Principal's Report

Welcome back!

Welcome back to Term Three! I hope that everyone has had a relaxing break over the holidays and ready for what promises to be another exciting term here at 'The Springs'.  There is a lot to look forward to throughout the term and we look forward to providing regular updates. 

NAIDOC week celebration day

On Wednesday, July 17th, our first Cardinia Network NAIDOC week celebration day was held at John Henry Primary School. This was a celebration and education of Koori culture, history and traditions.  All of our Koori students attended this excursion, as did all Koori students from all other schools in our network.  Mr Forster and Mrs Van Eyk accompanied our students, as did our school Vice-Captains, Chantelle Tankard and Zachary Gray whilst Ms Baillie popped by to say hello and join in some of the activities. 

Students participated in three activities throughout the day. They completed some aboriginal artwork, having received some advice and support from 'Aunty Marg', who also shared some dot-paintings that she has created. Students then played some traditional sports and games before listening to some aboriginal dream time stories and didgeridoos. 

Mr Forster was most impressed with the way that all students represented our school and were able to demonstrate our 3 values of respect, responsibility and resilience throughout the day. All students were engaged and participated actively throughout the day. It is wonderful to see that there is such a focus on learning about the history of our first Australians within our network.

Curriculum Day

On Monday, July 15, all Classroom Teachers participated in a Professional Development day, further developing their understanding of our Reader's Workshop model. This session was run by two of Bastow's accredited Master Trainers; our very own Megan Ryan as well as Sue Greenough from Pakenham Consolidated Primary School. All staff were actively involved and engaged throughout the day as we learned about 10 reading comprehension strategies that will form part of our approach and be taught from Prep right through to Year Six. 

Our Education Support staff also completed some professional learning with our School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) coach, looking specifically at how they may reinforce our SWPBS framework in their role as Learning Support Assistants. The feedback from this session was also very positive and Mr Forster said too that all staff were engaged throughout and really positive in their approach. 

Hoop Time

We are extremely proud to have had over 100 students from years 3-6 participate in Hoop Time this week. Reports from the stadium have been positive, with many comments being made regarding the high levels of sportsmanship shown by all Pakenham Springs students on and off the court.  Congratulations to those teams who have made it through to the next round!  We are so proud of the way you have demonstrated Respect, Responsibility and Resilience when representing the school outside in the community.

Enrolments for 2020 students

We are still in the process of planning for 2020.   If you know of anyone who is considering enrolling at Pakenham Springs next year - either in Prep or other year levels, please ask them to contact the school office on 59457 400 and we can help them with any queries.  Similarly, if you are planning on not returning to Pakenham Springs in 2020, please let us know. We are beginning our 2020 organisational planning, and having this information as soon as possible helps us make our arrangements.

Designated Neighbourhood Boundary (DNB).

In order to accommodate our current students and manage enrolments, a school boundary exists for Pakenham Springs Primary School.  Findmyschool.vic.gov.au hosts the most up-to-date information about Victorian school boundaries for 2020 onwards. To visit the site see: www.findmyschool.vic.gov.au

Parent Opinion Survey

The Parent Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education and Training that is conducted amongst a sample of randomly selected parents.  It is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of parents’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour and student engagement.  Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies.

Approximately 30 per cent of parents will be invited to participate in this year’s survey.  All responses to the survey are anonymous.  This year the Parent Opinion Survey will be conducted from Monday 22rd July to Sunday 11th August.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 10-15 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the fieldwork period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones.  The online survey will be available in a range of languages other than English.  These include: Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Chin (hakha), Hindi, Japanese, Greek, Turkish, Somali and Punjabi.

The survey results will be reported back to the school at the end of September.  If you are contacted to complete the survey, please do not hesitate to contact Jane King (Assistant Principal) with any questions you may have.

Kerryn Baillie

Principal