Principal's

Message

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM OUR PRINCIPAL

I have included a video in this week’s newsletter explaining the voluntary the contributions for our school.

CURRICULUM DAY- FRIDAY 21ST FEBRUARY- PUPIL FREE DAY

Our first curriculum day is next week, please note that students do not come to school on this day. Curriculum days are set aside for staff training. Our staff will be traveling to Dingley Village to join Kingswood Primary School and train in Cultures of Thinking. As a school that inspires the next generation of curious minds, it is important to challenge deep levels of thinking in our students. This professional development day is the beginning of our work in creating a culture of thinking. We are extremely fortunate to have engaged Ron Ritchhart, an international senior research associate of Harvard University Project Zero Classroom.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES (PLC)

At South Melbourne Park we have structured our teaching teams into professional learning communities (PLC). It is really important to have outstanding, knowledgeable teachers in all classes, as we know it is the teacher that ‘makes a difference’.  Recently, both Mr Vines and myself were invited speak at the Bayside Principal Forum.  There were over 300 of our colleagues at this forum and it was a privilege to share the work that we will be doing at South Melbourne Park.  I thought parents may be interested in learning what our teachers do when they come together as a PLC.

• Discussing teacher work: teachers collectively review lesson plans or assessments that have been used in a class, and then offer critical feedback and recommendations for improvement.
• Discussing student work: teachers look at examples of student work, and then offer recommendations on how lessons or teaching approaches may be modified to improve the quality of student work.
• Discussing student data: teachers analyse student-performance data from a class to identify trends—such as which students are underperforming—and collaboratively develop proactive teaching and support strategies to help students who may be struggling academically.
• Discussing professional literature: team leaders select a text to read, such as a research study or an article about a specialised instructional technique, and then engage in a structured conversation about the text and how it can help inform or improve the team’s teaching.

SCHOOL COUNCIL NOMINATIONS

School Council nominations are invited for vacancies in both the mandated elected parent and the Department of Education and Training (DET) employee categories.  Specifically, our School Council is comprised of seven (7) elected parent representatives, one (1) community member, three (3) elected DET employee representatives, and the school principal (ex-officio).  All elected representatives are elected for a two-year period with overlapping tenure, so that not all positions are declared vacant in any one year.  For 2020, we have three (3) elected parent positions vacant, one (1) community member position and two (2) DET positions. 

Retiring members are as follows:

Retiring Members 

Tania Quick, Erin Collins, Danny Pinchas

(Parent representatives eligible for 

re-election)

Retiring Community Members

Naomi Hobson, Emma Campbell

(eligible for re-election)

Retiring Member

Christine Priddle

(DET employee eligible for re-election)

If you are an enthusiastic parent interested in getting more involved and having a say in what our school is doing, or know someone who is, we would love to hear from you. We are looking for people who are committed to improving the educational outcomes for all students.

Effective councils have a broad range of experience, skills and expertise. Face-to-face and online training is also available to help councillors develop the skills and knowledge for the job. Parents find their involvement satisfying and may find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging.

For more information on what is involved, see: School Council Information for parents. 

In calling for nominations for the vacancies in both categories, please note that the appropriate nomination form is available, on request, from the school office or on Compass.  In the event that we receive more nominations than vacancies in either category, a ballot will be conducted over a two-week period.  Please note that nomination forms must be lodged by 4:00PM on Thursday 27th February.