Principal's Report
Welcome!
Welcome to all of our existing Lyndhurst families and a special welcome to the many new families who have joined our wonderful school community. I trust that you have been made to feel welcome, that your children are settled and happy and that you are looking forward to your association with our school and our local community. It has been an extraordinarily smooth start despite the many complexities that go along with starting a new year in a school that is now in excess of 740 students. It was great to have access to the new buildings and to have furniture in place to ensure a smooth transition for students. I’m sure everyone would have been impressed with the magnificent state in which our school was presented and that is all thanks to our Facilities Manager, Trevor. He worked tirelessly over the break to keep our grounds and buildings in tip top condition
Vegetable Gardens and Orchard
I’m sure many of you have noticed the new vege gardens and orchard area over near the school’s south east corner. It will be a great addition to our school and I am looking forward to the students learning all about growing vegetables and fruit. If there are community members who have a particular interest in this area, please let us know through your class teachers. We will be needing a team of volunteers to help us with the gardens and we would love to have our local community involved!
Prep Start
On Monday 2nd, we had over 160 Prep students begin their first day at school. What an exciting time for families! Everything went more smoothly than we could have imagined and again, the staggered start worked well for everyone. The whole morning was so calm with a gradual trickle or families entering classrooms instead of the usual crowds and noise. I thank all of our prep families for your cooperation. It made day one for our prep students so calm. I must congratulate parents and our local pre-school centres for the preparation of the children for school. They are a wonderful group and have so far been very mature, responsible and settled.
New Staff
As well as new families, we welcome a number of new staff to the school. Amy McGrath joins us in year 2 this year after her association with the school as an intern in 2014. Similarly, Brianna Wanke who joins us in year 1, also attended in 2014 as an intern. Caitlyn MacGregor, Lauren De La Rue and Ashlee Occhietti come to us as a permanent staff members after working as a replacement teachers here last year. We are very excited to welcome Clare Alexander who will be teaching Environmental Science in our new science room. Maree Duff from Tyabb PS, joins the Student Intervention team and will focus on targeted programs for students in the early years. They are a wonderful group of professionals and it is very pleasing that staff of this quality continue to show interest in working at our school.
Parking and Pickup
A reminder to all parents to be particularly mindful of the increased traffic and pedestrian use around our school as we grow. The safety of children is such and important issue for all of us. I thank parents for their understanding after the notice went out last week about some traffic and parking changes. The main change is that NO PARENTS are to use the staff car park at any time, unless you are legally accessing the disabled parking space. It seems that the message has been heeded and that there is improved driver behavior around our busy school. There are some simple messages about parking and pickup.
· Be patient and courteous
· Please consider our school neighbours and park in designated spaces
· NEVER double-park to pick up children!
General Points of Information
To follow are a few general points of information for parents.
Mobile phones: Children should NOT have mobile phones at school. Should there be a compelling reason for a child to have a mobile phone, parents should put a request in writing to me and the request will be considered. If permission for mobile phone use is given, the child will be required to hand the phone in to the office when they arrive at school each morning and collect it again as they leave each afternoon. Children must NEVER have a mobile phone in their bag or in their possession during school time.
Heat Policy: We have formulated a policy to cater for days of extreme heat. It has been decided that, should the temperature reach 37 deg or over at lunchtime (local temperature), then children will be kept inside and supervision arrangements as for a wet day timetable will be implemented. If parents feel that children are better off at home on a very hot afternoon, then you are welcome to call at the office before 12.50 pm to pick them up.
Medication: We CANNOT give medication of any kind, without your written permission. If you need your child medicated during the day, whether on a short term or long term basis, you must fill out a medication form, available from the office. The information that you send should have full information as to dosages, times, indications for use and permission for the medication to be administered. This information should be given to the office along with all medication in suitable containers. If the medication is for ongoing issues such as ADHD or asthma, a full management plan should be given to the school on the appropriate form.
Hats: Lyndhurst PS is a “Sunsmart” school. The official school hats are compulsory for all children until the end of April. Baseball caps are not an ideal form of sun protection, and are not acceptable. The school hats look terrific and are also very “Sunsmart”.Entering the school: There are several entry gates to the school grounds. Children, upon arrival at school, should come in one of those gates and remain inside the fences until it is time to enter class. The back gate to the school (in Geoffson Place) is also open in the morning and afternoon for children and parents to enter and exit.
Entering the building: With over 650 families in the school now, we have had to move to reduce congestion in the main building and around the office. We are asking that no parents enter the main building through the office door before school or at pick-p time unless they have specific business at the office. We are also asking that parents drop off children to the external classrooms doors and pick them up from the same place. There should be no parents waiting inside the main building. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Early morning and after school supervision: Children should not be in the school grounds prior to 8.45am each morning. The school grounds are supervised from 8.45am and we have a well-staffed and closely supervised Before School Care program that opens at 6.45am. Beyond this, we cannot take responsibility for children left in the playground in the morning unsupervised. This applies equally after 3.45 pm in the afternoon. Drop off and pick up for children in before or after school care is through the end door in the colored glass wall near the staff car park.
Parking and traffic: Please be patient and considerate when picking up and dropping off at school, especially at this time of the year. We understand that it is a difficult situation here, especially after school, as it is at most schools. There is plenty of parking around the school grounds. Parents must not park in the staff car park at any time. The risk to children with traffic in that car park is high. There should be NO children in that car park at any time. We will be speaking to the children regarding safe practices when travelling home on foot or on bicycles.
Bicycle and scooter use:It is the school’s policy that children may ride bicycles and scooters to school, unaccompanied, ONLY from Year 4 onwards. Children below Year 4 MUST be accompanied by a responsible adult if they ride to school. Even beyond year 4, it is the responsibility of parents to decide whether children are skilled enough, responsible enough and have sufficient road sense to ride safely. It is also the responsibility of parents to ensure that bicycles and scooters are safe and roadworthy. All bicycles and scooters must be stored in the bicycle shed and children MUST dismount and walk prior to entering and school gate.
Uniforms: The wearing of school uniform is compulsory at Lyndhurst Primary School. The uniform policy is there for reasons of uniformity of appearance, pride in the school, convenience for parents and security for children. Please ensure that your children are wearing the prescribed uniforms at all times. On those odd occasions when the drier has broken down or the dog has eaten the only clean shirt, please send a note along. There can often be “variations” that appear in children’s uniforms and that is disappointing. The uniform is attractive, comfortable, functional and good value for money. We don’t want a whole lot of variations appearing. Changes to the school uniform are approved by School Council. I ask for all parents to support our efforts to maintain this important part of our school culture. We are proud of our uniform and we hope that the children feel the same.
Forms to Fill In
This week, you have received a number of forms to be filled in. It is most important that these forms are filled in correctly and fully. This is also a time to update any student information. Current information will be provided to parents at the parent/teacher interviews. The forms will contain all current information on our system. Parents are asked to check the form carefully and alter any incorrect information or add further information where appropriate. We emphasise the importance of up to date information in case of illness, accident or emergency. New Asthma Management forms are also available from the office if there have been any changes to the management plan for your child.
Safety in our Driveways – From the Department of Education and Training
The risk of children being killed or injured in driveways returns to high levels as Victorian children return to school. An average of seven children die from being accidentally run over in Australian driveways each year with a further 14 seriously injured. Most incidents occur in the child's own home during the hectic morning and afternoon school run periods. Sadly, the driver is usually a parent, relative or family friend and in the majority of cases, the driver simply didn't know the child was outside or close to the vehicle. Kidsafe has launched a community awareness program which includes safety fact sheets and a video featuring former AFL player and media personality Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald. The program focuses on three simple messages: Supervise, Separate, See.
Supervise: Never let young children play unsupervised, especially near parked cars or driveways. Even when waving goodbye, hold your child's hand.
Separate: Always separate play areas from driveways and ensure gates to driveways are secure.
See: All cars have blind spots. Reversing sensors and cameras can assist, but should not be relied on to keep children safe. Get into the habit of walking around the car before driving when you know young children are at home.
Bully Stoppers: Being Cool Online
Students achieve their best at school in safe and supportive environments, where they are free from bullying and disruptive behaviour. We put a big emphasis on making sure we provide a great environment for our students – one that promotes tolerance and is inclusive, harmonious and free from bullying. We can work towards this goal through education in the classroom, intervention in the playground and a focus on promoting positive behaviour.
However, with the rise of social media, bullying now occurs online, as well as in person. Cyber-bullying is just as harmful as face-to-face bullying, and online actions can have real life consequences. Cyber-bullying is an increasing issue in the wider community – and the best way to tackle it is for schools, students and parents to work in partnership.
Our school is supporting the Victorian Government’s Bully Stoppers campaign – which has just launched a new series of tools and resources for parents and students to support students in preventing cyber-bullying and how to practice Netiquette. Available from 10 February, students in years 3 – 12 are encouraged to participate in an online quiz hosted on the Bully Stoppers website, where they will learn more about how to be good net citizens and go into the draw to win an iPad as well as other prizes for our school.
These resources, called Bully Stoppers: Being Cool Online, are available on the Bully Stoppers website, at….
www.education.vic.gov.au/bullystoppers
……visit the site to find out more.
Manners
I'm a bit of a stickler for manners. At school, we constantly remind children of the need for manners and we are aware responsibility to model good manners and train children in their use. Manners are such an important social protocol. They affect how people think about us, communicate with us and treat us. Later in the newsletter is a great article that I found in an internet blog over the holidays. It’s worth a read by all parents. As it says in the article, “Helping your children master these simple rules of etiquette will get them noticed - for all the right reasons.”
Parent Participation
At Lyndhurst, PS, we actively promote the involvement of parents in the education of their children. Here is a piece by parenting expert, Michael Grose, regarding your role as a parent in your child’s education.
Dear Parent,
The single most important step you can take to help your child learn is to be an active participant in your child’s education.
Active participation includes: talking to your child about their day, hearing young learners read, helping with homework and making sure kids go to school happy, healthy and with plenty of sleep.
The second step is to become involved in your child’s school. This is harder than ever due to work and other commitments, but you can still be positively engaged in the life of your child’s school even when you work. Here’s how:
1. Find out what your child’s school is trying to achieve and show your support for it’s aims. What is your school focusing on over the following three years? What are its specific values? Answer these two questions and you’ll be streets ahead of most parents I know.
2. Support a broad, balanced curriculum that offers a variety of experiences rather than a program that narrowly focuses on the 3Rs.
3. Direct conversations through the correct channels such as your child’s teacher, the principal or the school’s governing body. Thoughtless gossip and car park committees merely tarnish a school’s reputation.
4. Get the school diary and place open days, interview days and other important days in your own diary so you can plan ahead.
5. Meet with your child’s teacher at the start of the year and ask for practical ways you can help at home. Every teacher has their own style and way of doing things so understand the expectations they have of you and your child. Make sure your child’s homework routine fits that of your child’s teacher.
6. Encourage your child to take pride in their school, and don’t ‘bag’ it yourself. Your positive advocacy of your child’s school will send a powerful message about school and learning.
7. Model learning and reading. Your kids need to see you learning new things and reading so they become normalised. In particular, boys are more likely to latch on to reading when their dads read to them and also read at home themselves.
There are lots of ways you can support your child’s learning. However you can’t go too far wrong if you start with these basics; take a real interest in what kids do at school and be an active, risk-taking learner yourself.
Michael Grose
If you like what Michael has to say, you can get regular email newsletters from Micheal by going to: www.parentingideas.com.au
Have a Great Year!
Greg Lacey
Principal