What a smooth, calm and happy start to the year. The students are becoming familiar with class routines and school expectations and are excited by their learning. SMDP is a school on the move, as we continue to introduce and refine programs to ensure the needs of all students are met.

Some of the programs we are excited about in 2018:-

Early Years Mathematical Intervention – Andrea has already begun her training with Catholic Education Melbourne. She is currently organising her first cohort of students from the 3/4 classes. She will be working with both individual and small groups of students.

Levelled Literacy Intervention – Anne and Nat have already began working with individual and small groups of students from Year 1 – 4.

Visible Learning - SMDP is working with three other local Catholic school in a collective to improve student learning. Over the next three years we will participate in professional development for teachers and school leaders that explores how evidence can be used to create innovation in the learning environment. It will support us creating the optimal environment for student learning, where both students and teachers understand the learning process and how best to learn.

School Captains and Sport Captains – This year we have two school captains and four Sports Captains representing SMDP. These students had to prepare a speech and present this to their peers, their teachers, Michelle and myself. The observing students then voted for the best candidates to lead our school. These appointments were finally approved by Michelle and myself. This year it gives me great pleasure to announce that Helen Girmay and Regan Smart are our school captains. Enoch Tavete, Neil Nera, Su Si Aye Mya and Meklit Melesse are our Sport Captains. Both these students were presented at our Opening School Mass where they received their badges and were congratulated as a school community . Last Sunday these leaders were presented to our parish community at 10:00am Mass.

Lunchtime Clubs - From student feedback staff will give students opportunities to be involved in lunchtime clubs. These will vary from sewing to gardening. We aim to have these established by the end of term one.

Parents in Partnerships for our Community (PIP) - The purpose of this committee is to -

Build community partnerships

Raise money for the school.

We ask all our parents to support this new committee by volunteering your time to ensure their planned activities are successful.

At St Martin de Porres, we strongly believe that it is the classroom teachers that have the greatest impact on student learning and growth. They are the front line of learning. It is in the classroom where students are supported, challenged and extended. At SMDP we have highly accomplished, passionate and dedicated teachers who create the right classroom climate to learn: raising student expectations; developing a rapport with students; establishing routines; challenging students to participate and take risks. This creates the best environment for student learning. Our aim for every student at SMDP is to be happy, feel safe and learn to love learning in a nurturing community.

Last week, we said goodbye to Janice Matthews who leaves us to begin her maternity leave. On behalf of the school community we wish Janice and Sam all the happiness as they prepare for the arrival of their new baby next month.

School Times

It is important that all our school community is very clear of school beginning times and ending times.

8:30am - School is open and students are supervised.

NOTE: Any student arriving before 8:30am needs to attending our Before School Program.

8:45am - Bell rings to begin learning. All students need to be at school ready to start the day.

8:50am - All learning in all classes begins. Gates are closed.

Any students arriving after this time will have to report to the office to receive a late pass. All late passes are recorded on students files and displayed on June/December reports.

3:20pm - End of the school day

3:40pm - Any students who have not been picked up by this time need to attend After School Care Program.

Parents in Partnerships (PIP) for our Community

On Tuesday night we held our first PIP meeting. The purpose of this group is to make connection within our school community and build community spirit by working together towards a common goal - ‘A great school for our students’.

At the meeting an Easter Raffle was organised. Please find details in today's newsletter. It was also decided to reintroduce a Mother’s Day stall, so students can select a special present of their mums, grandmas or special people in their lives. Both of these events will need helpers to volunteer their time to make them work. More details to come.

I would like to thank Alisa Smart, Rafaela Georgakakis and Jim Georgakakis, Anne Singh, Elspeth Neale & Melissa McDonald for attending the meeting.

The next meetings are Tuesday 27th February and Tuesday 17th April at 6:30pm in the staffroom. Everyone is very welcome. The more helpers the greater things we can achieve.

Unexplained Student Absences

A review of school Attendance Guidelines was undertaken by the Minister for Education in Term 4, 2017 as an outcome from 30 January 2018 is that all

‘schools must advise parents/guardians of unexplained absences, on the same day, as soon as practicable, including for post-compulsory aged students’.

Parents are required to ensure their child attends school everyday. If you child is absent from school, parents must provide an explanation for their child's absence from school in writing which includes the reason. This can be a written note, an email or through FLEXIBUZZ app.

If a parent does not contact our school to provide an explanation on the day of the student absence. We are now required to

contact the parent who is responsible for ensuring the child's attendance on that particular day.

If contact cannot be made with the parent, the school will attempt to make contact with any emergency contact/s nominated on the student's file held by the school.

If, following contact, the student’s safety has been established, but no written explanation has been provided within 10 school days, the absence will be recorded as an unexplained absence and also be noted in the student's file.

The purpose of this new directive is all about student safety. It aims to put in structures to ensure that every day our students at school are accounted for and are safe from harm.

God Bless.

Dan Ryan

Important Dates this Fortnight

February

March