Dear Parents and Carers,

I’d like to begin by welcoming the new families and staff who have started at Melton West PS this year. I am confident you will find the school an inclusive and welcoming place to learn, grow and play.

Rapid Antigen Testing (RATs): Although there are no longer any Covid restrictions for schools, if your child or any member of your family are experiencing symptoms and would like to test using a Rapid Antigen Test we have a large number available for students and their families. If you would like a box or two to store in your cupboard – just in case – you can collect them from the office or call and ask that 1 or 2 boxes be given to your child to bring home.

Communication: Keeping parents informed about the happenings around school is very important to us as we believe it helps strengthen the partnership between home and school. We have a number of ways in which we send important information in the hope that all parents and carers can access it in some form.

Class Dojo is a great tool where messages can be sent direct to the teachers. It is important to remember that it is a written form, similar to text messaging, so lengthy detailed descriptions are not appropriate in this context. If you have a concern, a short text asking the teacher to contact you is preferable to writing the whole incident down. Please note, I do not get the chance to check Class Dojo often, so if you need to contact me, please call the office and leave a message rather than placing it on Class Dojo, which may not get seen for a few days!
Sentral is the system we use across the school where we can send SMS messages direct to parents’ mobile phones or an email to the parent’s email address.
Skoolbag App is app that can be put on any Smart Phone and can be set up to send you alerts when information, such as the newsletter, is available. It also sends reminders about things that are due such as camps and excursions. It is available from the App Store – type in Skoolbag and look for Melton West PS
Facebook is another platform we use to post messages

Please remember for complex issues a phone call or face to face meeting with the teacher is the best way to ensure it gets sorted as quickly as possible. Please call the office to make an appointment.

“Getting to Know Your Child” Parent/Teacher Interview: Another important way to communicate is via Parent teacher Interviews. We have organised these for Wednesday 15th February from 2.00 – 6.30 pm. Information about these and how to book a time will be sent home shortly and posted on all the above communication platforms. If you would like help setting up a time, please call the office on 9743 5818.

SunSmart: Our SunSmart Policy, available on the school’s website, is developed to ensure children are safe whilst outside. Please remember that part of this is to wear a broad-rim hat during Terms 1 and Term 4 when the UV rays are at their most dangerous. Children without a hat will be directed to stay under shaded areas such as the pergola or playgrounds. Please ensure you child has a hat, which is clearly named so it can be returned if it gets lost. Parents and carers are also encouraged to apply sunscreen before school to exposed areas. The Global Solar UV Index measures UV Levels on a scale from 0-11. Sun protection is recommended when levels are above 3. This week the levels have been 11 and 10 respectively between 9.30am – 5.30pm. Even on overcast days the UV levels can be at the EXTREME level. The UV Index is available on our school website for your reference and I have it on my phone as well for easy access.

Before and After school Supervision: Student safety at Melton West PS is our highest priority and the safe and appropriate supervision of students is an important element of our duty of care to students. Part of this duty is ensuring parents and students are aware of our student supervision arrangements before and after school. We have the following in place:

Before school: School gates are open from 8.30 am where children can enter through any gate. Please do not drop them off before this time if you cannot wait as they are not supervised outside the school whilst waiting for the gates to open. Children can enter the buildings from 8.50 when the music plays. Breakfast Club will operate from 8.10am until 8.30am for any one who is interested. Please enter through the front office. PLEASE BE AWARE that we do not have capacity to supervise children before 8.10 am so please DO NOT drop them off any earlier than 8.10am
After school: School gates are opened at 3.00 pm and parents are asked to wait for their child outside the school ground. Yard supervision after school finishes at 3.15 pm so please ensure you are here to pick up your child before then. Students on school grounds outside these times will not be supervised (unless they are attending a before or after school care program or supervised extracurricular activity).

Parents/carers are requested to ensure that students do not attend school outside of these supervised times unless they are attending before or after school care, or a pre-arranged supervised activity (i.e. sports practice). For a copy of our school’s Yard Duty and Supervision Policy please go to the Melton West PS Website https://meltonwestps.vic.edu.au/ and click on the policy tab. This policy includes Melton West PS student supervision arrangements across the school day, including before and after school.

Extend Before and After School Care: We have a Before and After School Care Service operated by Extend. Before School Care is available from 6.45 am, and After School Care until 6.30 pm. Families are encouraged to contact Extend OHSC on 1300 366 437 or www.extend.com.au for more information about the before and after school care facilities available to our school community.

Canteen: Our canteen is up and running. Please see information attached on how to order online, if that is your preference, or you can still send in money in a paper bag – which will go through the child’s classroom. Please discuss with your child that some items ordered through a lunch order may need to be picked up from the canteen window. If this is the case the bag will have a sticker on it that they need to show.

Swimming Prep – 2: We have booked the swimming pool for lessons for Years Prep – 2 from Monday 6th March until Friday 10th March. We are just finalising the details re cost and number of groups we can send. Notes should be sent home on Tuesday 14th February so please look out for them. Places will be on a first in basis for returned forms. Any questions please let us know.

High Levels of Learning for All

Michelle Costa

Principal

School Policies