Principal's Message

Wominjeka 2021!

Welcome to the 2021 school year!

Firstly, we would like to welcome a number of new families who have joined our school across all year levels. It has been wonderful to see the welcoming nature of our school community, who have made our new families feel very welcome in such a short space of time.

As a school we are extremely proud of the preparation our teaching and administration staff have placed into setting up our classrooms and learning programs for 2021. Over the first two weeks of the school year we have received many glowing comments from our families about the positive relationships which are being formed within our classrooms. 

You will also note that we have had a number of works undertaken around the school over the Summer break, as our School Council continue to focus upon enhancing our grounds and facilities. These upgrades have included many safety-related works such as at-risk tree removal, resurfacing of the Riley Road driveway/carpark, and preparations for our Reconciliation Welcome Space. 

2021 Curriculum Days

Please refer to our 'Calendar of Events' within this newsletter, and note scheduled Curriculum Days for 2021. 

In particular, please note that the final day of Term One for USPS students is Wednesday 31st March (3:30pm dismissal time). 

Are you enabling your child to be Sunsmart?

As you should be aware from previous newsletter editions, we are an accredited Sunsmart school. Therefore, it is a requirement that all students have a school-issued sunsmart hat to wear during recess. 

Sunsmart relies on all members of our community recognising the importance of sunsmart hats during recess breaks. 

This week we have provided some leniency with the wearing of hats. 

However, from Monday 8th February 2021, any student who does not have a school-issued sunsmart hat will be required to play within the Library space. 

Should a student be a repeat offender, then a conversation will be held on an individual basis with their parent/carer. 

Please refer below for our school's Sunsmart Policy:

Communicating with your child's classroom teacher

It is a reality that current DET CovidSafe guidelines discourage, and in some instances limit, parents/carers entering school buildings. This can present challenges for both staff and families as we now rely more heavily upon teleconferences, email, and virtual meetings. 

Therefore, it is important that you are aware that the email contact of each staff member is listed within the relevant section of each newsletter. 

You can also contact your child's teacher via email, by selecting the option "email my child's classroom teacher" through the Compass Parent Portal. 

Early next week each classroom teacher will be sending personalised emails to families with whom they have not yet had personal contact. 

Promoting student welfare on the daily commute to school

Over the past two weeks we have observed a marked increase in traffic around the school, as drivers (both school and non-school related) get used to being aware of students making their way to school by foot, by bike, and other means. 

As adults, the behaviour we engage in sets the standard for our children to aspire to. Therefore, when parking your car, observing speed limits, choosing a point to cross the road, etc you need to be aware that there are always the eyes of children watching and observing our behaviour as adults. 

We need to set the norms of behaviour which we expect from others. 

Within our community we are fortunate to have two extremely dedicated crossing supervisors, who are an integral part of helping our students travel safely to and from school. 

Please take the time to read the below, and get to know a little more about our amazing crossing supervisors. 

Alison and Bobby- Our Wonderful School Crossing Supervisors

Here at Upwey South Primary School we are lucky to have not one, but two wonderful crossing supervisors, working hard each morning and afternoon to keep our students safe. 

Alison attends the crossing on Morris Road.  Alison has been an Upwey local for almost 30 years and raised her four children in the area.  When Alison is not supervising our crossing, she works in her family business and enjoys spending time with her two gorgeous grandchildren. 

You'll find Bobby manning the crossing on Griffiths Road.  Bobby has been a local to the Upwey area for over 35 years.  Whilst Bobby has only worked on this crossing for the last few years, he is not new to the school, with his son attending Upwey South Primary School in the 1990s!  

As we introduce you to our crossing supervisors we also wish to take the opportunity to remind families how to be safe around the school crossings:

• Please slow right down around the school crossings when driving
• Ensure your children only cross the road at the marked crossings
• Do not park on any yellow lines while the flags are displayed
• Children should dismount their bike/scooter before crossing
• Remember to wait for the whistle before you cross!

CovidSafe Practices in schools- an update for 2021

Whilst 2021 is a new school year, and we are all hoping for a return to 'normality' for our students, we must be aware that some of our school-wide practices still have to be modified. Please refer below for recent FAQ's:

What are the expectations for face-to-face meetings between teachers and parents/carers?

As a school we understand that some occasions may warrant the need for face-to-face meetings between parents/carers and teachers. This is okay, and at times the teacher may even request to meet with you in person. 

Should you be required, or invited, into the school building for a meeting with our staff you will be required to register your visit via a DET QR code which is linked to our school. Your child's classroom teacher will provide you with these details prior to your meeting. 

As a parent/carer can I enter the classrooms? Can the school have parent helpers in the classrooms?

As a school, we must be mindful that we all have a part to play in promoting CovidSafe practices. This means that under current circumstances parents/carers are requested to drop their child/ren at the classroom door. 

Should you feel that entering the building may assist with your child's social-emotional welfare then please discuss this directly with your child's classroom teacher, who will assist with solution-focussed thinking. 

Therefore, the restriction on parent/carer access to buildings will remain in place until further notice. 

Unfortunately, this also means that we are unable to accommodate parent helpers at this point in time. 

How does the current situation impact upon Term One Parent/Carer Interviews with the Classroom Teacher?

At this stage we are unclear in what format our scheduled "Data Driven Conversations" will occur. These are booked into our school calendar to occur on the evenings of Tuesday 2nd March, and Tuesday 9th March. Further details regarding these meetings will be distributed via Compass in coming weeks. 

Will 2021 present the opportunity for whole-school assemblies?

At this stage, due to density limits we are unable to host school-wide assemblies. This is in part due to both a lack of suitable spacing and the duration of assemblies. 

Until further notice, we will be continuing with weekly Level Assemblies which will be held on a Monday afternoon. 

School Council Elections

At USPS we recognize that a successful learning community is built upon strong partnerships between the school and families. There are many ways for families to become involved in the day-to-day learning within our school, from helping in the classroom, to joining the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA), and of course nominating for School Council. 

We encourage all of our parents to consider the benefits and meaningful contributions that you can achieve from nominating to join School Council. 

If you are interested in nominating for School Council, please refer to the documentation attached below so that you may have a greater understanding of what is involved: 

In the coming fortnight we will provide our community with greater detail as to how you can nominate to become involved with School Council. 

Privacy Notice- 2021

The following information is an important extract from the Department of Education and Training (DET) which should be shared across all schools. 

During the ordinary course of your child’s attendance at our school, school staff will collect your child’s personal and health information when necessary to educate your child, or to support your child’s social and emotional wellbeing or health in the school context. Such information will also be collected when required to fulfil a legal obligation, including duty of care, anti-discrimination law and occupational health and safety law. If that information is not collected, the school may be unable to provide optimal education or support to your child, or fulfil those legal obligations.

For example, health information may be collected through the school nurse, primary welfare officer or wellbeing staff member. If your child is referred to a specific health service at school, such as a Student Support Services officer, the required consent will be obtained. Our school also collects information provided by parents and carers through the School Entrance Health Questionnaire (SEHQ) and the Early Childhood Intervention Service (ECIS) Transition Form.

Our school may use online tools, such as apps and other software, to effectively collect and manage information about your child for teaching and learning purposes, parent communication and engagement; student administration; and school management purposes. When our school uses these online tools, we take steps to ensure that your child’s information is secure. If you have any concerns about the use of these online tools, please contact us.

School staff will only share your child’s personal or health information with other staff who need to know to enable the school to educate or support your child, or fulfil a legal obligation.

When our students transfer to another Victorian government school, personal and health information about that student will be transferred to that next school. Transferring this information is in the best interests of our students and assists that next school to provide optimal education and support to students.

In some limited circumstances, information may be disclosed outside of the school (and outside of the Department of Education and Training). The school will seek your consent for such disclosures unless the disclosure is allowed or mandated by law.

Our school values the privacy of every person. When collecting and managing personal and health information, all school staff must comply with Victorian privacy law. For more information about privacy including about how to access personal and health information held by the school about you or your child, see our school’s privacy policy: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Pages/schoolsprivacypolicy.aspx

Throughout this notice, ‘staff’ includes principals, teachers, Student Support Service officers, youth workers, social workers, nurses and any other allied health practitioners and all other staff at our school. This includes employees, agents and service providers (contractors) of the Department, whether paid or unpaid.

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 2021, we will continue to utilise Compass for families to consent and pay in order for their children to take part in school events. 

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: 

Damien Kitch (Principal)  damien.kitch@education.vic.gov.au 

Clare Bennett (Business Manager) upwey.south.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Janette Clarke (Office Manager) upwey.south.ps@education.vic.gov.au