Principal's Message
Please take the time to read each page of our newsletter, as we provide you with information updates across each curriculum area.
Students Return to School- a local front-page feature article
It feels so great to be back! 2023 has started with the continued high levels of community and student engagement which our school is well-known for. As you read this newsletter, you will no doubt be excited about the opportunities which are on offer for our students in 2023, from continuing partnerships to new and expanding initiatives.
Below is an extract from a local newspaper featuring Upwey South Primary School students returning to school in Monday 30th January 2023:
Schools throughout the Dandenong Ranges returned on Monday 30 January for another year of learning and development, after a break over the Christmas holidays and new years.
At Upwey South Primary School, students from grades one to six excitedly resumed their educations and tearfully said goodbye to their parents after the summer holidays.
Principal Damien Kitch said it was great to see so many smiling faces on the first day.
“It reflected how excited we were to see each other again,” he said.
“The sense of belonging for each student really is a feature of the amazing community we have here.”
School captains Angus, Evan, Lilly and Lucy are taking up leadership positions in their final year of schooling at Upwey South Primary School.
Evan and Angus said they were looking forward to wearing their new grade six t-shirts.
“The year fives wear the normal uniform, but when you get to year six you get an Upwey South design with all the students’ names on the back,” Evan said.
“I’m looking forward to my last year of primary school, it’s something I will remember forever,” Angus said.
Lilly said she was looking forward to sports like athletics and swimming in 2023.
“Writing and reading too,” she said.
“I’ve always loved getting a book and reading it.”
Lucy said she was looking forward to her favourite subject, maths, and also graduating at the end of the year.
“I don’t want to leave primary school,” she said.
“We have to go to a new place.”
This year, every prep student at a government received a bag containing books, a ruler, a world map jigsaw, SunSmart stickers and a frisbee.
In a statement, Minister for Education Natalie Hutchins said she’d like to wish every student returning to school this week the best of luck in the coming year.
“It’s an exciting time filled with new friends, learning and experiences that shape you forever.” she said.
Article by Parker McKenzie- Star Mail
https://ferntreegully.mailcommunity.com.au/news/2023-01-30/students-return-to-school-for-first-day-of-term-one/
Upwey South Primary School Features in Federal Parliament
On Tuesday 14th February 2023, Federal Member for Casey Aaron Violi MP elected to use his time behind the microphone to highlight the achievements of Lucy H (Year 6) who recently won a federal grant for our school.
The contributions from the grant will go towards stocking our library refurbishment with texts highlighting the role of females throughout Australian history, and the role of Indigenous Australians during wartime.
We encourage you to take the time to watch the video below.
Responsible Driving/Parking Around Our School
With recent works occurring along Griffiths Road and Riley Road we appreciate the care that our community are showing when parking/driving around the school boundary. Please be aware when collecting your child to use the marked pedestrian crossings, particularly on Morris Road. We also provide a reminder to families that the Riley Road/ Morris Road exit is not designed for parking.
Promoting Student Safety- Wearing Helmets and Maintaining Your Equipment When Riding, Scootering, and Skateboarding
All students must wear a helmet when travelling to and from school on a bike, skateboard, or scooter. Children often take their safety cues from adults around them, therefore it is important that all parents/carers support the school with the correct use and choice of an appropriate helmet for their child.
This means your child's helmet should meet Australian Safety Standards, be well-fitting, and cover their forehead. For reference, please refer to the following site:
Your child's bike, scooter, or skateboard should also be fit for purpose and be checked by a reliable service. When you allow your child to ride an unsafe bike, scooter, or skateboard you are also posing an unnecessary danger to other users within our community.
Let's all work together to promote student safety.
A well-maintained bike or scooter is essential for riding safely – the wheels, handlebars, brakes, frame and correct size for the rider need to be regularly checked before riding.
Refer to: A guide to bicycle maintenance
Refer to: A guide to maintaining scooters, skateboards, and rollerblades
Sunsmart Hats and Schools
As we being to experience more sunny days, we bring your attention to the importance of our school's Sunsmart Policy.
Please take the time to read over the attached policy, and be aware that in Term Four all students are required to wear a school branded sunsmart hat when outside.
or visit the policy directly at:
http://www.upweysthps.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/Sunsmart-Policy.pdf
Annual DET Privacy Reminder for our School Community
Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy.
The following information is an important extract from the Department of Education and Training (DET) which should be shared across all schools.
During the ordinary course of your child’s attendance at our school, school staff will collect your child’s personal and health information when necessary to educate your child, or to support your child’s social and emotional wellbeing or health in the school context. Such information will also be collected when required to fulfil a legal obligation, including duty of care, anti-discrimination law and occupational health and safety law. If that information is not collected, the school may be unable to provide optimal education or support to your child, or fulfil those legal obligations.
For example, health information may be collected through the school nurse, primary welfare officer or wellbeing staff member. If your child is referred to a specific health service at school, such as a Student Support Services officer, the required consent will be obtained. Our school also collects information provided by parents and carers through the School Entrance Health Questionnaire (SEHQ) and the Early Childhood Intervention Service (ECIS) Transition Form.
Our school may use online tools, such as apps and other software, to effectively collect and manage information about your child for teaching and learning purposes, parent communication and engagement; student administration; and school management purposes. When our school uses these online tools, we take steps to ensure that your child’s information is secure. If you have any concerns about the use of these online tools, please contact us.
School staff will only share your child’s personal or health information with other staff who need to know to enable the school to educate or support your child, or fulfil a legal obligation.
When our students transfer to another Victorian government school, personal and health information about that student will be transferred to that next school. Transferring this information is in the best interests of our students and assists that next school to provide optimal education and support to students.
In some limited circumstances, information may be disclosed outside of the school (and outside of the Department of Education and Training). The school will seek your consent for such disclosures unless the disclosure is allowed or mandated by law.
Our school values the privacy of every person. When collecting and managing personal and health information, all school staff must comply with Victorian privacy law.
Throughout this notice, ‘staff’ includes principals, teachers, Student Support Service officers, youth workers, social workers, nurses and any other allied health practitioners and all other staff at our school. This includes employees, agents and service providers (contractors) of the Department, whether paid or unpaid.
For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in ten community languages:
- Amharic
- Arabic
- Dari
- Gujarati
- Mandarin
- Somali
- Sudanese
- Turkish
- Urdu
- Vietnamese
Lunchtime Orders via QKR
As we move into 2023, please be aware that student lunch orders will continue to be available via the QKR app.
Please note that The Blacksmith Belgrave Pty Ltd includes Sushi Express and the Blacksmith Cafe; therefore all lunch orders will appear on your banking statement as The Blacksmith Belgrave Pty Ltd.
Celebrating Student Achievements
We have the most amazing students at Upwey South Primary School, and quite often their brilliance extends beyond the boundaries of our school fence. With community sport, artistic endeavors and other events back in full-swing we are wanting to use our newsletter as another chance to celebrate the achievements of our students beyond the school gates.
If you know of a student who has achieved something beyond the school gates which should be celebrated, please email damien.kitch@education.vic.gov.au
Keeping Aware of Information Relating to School
As a school we work hard to keep our families informed of happenings across the school. We acknowledge that receiving information in a timely and consistent manner can help to alleviate the pressures which come from managing a busy family calendar.
Communicating via Compass
All of our school notifications are sent via the Newsfeed within the Compass app. There is also a calendar of events within the app, which sends push notifications to users to remind them of school events.
We continue to utilise Compass for families to consent and pay in order for their children to take part in school events.
In order to filter notifications which are received, you will notice that we send out notifications which are year level specific. This means that sometimes not all notifications are sent to all year levels.
Administration Reminder
Please be reminded that if you need to collect your child/ren early, please contact the office when you are five to ten minutes away so we can have them at the office for collection.
Communicating with the School Administration Team
We look forward to partnering with you in 2023, and welcome your input:
Damien Kitch (Principal) damien.kitch@education.vic.gov.au
Paula Lee (Business Manager) upwey.south.ps@education.vic.gov.au
Janette Clarke (Office Manager) upwey.south.ps@education.vic.gov.au