Principal's Report

In this week's newsletter

• Appreciations and News …
  
  • Visit from the Premier and local MP for Footscray 
  • Emergency management lockdown drill
  • Time in lieu for camps announced
  • Change of staffing in 4MS next semester
  • Vale Geoff Mason 
  • Pride Month celebrated at FWPS
• Coming up 
  • Grade 6 interschool sport grand finals tomorrow
  • Western Region Cross Country event next Monday
  • Student Learning Conference is a Pupil Free day
  • End of term will be at 2.20 pm on Friday week
  • Adjustment to our specialist program for grade ones and preps
• Repeated (and updated) messages

Appreciations and News

• Visit from the Premier - Yesterday we were pleased to receive a visit from the Premier of Victoria, Mr Dan Andrews, along with our local Member of Parliament for Footscray, Ms Katie Hall.  This was of course an opportunity to celebrate our success in recently receiving the promise to fund our new replacement gymnasium building.  Mr Andrews and Katie met our school captain Jacob Barham, and standing in for the holidaying Asher Sheldon, 6LC Class Captain, Christina Cursio.  The visiting party first visited PKT.  It was lovely to see Mr Andrews gently and humorously engaging with the preps.  We then attended the Gecko - the building we are due to replace - to meet with student leader representatives from grades 1 through to 6.  Here Mr Andrews shared some messages about positive leadership and along with Katie, responded to some questions about the school and Shorten Oval redevelopments.  Thank you to those of you who have responded to the request to provide thoughts and considerations about the planned development at FWPS.  If you have not yet done so, please do so via the link https://forms.gle/ByPYEUuihdDgB2w6A. It will remain open until Thursday of next week.

• Emergency management ‘Lockdown’ - We periodically provide the opportunity for students and staff to practice emergency preparedness.  Today after recess we will practice our indoors lockdown drill.  This is practised to prepare for a situation when for a variety of possible reasons everyone needs to be inside and accounted for at short notice.  Examples of this requirement include; an industrial fire, an intruder onsite, or a ferocious dog in the yard.  Families were alerted to this emergency drill in a Compass post that was sent on Wednesday evening.
   
• Time in Lieu for Camps - Staff and parents will be buoyed by the news last Friday, that after a Fair Work Commission ruling, funding has been provided for four years to enable time in lieu (TIL) payments for staff attending school camps.  While the ‘devil is always in the detail’, this will enable schools to continue to run camps this year and in the future.  It is however relevant to mention that for our recent grade 3 and 4 Zoo Snooze camps, TIL costs were not passed on to parents and carers.  Camp costs have gone up considerably.  Transport, food and accommodation costs have all increased substantially.  Our next camps this year will be held at Kangaroobie (near Port Campbell) for grades 5 and 6 during week 3 of Term 4.  The grade 6 camp will be held on Monday to Wednesday (16th to 18th October) followed by the grade 5 camp, held over the second half of the same week (Wednesday 18th to Friday, 20th October).  Parents and carers of grade 5 and grade 6 students have all received communication from our camp coordinators.
   
• Change of staffing in the grade 4 team - We shared some news on Tuesday that came as a surprise to the students in 4MS and their families.  Class teacher Madi Sparvell who joined us last year and has fitted wonderfully into the FWPS teaching team, sought and has been provided leave for semester 2.  Madi, who had a nursing background prior to training as a teacher, had been offered a role that combined these two disciplines.  Madi took on this new role contingent on the job starting at the end of this term.  Consequently, in a challenging staffing environment, we are pleased that we have secured Kris Lakusa to take over teaching 4MS for the remainder of the year.  Kris is very familiar with our school and community, as his (and his partner Liza’s) children attended FWPS from 2007 to 2017.  Kris who previously worked in administration and management in higher education, retrained in primary teaching from 2020 and in 2022 added to his teaching portfolio by being a regular volunteer assisting in PKB during term 4.  Kris will join Madi for the grade 4 planning day next Tuesday and for the student learning conferences next Wednesday.  While staffing changes can be challenging, we always seek to be proactive in supporting our students and new staff to maximise the likelihood of a successful transition.
   
• Vale Geoff Mason - Grade 5 Team Leader, Shannon Mason (and family), has been supporting her dad who recently suddenly fell ill.  From a critical situation the outcome was looking more positive as recently as late last week.  Sadly, a medical episode last weekend led to his passing on Sunday.  Geoff Mason was a real West Footscray local who many will know through his 50 year involvement with the Roosters Football Club.  As a consequence, Shannon has been absent this week assisting her mother and brother prepare for the funeral which will be held on Friday of next week.  Shannon intends to return to her class early next week, prior to the funeral.  I know our community will join me in wishing Shannon and her family sympathy at this most challenging of times.
   
• Pride Month celebrated this week - It has been very much in the spirit of inclusiveness that is synonymous with our FWPS community that many have embraced the opportunity to wear a ‘splash of colour’ this week as all grade levels have had a day to celebrate Pride Month.

Coming up 

• Grand Finals in Winter sports … will be held tomorrow at FWPS and surrounding grounds.
  
  - Soccer - Footscray West V Footscray North at Johnson Reserve commencing at 12.30 pm.  
  - Tee Ball – Footscray North V Footscray at Johnson Reserve commencing at 12.30 pm.  
  - Netball Girls – Footscray West V St Johns at Footscray West commencing at 12.30 pm. 
  - Netball Mixed – Footscray West V Corpus Christie at Footscray West commencing at conclusion of Netball Girls.
  
  Parents and carers are encouraged to attend.  We wish all competing teams good fortune.
  
  A big appreciation to Stratos for his superb organisation and all our grade 6 teachers for their support and assistance.
   
• Western Region Cross Country Event… will be held this coming Monday 19th June for the 15 students who qualified.  Our squad will be accompanied by Stratos.  Students will need to be at school early (8.30 am) and should make their way via the main gate entering through the office.  The event will take place at Brimbank Park starting at 9.30 am.  We wish all the participants the very best.
   
• School review final ‘panel’ day - The school review will conclude next Tuesday.  While this will be the culmination of the reflection process, it really is the start of the next phase of the ongoing cycle.  Our reviewer, David Mann will prepare a comprehensive report, shaped by our input.  This will form the basis of our next School Strategic plan, which in turn will drive the first of our next four Annual Implementation Plans.  A big appreciation to School Council executive members, School President Andrew Newman and Treasurer, Katie Berham for their significant input to the process.
   
• Student Learning Conferences - Pupil Free Day - Invitations to our Student Learning Conferences (Student Led Conferences for students in grades 5 and 6) were sent as a Compass post to all families a fortnight ago.  It has been pinned, so it will remain instantly accessible for the relevant period.  This is a Pupil Free Day as teachers will be available for face to face or WebEx video interviews all day.  Please access Compass as all information and the relevant links are contained within this one post. 
  
  In brief:
  
  Families are asked to book online via Compass for a ten-minute Webex or Face to Face meeting with your child’s teacher(s), for Wednesday 21st June 2023, during their working hours (8:50am to 4:30pm).
  NOTE: Conferences for 6MC only will be held on Tuesday 11th July, due to Marshal's long service leave absence.
  You can choose to attend in person to the classroom, or via Webex.
  Bookings will close at 12pm this  Monday 19th June. Please ensure you have booked your interview times prior to this.
  Please note that with the current industrial agreement in place, which more clearly defines teacher work hours, this is your opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher to discuss Semester 1 reports.
   
• End of term - Term 2 will conclude following an assembly (outdoor if feasible) at 2.20 pm on Friday, 23rd June.  School finishes an hour early at the conclusion of terms 1, 2 and 3.  TheirCare out of hours school service will start at this earlier time.
   
• Adjustment of our specialist program for grade ones and preps – During the second semester, our grade 1 students will participate in a Social Skills specialist program.  This program will be taught by Lisa Peterson, a member of our Wellbeing team.  The program has been a really successful innovation this year for the Preps.  We have however seen that there is an ideal opportunity to provide the program during terms 3 and 4 to our grade 1 students.  As a consequence, from next term the specialist Social Skills and Music programs will swap over, with our Preps participating in a specialist music lesson each week and the grade 1s participating in a weekly social skills lesson.

Cheers,

Brendan

Repeated (and updated) messages …

Assembly - Assembly on Friday’s will be held outdoors only if the weather conditions are conducive.  If not, assemblies will be presented indoors in the gallery space in Dingo and broadcast to the classrooms.  At this time of the year it may be anticipated that the majority of assemblies will be held indoors.  For our indoor assemblies we gather all the student presenters, class assembly presenters and pupils of the week before assembly starts, as well as parents, carers, grandparents and community members who have come to watch.  

Hearing your voice - In every newsletter we will add a feedback link.  If you have a concern, suggestion or appreciation, or wish to specifically provide comment on school policies, rather than looking for the school email, you can just go to the link.  This will not be the preferred option for detailed emails - the usual practice of using the school email: footscray.west.ps@education.vic.gov.au will still be the avenue, but for the concerns, suggestions or appreciations go to:  https://forms.gle/dPnAN75bFVeM1i16A

Parent/Carer Volunteer Induction - This information has been ‘pinned’ on Compass so it remains easily accessible.  You will currently find it as the second pinned item on your News Feed .  For all new families or parents and carers who didn’t complete the online process last year, if you wish to assist in classrooms, excursions or camps, or volunteer for really any other purpose at FWPS, we need you to complete the modules online.  For parents/carers who did this last year, all you need to do is sign the relevant form at the office.

Change of email - We are no longer using the school gmail addresses for communication to staff.  Parents will be asked to communicate directly with staff using the email facility within Compass, or email the school email address at: footscray.west.ps@education.vic.gov.au ‘Attention staff member’s name’.  Emails sent from the Compass app will be sent directly to the relevant staff members’ education email account.  Please understand that staff are busy and will respond in a timely manner.  If a matter is urgent, you are advised to call the school during office hours, or leave a message outside those hours.

Car park use - A reminder that the car park is open prior to 8 am and after 4 pm daily for parent access for the Their Care OSHC program.  At other times, please appreciate that the car park is for staff use.  Should you need to walk through to the Their Care location at Emu Corner, for safety’s sake we ask that you use the pedestrian gate next to the boom gate and make your way between Koala and the Wallaby buildings past Gecko via the basketball court through to Emu Corner.  Please check out the brief explanatory video at: https://vimeo.com/777907951

Photo Permission - When parents and carers first sign the enrolment form for school entry, they may be understandably reluctant to sign the photo permission section.  We frequently use pictures and videos to share learning highlights and to maintain and foster school/home links.  As we frequently include photos and videos of the students learning and playing we are regularly confronted by wonderful picture opportunities we cannot share in our newsletter and videos.  

We would love you to review your decision so your child can be fully involved in the life of our school.  Feel free to contact your child’s teacher or the office so they can make those adjustments on your behalf.

COVID information - As you will all understand, COVID continues to be transmitted within the community and remains a highly infectious illness.  Consequently, it continues to be vital for families to remain careful when exposed to COVID or when demonstrating symptoms.  While schools will no longer be providing Rapid Antigen Tests - We do have dozens of leftover packs that have at least 6 months left before their use by date.  Drop in to the office, or send  us a message and we will send some home with your child.  

Many of you will have heard that this year RATs, while continuing to be supplied by the state government, will be distributed by local councils from venues such as our library locations.

Rapid Antigen Tests are also available for all Victorians from Council sites.  People can get 2 free packs (10 tests) for themselves and 2 free packs (10 tests) for each of their household members.

People with disability and their carers can get up to 4 free packs (20 tests) in line with existing RAT distribution for people with disability.

Further information can be obtained at Council Rapid Antigen Test Program.

Rapid antigen testing

It is recommended that rapid antigen tests (RATs) are used by students and staff:

·         If you have symptoms of COVID-19 infection, no matter how mild

·         If you are a household or close contact of someone who has COVID-19

·         If you are a social contact of someone who has COVID-19.

The Department of Health recommends that all Victorians should report their positive RAT result to the Department of Health online, or by calling 1800 675 398.

Students (or their parents) should also report a positive result to their school, either through the COVID Test portal or by phone or written notification.