Message from Acting Principal Sarah 

Welcome Back

Welcome back to our existing families and a warm welcome to new families joining us at NMPS in 2021. We hope you have had the opportunity to relax and enjoy time with family and friends. Whilst 2021 may bring us some challenges, we know for certain that our NMPS community will be able to work together to ensure our focus on student learning, health and wellbeing, and community connections.

Teachers returned to school on Wednesday 27 January to participate in professional learning and to continue preparations for Term 1. We were excited to welcome the students back on Thursday and have already seen these students settle in well into their new grades and participate in lots of learning across the school. We would like to send a big congratulations to our 2021 Prep cohort, who successfully started their schooling journey with us on Friday. It appeared that despite the rain, students were having an enjoyable day with their teachers and new friends. 

Farewell Sally

As you may be aware, Sally has moved on from North Melbourne Primary School, as she has been appointed to a new position as a Differentiated Support for School Improvement (DSSI) – Executive Principal in the North East Region. We congratulate Sally on this achievement and would like to thank her for her 20 years of dedication to NMPS. We wish Sally all the best as she continues her teaching and learning journey elsewhere. 

As communicated last term, I will continue in the Acting Principal role for Term 1. The NMPS School Council is working with the Department of Education in preparation for the principal recruitment process, which will begin later this term.

Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) Priorities

The Annual Implementation Plan outlines the four-year goals, targets, and Key Improvement Strategies selected for focus in the coming year. 12-month targets are selected which will support the school to progress towards the four-year targets of the School Strategic Plan. In 2021, The Department has adjusted processes to support schools in managing the significant changes they have faced due to the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19).

With this in mind, we will be focusing on three key priority areas in 2021 which are Learning Catch-up and Extension, Healthy, Happy and Active Kids, and Connected Schools. Please refer to our AIP Overview later in the newsletter which outlines our goals and targets for the year and the actions we will be taking to support implementation.

Tutor Learning Initiative 

We know that the remote learning experience was different for every student. While some students thrived, some students may not have engaged as fully with remote learning. For most of our students, regular high-quality teaching in 2021 will be enough to help them progress to the expected level of learning. However, some students will benefit from additional intensive learning support in 2021. 

As you may be aware, in response to this, the Victorian Government is investing $250 million in the Tutor Learning Initiative to enable schools across Victoria to engage teachers as tutors in 2021 to support students who need extra assistance with their learning. 

At NMPS, we have two full-time tutors who will work collaboratively with classroom teachers across the school in Years 1 - 6 to support our students. Our tutoring program will begin later this term.

Parent Communication

NMPS recognises the importance of communications and continues to strive to and refine our delivery of excellence in communication. This year, one of our AIP priorities for 2021 is to build community connections and communication with families. While we are still managing our routines aligned with COVID principles, we would like all families to know we are available to discuss your child’s learning journey. If you have any concerns or questions about your child’s schooling – academic or wellbeing, please do not hesitate to get in touch with their classroom teacher via email or Compass. If there is an urgent matter, we advise that you phone the school.

We will be having an ‘Open Classroom’ event on Wednesday 17th February, which will give parents the opportunity to meet the teacher and view their child’s learning space. More information about this event will be distributed soon.

Our main portal of whole-school communication is through Compass. Important updates will be sent via Compass so please ensure you have access to this portal. If you do not yet have access to Compass, please speak to our office staff who will be able to help you. Year Level and Specialist teams may also use other platforms to enhance and share your child’s learning journey, such as SeeSaw or Google Classroom. Teaching teams will share this information with the community initially through Compass and/or their Year Level Overview. Year Level and Specialist Overviews will be published on our website in the upcoming weeks so please keep your eyes open for this information. 

We look forward to working together with our community to ensure all students have a positive, successful school year.

Calendar Dates

If you haven’t already received your 2021 NMPS School Calendar, please call our front office to collect one. This has pre-planned important school dates that you need to be aware of, including School Council meetings, Camps, Open Classrooms events, and 3 Way Conferences. It is also available on our website. We also recommend you check the newsletter for important calendar dates regularly.

SunSmart

Term 1 is a SunSmart term, so we ask that all children have a broad-brimmed hat for recess, lunch, and physical education classes. Students are also encouraged to bring their own named water bottle to school each day.