School Council News

Master Plan Development- 

Community Consultation Survey

Over recent years, Upwey South Primary School has achieved many positive facility and curriculum enhancements, many of which fell into the category of ‘need to do’. We are now in a position that we can consider some of the ‘would like to do’ projects.

School Council, in conjunction with School Leadership, are currently working to formulate a Facilities and Program Enhancement Master Plan for the school. This plan will help to identify and prioritise facility and curriculum enhancement needs, and opportunities, for the short to medium term (one- five years); direct school funds over coming years including locally raised funds (PTA fundraising and parent voluntary contributions); and to support our existing School Strategic Plan. 

A working group has been formed consisting of members of School Council and School Leadership to facilitate the development of the Master Plan. All projects need to complement or enhance either the ‘curriculum’ (Learning programs), ‘culture’ (Learning atmosphere) or ‘climate’ (Learning environment) of the school.

The teachers have already provided input on their priorities for the teaching and learning environment. The following ‘bigger’ projects have been identified under the category of needs vs would like. 

Projects that fall within the 'Need' Category:

• Installation of sliding doors for classrooms in the main building (currently housing Year One - Year Four students). Purpose: to allow for room partitioning, temperature control, and noise reduction in order to support productive and comfortable learning environments.
• The replacement of the louver windows in the main building. Purpose: to allow for better temperature control  in both Summer and Winter months, to support comfortable learning environments.
• Development of an Indigenous Garden. Purpose: to reflect the school’s commitment to embedding a meaningful acknowledgement of Indigenous Australians into our school curriculum, culture and environment. Initially this would involve the redevelopment of garden beds bordering the Administration Building/basketball court, but could extend to other identified areas of the grounds.

Projects that fall within the 'Would Like' category:

• The development of an Outdoor Learning Space, incorporating multi-purpose outdoor seating and natural landscaping (large rocks, indigenous planting). Purpose: this would provide a specifically designed space for outdoor learning, as well as additional seating for students at recess breaks.
• The development of an Arts Hub; encompassing the relocation of Performing Arts and Digital Arts into the current Library space, adjoining the current Visual Arts room, with relocation of the library to the current Performing Arts and Computer Lab. Purpose: this would allow for enhancements to the Performing Arts space over time (mirrors, dance floor), easy access to the green room for digital integration, and capacity for all individual instrument tuition to be housed within the same space.
• The installation of a running track around the school oval. Purpose: to enhance the provisions for students who attend Running Club, and those who represent the school at cross country running events. Pre-Covid attendance at weekly Running Club was averaging ~15% of our student population.

Community Consultation- we want your input! 

One of the functions of School Council is to provide a forum for consultation with the community. As such we would like to invite students and families to provide feedback on the proposed projects as well as to identify any further priorities or needs within the community. Responses will be used to inform priorities and timelines. 

Student consultation will happen in small group or class group meetings with teachers, commencing from next week. 

We are inviting families to complete a survey response together. There are four questions and it should take only 10-15 minutes. Please take time to consider the project proposals that have been identified by staff, provide your feedback, and give us any other ideas. 

You may choose to respond anonymously, or identify your responses for further follow-up.

The survey link is: https://forms.gle/rqShTsJCaRYtGmc28 

This survey will close on Sunday 22nd November 2020. 

School Council President Update

Term Four is shaping up to be a busy term for School Council as we both review and plan. We are currently completing a School Council self assessment to help us identify what is working well and where we need further training and development; we are preparing to review the school budget for 2021; and we are seeking community input on the development of a facilities 'master plan' for the short-medium term. We are hoping that this plan will provide further structure for our School Council subcommittees going into the 2021 school year. Please see below for details and link for the Master Plan Development- Community Consultation Survey. This information has also been sent as a compass message.

One of the functions of School Council is to provide oversight of school policies. Most school policies are mandated by DET and School Council has a very limited, or no role, in reviewing and making changes to these. Some policies are presented to School Council for consultation and we have a role, albeit limited, in reviewing, localising and approving them. All policies are on a review cycle and as they are reviewed they are updated on our school website. Starting from this edition of the newsletter we are going to have a 'spotlight on a policy' to feature one policy that School Council has approved. This will aim to be a snapshot of the policy with a focus on the 'need to know' elements. 

As always, please be in touch if you have any questions about the role of School Council or if you would like to join a subcommittee.

Peta Cartwright- School Council President

Peta.Cartwright2@education.vic.gov.au

Please see below for Spotlight on a Policy- SunSmart Policy.

Spotlight on a Pol​icy- Sunsmart Policy

Purpose of this policy... 

To encourage behaviours to minimise the risk of skin and eye damage and skin cancer by providing guidelines to support: the use of a combination of sunsmart behaviours; the provision of adequate shaded areas; the development of independent sunsmart skills; the meeting of the school's duty of care; and OHSS obligations to students and staff

Need to know...

• This policy applies to students and staff;
• Applies to all school activities including camps and excursions;
• From 1st September to 30th April, all students must wear a hat that shades the face, neck and ears for all outdoor activities including recess breaks and any outdoor lessons;
• Hats should be broad-brimmed or bucket style;
• Students who are not wearing appropriate protective clothing or a hat may be asked to play in the shade or in a suitable area protected from the sun;
• Staff and students are encouraged to apply sunscreen daily whenever UV levels reach 3 and above. 

Good to know...

• Whilst this policy covers school activities in school hours, students are encouraged to practice sunsmart behaviours at all times, including to and from school. Students are encouraged to wear their hats when leaving the classroom at the end of the day. If you feel that your child may forget their school hat at home, please pack an alternative sunsmart hat for wearing to and from school (refer to the image above) 
• If you can't find your child's hat, please contact the office. Hats are available for purchase via the front office
• If you need a back-up hat, the second hand uniform shop is a good option. It is currently open by appointment only, contact the school office for bookings. 
• If you have lost a hat, don't forget to check your child's classroom tub, located outside of the office. All named lost property is returned to the owner. Any un-named hats are washed, and donated to the second-hand uniform shop if they are not claimed within five school days.
• Students should apply sunscreen before they arrive at school each day.
• Each year level has access to SPF30 or above sunscreen, and students are encouraged to apply this prior to recess breaks. Students may bring their own sunscreen, or utilise school supplies. Please be aware that teachers are not allowed to apply sunscreen onto students. 
• Our school website has a Sunsmart widget on the Home Page, to forecast the UV rating for the day.

Do You Want to Get Involved with a Subcommittee?

For information about how to get involved with a School Council Subcommittee, please visit:

 USPS School Council Link

or email

Peta Cartwright- School Council President

Peta.Cartwright2@education.vic.gov.au