From the Principal
Term 1
We are back!
There was a great sigh of relief when the announcement came through yesterday that schools could open up again. It was lovely to welcome everyone back this morning at the gate, watching students eagerly bounding up the hill. Schools are very weird places without students. We are very happy to have everyone back.
Over the last few days we have watched in wonder as our students have jumped on board with their remote learning, undertaken their lessons and chatted online with their teachers. We certainly are getting good at this. Our staff have enjoyed chatting with families on the telephone and taking the opportunity to get to know families a little better. Staff have also taken opportunities to meet together online and undertake planning of curriculum, preparing for Student Support Group meetings next week and completing assessment tasks. Check out a few of these happy faces.
Visit from Dustin Halse MP
Last Wednesday, we welcomed Dustin Halse, Ringwood Member of Parliament, on tour of our school. Dustin last visited our school in August 2019 when he participated in a planting session on our rock embankments with Richard Bellamo, our landscape architect. Dustin was amazed at how wonderful the embankments and gardens are looking now, after a relatively wet summer. Our grounds are certainly looking great. We also took the opportunity to visit classrooms, checked out the worm farm preparations, saw the living and non-living science lesson, listened to an animated retelling of “The Tortoise and the hare” by Grade 1SK, checked out our new library and then looked over the progress of the landscaping work. This was the first School Captain gig for Maddy and Lucas and they did a fine job touring our visitor.
Special Assembly
As Dustin was leaving he asked if he could bring a special visitor back to school on Wednesday 24 February for a special assembly, showcasing what the government is doing out in the east. Despite me pressing for more information, everything was very secretive. Dustin reassured me that the visitor was way more important than him, I wondered if it were Daniel Andrews, or even Scott Morrison, we will have to wait and see. So… we will hold an outdoor assembly next Wednesday morning at 9:00 and invite any families that would like to join us on site for this assembly. If you would like to attend please ring the school office to book a ‘spot’. We will exercise physical distancing and ask that parents wear masks if this is not possible.
Student enrolment information
This week each family was emailed a copy of the current enrolment information that the school holds for your child. We ask that this information needs to be checked and updated by parents on an annual basis. Please check most particularly for addresses, phone numbers, emergency contacts and their details, occupation and any medical alerts. We would like all families to respond, by tomorrow, with either:
No Changes
“All information correct for {student ID}” OR...
Changes to be made: (which may include providing copies of documents like birth certificate and immunisation, if not already provided)
“Please make the following changes for {student ID}” and then list the changes needed in the email.
School Council Elections
Tomorrow, through Compass, you will receive information about the upcoming School Council elections. Each year in February/March we invite members of our school community to consider volunteering on the School Council and we work together to ensure decisions affecting students have their best interests at heart and provide opportunities to enhance the educational opportunities at the school. If you are looking for a way to be involved then you can self-nominate or nominate someone else, forms for this will be sent tomorrow and are due back next Friday 26 February.
Crossing Supervision on Panfield
Our school community welcomes on board Dave, our new crossing supervisor on Panfield Ave. This crossing has been closed for many months as we built our new school and last week we opened it up again. Maroondah City Council employ crossing supervisors to support students and families arrive at school safely. We encourage you to model appropriate road safety practices with your children each day. We have been very concerned about families dashing across the roads in their hurry to get to school. All roads surrounding our school are very busy and drivers are not expecting families to be dashing across the road where there is no supervision.
Kooramook
Last Thursday, saw the first of our Kooramook sessions for 2021. For those who are new to Mullum Primary, Kooramook is the name given in Yorta Yorta language, meaning shelter and warmth – the kind a possum skin cloak offers. The story behind the traditional possum skin cloak is that it is created for the newborn and is added to as the person grows.
Our Kooramook sessions are cross age, students from Foundation to Grade 6 are grouped together and work with an allocated teacher. These groups allow for the students to build relationships with teachers and students across different year levels of the school, to build togetherness and connection. Many of our activities throughout the year will focus on our character strengths and positive education.
School Photos
Next Tuesday 23 February is our School Photo day. Flyers have already been sent home for you to go online and order your photos before Tuesday.
Curriculum Days
Curriculum Days for the remainder of 2021 have been confirmed by School Council. They are:
- Tuesday 8 March
- Tuesday 15 June
- Monday 1 November
Put these dates in your diaries now and note that students are not required at school on these days.
Head lice
Head lice have been around for thousands of years and each year, often in summer, appear in the school community. Unlike popular myths, head lice do not jump or fly, they are transmitted from head to head by crawling. This link to Better Health has great information on head lice treatment and general information on louse life cycles etc...
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/head-lice-nits
To help manage head lice infestations at school, parents are asked to have their child's hair tied up firmly. If head lice are seen on students at school then a letter goes home at the end of the day with the child who is infected asking the family to keep the child at home until the first treatment has commenced. A note is also sent home to all other students (via Compass) in the class asking families to check the hair of their child for any evidence of head lice or nits (eggs).
School Nurse Visit
Ann Vahrmeyer, a visiting primary school nurse from the Department of Education and Training will be attending our school, in Term Two, to conduct the Foundation health assessments and to see other students as requested by parents or teachers (with parents/guardian consent). The purpose of the visit is to provide all Victorian students with the opportunity to have a health assessment; to link children, families and school communities to services available in the community; and to provide information and advice that promotes health and wellbeing.
A health questionnaire was sent home last week with Foundation students. Please return the questionnaire to the school office, if you have not already done so, by Friday 26th February.
Parents/guardians of students (other than Foundation students) that wish their child to be seen by the school nurse need to complete a referral form that is available at the school office. This completed referral form needs to be returned to the school office.
Parents are invited to contact the visiting primary school nurse if there are any issues they wish to discuss. The contact number for the visiting primary school nurse is 0409 548 880.