Principal Team's Report

It is difficult to believe we are already more than half way through our second term and with further events and extra curricular activities scheduled, it will be important for families to take note of the upcoming events page and class newsfeed communication from teachers. Once again, please take note of the Student Free Days this term.  Monday, June 13th is a public holiday (Queen's Birthday) and our government approved whole school professional practice day will take place on Tuesday, June the 14th which is after the long weekend.  Below are some of the events that have taken place this fortnight.

National Simultaneous Storybook Read

The National Simultaneous Story Read is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association and was celebrated on Wednesday the 25th May this year.  The event sees a picture book written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country.  The picture book for 2022 iwa Family Tree by Josh Pyke and illustrated by Ronojoy Ghosh.  Our Year 6 Library Leaders, with help from the Media Art Teachers, created a Pakenham Springs Read along to this book.  You can use the link below to listen and enjoy this yourself.

The Springs in Action

The term keeps rolling on and so do the amazing achievements by the amazing Springers. From creative artwork to outstanding sporting achievements, the students at the Springs continue to go above and beyond.

For the first time, we had a representative in the Interschool Horse Trials Championships with Paige from S35. Riding her horse "Minty" with the very special Pakenham Springs saddle pad donated by the school, Paige placed 7th out of a very competitive field of 15, made up of mostly year 8 and 9 students. Congratulations Paige.

Huge Congratulations to Stella from J10 for being our highest fundraiser for our colour run last term. She received Medalion, soft toy and Certificates for her efforts. Raising over $2000, Stella helped the school reach the fantastic target of  $11,000. 

Thanks you to everyone for their amazing efforts.

Well done also to all of the students who were involved in Cross Country on Wednesday. Congratulations to Max for placing first, Fab for placing second and Arabella for pacing 8th in their age groups. These 3 students will move to the next level and compete again next week on Wednesday, good luck!

CyberSafety and Social Media Use

Do you know what social media sites your child is using? Do you know who they are interacting with? Do you know what messages your child is sending to others? As parents, it's important to give our children trust and responsibility, however, it is ultimately our responsibility to ensure they are interacting with others in a safe and appropriate way. I urge you all to have a conversation with your child about the use of platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram. We have been made aware of some inappropriate and dangerous use of these sites by our students in recent weeks. Let's work together to help educate all students on the respectful and responsible use of technology.

Representing Pakenham Springs - Uniform

2022 is the final year for our old polo top design. In 2023 we look forward to having all students in the new design.

At the moment it seems as though some students are 'pushing the boundaries' in terms of their wearing of our uniform and adherence to our School Council approved Uniform Policy. All families are reminded that unnatural hair colour is not allowed at Pakenham Springs. This is explicitly stated in the Uniform Policy, which parents accepted when enrolling their children.Jewellery should be kept to a minimum for safety reasons (one small pair of studs/sleepers in ears, a watch and jewellery worn for religious or cultural purposes are allowed). Non-uniform items worn must be accompanied by an explanation note (dated and signed) for the shortest amount of time possible. If you are having trouble sourcing uniform items, or have financial reasons why this is difficult, please reach out and speak to our staff. There are plenty of ways in which we can help. Again, working together will ensure our students represent our school in a respectful and responsible manner. 

Term 2 Progress Reporting Begins

In 2022, we are improving the way we report and communicate student learning progress and learning growth. At Pakenham Springs Primary School, we value the relationship between home and school.  To highlight this, we have moved to a PROGRESS REPORTING MODEL.  The purpose of this model is to report and communicate progress to families and not just results, through regular updates every 5 weeks. This means that families will receive a ‘snapshot’ of how their child is performing every five weeks from classroom teachers in the areas of Mathematics, Reading and Writing, and every 10 weeks from specialist teachers in the areas of Japanese P-2, STEM 3-6, Media Arts, Visual Arts (semester depending) and Physical Education.  Semester Reports at the end of terms 2 and 4 will replace the Progress Report for that cycle.  

PROGRESS REPORTS focus on how your child is currently performing/tracking in the subject areas of Mathematics, Reading and Writing, and in our vast range of specialist subjects.  Feedback on the six Learning Habits and the school Values of Respect, Responsibility and Resilience have also been provided using a 5-point scale from 'excellent' to 'needs improvement'.  Progress Reports for Mathematics, Reading and Writing have been published to COMPASS today.  Semester reports will be available in the last week of this term and our second round round of Progress reports will be published in Term 3, Week 5.

Teachers will also upload a writing sample later this year in term 4. This will include curriculum descriptors of how your child is progressing in writing.  Just another way in which we aim to enrich communication between home and school.

It is important to note that semester reports will not have the ‘areas for improvement’ section, as these will be provided in an ongoing manner through the progress reporting model as mentioned above.  Whilst it is a new way of looking at student reporting, we encourage our families to be open to the opportunities this model presents in improving communication between home and school.  A reminder will be sent to all families when Progress Reports have been published. 

COVID Safety Measures

it is important for all parents/guardians to continue to alert the school if a member in the family tests positive for COVID.

Rapid antigen testing

Free rapid antigen tests will continue to be available for all staff and students in Victorian schools for the first four weeks of Term 2, 2022. Rapid antigen testing will continue to be voluntary but strongly encouraged for all primary, secondary and specialist school students and staff. 

Face masks

While recommended, face masks are not required in any school setting from 11:59 pm 22 April 2022.   Any students or staff members who wish to wear a mask may do so, including those who are medically at-risk. 

Positive Cases of COVID-19

Students who report a positive result must isolate for seven days and not attend school during that period. Where a student is a household contact of a positive case (that is, they have spent more than four hours with someone who has COVID-19 inside a house, accommodation, or care facility) they must inform the school. Household and household-like contacts are no longer required to quarantine as long as they take additional safety measures in the 7 days that would have been their quarantine period.  Household contacts are required to inform the school that they are attending during the 7-day period. They must test daily and wear a mask at school.

Kathmandu Special Offer

Did you know that Kathmandu is offering an Outdoor Education Discount on purchases made at the Fountain Gate store for all students and staff attending camps this year?  To access this amazing deal, simply head down to the Kathmandu Fountain Gate store between Friday 3rd June and Saturday the 18th June with the flyer below and barcode (the digital barcode is also accepted) tell them when your camp is and enjoy the discount. 

We look forward to sharing more of the Springs 

in the next edition, take care everyone.

The PSPS Leadership Team