and more information will be made available about this after the next meeting.
The School Council broadly has three main responsibilities- to provide oversight to the school's financial operation; to monitor and support the development and implementation of the school's strategic and annual implementation plans, and to develop and review policies in line with the school's strategic plan. School Council also provides oversight to buildings and grounds as well as contracts with external providers, and we are a forum to promote positive engagement within and beyond the school community and to represent the views of the community on any of the above areas.
To this end, on Monday night we endorsed the School's Annual Implementation Plan for 2020- this is essentially the what and how of our goals for the year as a school, as per our 4 year Strategic Plan. We also passed the 2020 Budget.
If you ever have any questions relating to any of the functions of school council, please feel free to chat with any of us. If it's not within our scope, we can hopefully point you in the right direction.
As a final note, I would like to acknowledge the immense amount of work that our incredibly dedicated leadership team and teachers have undertaken over the past 6 weeks to develop and implement the remote learning program for our school during these unique and challenging times. We appreciate the time and energy you have all invested in learning new tools and technologies to enable our kids to keep learning. And we are all (parents and kids alike!) looking forward to getting back to school on the other side!
Peta Cartwright
School Council President
Peta.Cartwright2@education.vic.gov.au
Migration to @education email accounts for staff
With the Remote Learning environment, we are increasingly relying on digital communication. As a proactive school, we have therefore sought an upgrade to our email system. There is nothing worse than emails bouncing back and forth because of a full inbox!
Effective immediately, our current @edumail.vic.gov.au accounts will be replaced with the following format:
firstname.surname@education.vic.gov.au
This migration will occur from 6:00pm this evening (Friday 08/05/2020), meaning that staff emails will be offline until 8:00am on Monday 11/05/2020.
The great news is that our inbox limit will go from 2MB to 50MB!!!
Below is a .pdf of new contact details (all of which have been updated within the listed contacts on each page of this newsletter).
Keeping Aware of Information Relating to School
As a school we work hard to keep our families informed of happenings across the school. We acknowledge that receiving information in a timely and consistent manner can help to alleviate the pressures which come from managing a busy family calendar.
Communicating via Compass
All of our school notifications are sent via the Newsfeed within the Compass app. There is also a calendar of events within the app, which sends push notifications to users to remind them of school events.
In 2020, we are also utilising Compass for families to consent and pay in order for their children to take part in school events. The uptake and comments from families thus far is that it is so easy to do, and helpful to be able to consent at the push of a button.
In order to filter notifications which are received, you will notice that we send out notifications which are year level specific. This means that sometimes not all notifications are sent to all year levels.
Communicating with the School Administration Team
We look forward to partnering with you in 2020, and welcome your input:
USPS Inbox:
upwey.south.ps@education.vic.gov.au
Damien Kitch (Principal)
Damien.Kitch@education.vic.gov.au
Janet Young (Business Manager)
Janet.Young@education.vic.gov.au
Janette Clarke (Office Manager)