Principal's Message

Principal's Message

I am extremely grateful of the support we receive from you, our families. You are calm, kind and very considerate. I have worked in many schools and usually, as principal, some of the biggest headaches and threats you receive are from families. Students are the least of the problems. At South Melbourne Primary School, almost all families try their very best to follow directions and policies of the school and they trust the word of the principal. It is an incredible privilege to be at the helm at this school with such magnificent support from you all. Even when the messages are quite challenging for parents to hear - respect is almost always given. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The students are better off when families follow policy and trust the word of the principal. Whenever families and the school are in conflict - the only loser becomes the child. It is tragic when that happens. We are so lucky to work together - even through tough times. 

I had the privilege of meeting parents and students at Friday' Prep Teddy Bear's Picnic on the forecourt. One of the joys of teaching is to see children playing together happily. I always say to the staff that our job is to make sure children are "Safe, Happy, Connected and Achieving." A day like Friday shows these things coming to the fore. Well done and thanks to all families and staff for supporting such a wonderful initiative.

Academic Progress - Student Dashboards

One of the unique features of SMPS is the publishing of Student Dashboards at the end of every term. The purpose of these dashboards is to show academic progress and attainment in our key evaluations and programs. These are very honest appraisals of how your child is going against academic standards. When you receive these, we do not want you to be upset or to celebrate in an exaggerated fashion. If you are clear that your child has tried, then please recognise their effort regardless of the outcome. By the same token, we need you to take academic progress seriously.

We use a colour-coded system which is evident in each dashboard. Green means your child is operating above the standard generally accepted at that grade level. Yellow means your child is operating at about the grade standard. Red means your child is operating below the grade standard. The dashboard is a signal for you to be aware of what action we need to take together to keep improving. If your child is in a red zone, for instance, that means you and your child's teacher should work closely together to strive to attain the yellow standard next time in that area of study. It is not an indication to be upset with your child if they are in the red zone. It is an indication that action needs to occur so your child does not fall further behind the standard of that age group.

We unashamedly promote South Melbourne Primary School as an academic school. If students are not literate and numerate then we have failed our mission. At the same time, we value social, emotional and psychological development and these goals are reflected in our programs. Whatever the dashboard reveals, please be measured in your response with your child but show them that you are highly interested and that outcomes mean something to you and your family.

Student Dashboards will be issued via Compass by Wednesday this coming week.

Term 1 Vacation

School finishes next Thursday at 2:30pm and returns at 9:00am on Tuesday, April 20. Remember that Monday, April 19 is a student free curriculum day. Out of School Hours Care will be operating on that Monday and bookings need to go through the usual online process.

School will finish with an assembly in the forecourt starting at around 1:45pm on Thursday next week. The weather forecast is good so parents are welcome to attend. Friday is a Public Holiday (Good Friday).

Mobile Phone Policy

Just a quick note to thank families for their support of the Mobile Phone Policy. The mobile phone policy was introduced to:

• help students to stay focused in class
• reduce cyberbullying during school hours
• encourage students to play and chat with one another at recess and lunchtime.

As soon as we reminded students and families of the need to keep devices such as mobile phones and smart watches at home - you responded. Thank you.