Principal's Message

Driving home one night last week, I was listening to Rafael Epstein on ABC radio interviewing the Victorian Ombudsman, Deborah Glass. Not only was she a smart, savvy and articulate person, the message she was telling listeners was that most conflicts/disputes could have been solved initially through clear communication. This really resonated with me.

As an educator and a leader of a school the importance of clear and concise communication is essential to building a successful school. For teachers and non teaching staff it’s just as essential, so both our students and their parents have a clear understanding of what’s happening, what’s happened and what's happening next. 

At SMPD we strive to build partnerships with our parents. Partnerships are built on communication. Effective communication is essential for a thriving school. Although this sounds simple and obvious it requires a commitment from both the school and home to keep informed and communicate frequently. 

As we begin the year together let’s strive to use our communication tools to share information, give our students purposeful feedback and keep parents informed to allow strong relationships to grow and flourish.

Some of the systems that we have established to keep you informed are:

• OPEROO - This is where parents share their child’s medical and personal details. A reminder that it is the parent's responsibility to keep this updated and accurate. We suggest you do this at the start of the new year. Information including permission forms for excursions and school events are also shared via this app. 
• Seesaw - The purpose of this app is to share student learning and their learning process. It also has the capability to message teachers. Teachers are happy to respond to simple requests but a reminder that they won’t be replying outside of school hours (8:30am- 4:00pm) or on weekends.
• Newsletter - Each fortnight, you can access the SMDP newsletter with all the current news as well as celebrating student learning and achievements. Our school leaders also share their latest learnings and best educational practice. We celebrate our students' learning by sharing our Learning Power Awards with the school community. 

However, we know the best form of communication is one to one/ face to face. If parents do have any concerns or issues the best way to resolve this issue is to meet with your child’s teacher. An appointment can be made via the office or arranging an appropriate time with your child’s teacher. My office door is always open and I am happy to have a discussion with you too. 

As Deborah Glass stated in the interview, if the majority of the issues that she deals with daily were initially discussed, with information shared, and problem solved together, she wouldn’t have to deal with the hurt and anger to move towards an outcome. 

Clear communication and a shared understanding is the key to a successful school as well as building staff, student and parent partnerships.  

Have a great weekend.

Dan Ryan

Principal

St Martin de Porres Primary School is committed to creating an environment where the safety, wellbeing, and participation of all children within our care is paramount. 

2023 - School Closure Days

Listed below are our school closure days for 2023. These are student free days. Staff use these days to further develop their learning and keep informed with current practice and procedures. 

NOTE: These dates may be subject to change that may be outside of our control.