Thanks for coming along...

It has been a fabulous term for parent involvement this term and I'd like to take a minute to say thanks for coming along. More than 50 years of national and international research has shown that children whose parents are engaged in their learning, have better attendance, motivation and self-belief, which leads to improved academic, social and wellbeing outcomes. This is why we believe it so important to have parent involvement in our school.

This term we have seen a great deal of parent involvement:

Twilight School - this was a great example. Most families were able to come along after work and share dinner and then spend some time in the classroom with their child, joining in on the learning and engaging in their world.

Whole School Athletics - held on a sunny day earlier this week, parents, grandparents, siblings and friends came along and cheered on our students as they ran, skipped, jumped, hopped, threw and flopped their way through the day. Check out the photos on the next page! As part of this day we focused on celebrating our school values and it was great having parents encouraging resilience and applauding excellence.

Excursions - We have had a few excursions this term and we have been delighted to have mums and dads take some time and come along with us. Building curiosity in learning and getting to know other students in their child's class has been terrific.

Classroom Helping - we have a small but dedicated team of parents who come along and listen to students read or do maths. Being present in the classroom is a great connection opportunity.

Mothers' Day Afternoon Tea - our Foundation students celebrated the most important women in their lives, serving them afternoon tea and presenting them with carefully selected and hand crafted gifts.

Breakfast Club/Gardening Club - and other other onsite volunteering has been a great opportunity for parents to socialise, get to know each other and the 'behind the scenes' operations of the shcool. The children see this and the sense of ownership that their family has at the school increases as they see their parents connecting.

Sticking around at drop off and pick up times - sticking around for a few minutes and peeking in at windows, or a quick classroom visit can be a great opportunity to connect with your child's school day.

I realise that all the examples I have given above involve parents on-site during the school day, and that some parents are unable to do this due to work or other commitments. Please do not feel shamed if you are not able to be here on-site, in person. Talking with your child about their day, their learning, their teacher, their class, the highs and lows of their day is one of the most powerful ways of connecting with their learning. Showing interest and joining in is what matters most. Talk with them about their homework, read with them and talk about what you have read together, ask them to show you a game in the backyard that they have played at school, use our values of Excellence, Resilience and Respect in your discussions at home. So many ways to connect, engage and show you value school and learning.

So yes, we would love to have you involved here at school. It is hugely valuable. But so is connecting at home. That is why education is a partnership. Parents and school working together. It takes a village to raise a child. Thanks for being a part of our village.

2024 Enrolments

We are now accepting enrolment requests for 2024 If you already have children here, but have a little one ready to start school next year, we encourage you to stop by and talk with us about enrolment. As a school we are continuosly seeking to improve and things change from year to year. If your child started here more than a couple of years ago then things might have changed a little since your last tour. You are welcome to come in and have a look around and talk about how we can meet the needs of your 2024 Foundation student.

If you have friends or family who are looking for a school in the area, please encourage them to book in for a tour. We are always proud to show people around our wonderful school. You can also stop by the office and pick them up an info pack, or call and we can mail one out.

Story Time - Preschoolers - Play Group

A reminder to parents with pre-school aged children that we have our next Story Time session coming up on Monday 29th May at 2.45pm. We would love to see you there. To RSVP, please call the office.

We are also restarting our Play Group next term. This is a session specifically aimed at parents and children from 6mths to 3yrs. The school supplies the resources, the room and the morning tea and volunteer parents run the session in our MultiPurpose Room. For the kids there are crafts, songs, games and playground time and the parents have a great time too. If you are interested in joining in, please contact the office on 9725 4320.

ThinkUKnow - Parent Feedback

We recently held a parent session promoting ways to encourage responsible online behaviour and develop protective behaviours in young people. Foundation Parent Alexandra Alvarez has provided a summary of the event. Thank-you Alex. Here is what she wrote...

On a rainy Tuesday the 2nd of May the ThinkUKnow presentation took place in the library at KPS. The two presenters – Kate & Simone – explained about the varying aspects of online safety and how parents could best approach the myriad of issues surrounding it.

Kate spoke of the effectiveness of raising awareness with parents of primary school aged children, rather than only secondary students. She said it’s the best time to establish appropriate ground rules, reasonable expectations and to use it as an opportunity for discussion. Simone went into detail about the types of eSafety concerns prevalent today, what to watch out for and how to act if something does occur.

They handled the uncomfortable subject in a way which made me as a parent feel more aware and certainly more equal to the task of handling online issues.

Some great tips were:

- To engage with our children online; talk about what they’re doing

- To manage or supervise their accounts

- To make sure all devices are in a public space (ie. not a bedroom or bathroom)

- To listen & act with understanding if ever they come to us with an eSafety concern

There’s more info on KPS’ website, plus there are heaps of resources for parents and children available on the websites linked below.

Pupil Free Day - Tuesday 13th June

On Tuesday 13th June we will be having a pupil free day. This is the day after the Kings Birthday public holiday so it will be a four day weekend for students. Teachers will be spending the day at school working on curriculum planning and assessment analysis.

Have a fabulous weekend. Stay warm, stay well.

All the best, Daniel.

Athletics Day

Yarra Ranges Athletics Track - Morrison Reserve