Principal's Page 

Well, we have almost made it! The end of Term 1 is just around the corner, and the holidays are so close, you can almost smell them! Students and teachers have done so well through the first quarter of the year, and I once again want to congratulate everyone on their hard work, enthusiasm and effort throughout the term. While the effects of covid have hindered our engagement with some activities, for the most part, we have been able to undertake events and activities in an inclusive and enjoyable way. While there is no indication yet of any changes to the rules around masks for student and teachers onsite, it has become common practice for people here now, and I am so impressed with the students resilience in this area. I can tell you that this is absolutely NOT the case in every school, and Launching Place PS is by far the most compliant school I have seen in terms of covid safe practices. Adapting to different circumstances can be challenging for some people (not just children!) so seeing the Launch people just ‘roll with the punches’ has shown me how adaptable, flexible and resilient you all are! 

Curriculum Days for 2022

Schools usually have 4 Curriculum Days per year, and as of yet, the curriculum days have been unnamed for 2022. We will be having our second Curriculum Day on Tuesday 3rd of May. On this day, teachers will be working on preparations for our upcoming School Review as well as conducting First Aid training. There are two more curriculum days to be had throughout the year, but we have not decided when they will be yet. 

Student attendance

While the events of the last few years have had a definite impact on the way we approach and engage with school, one this that has not changed is the importance of good attendance. Students who miss one day of school a fortnight will miss four whole weeks a year, and, if regular absences continue to occur, this means they could potentially miss a whole year of school by the time they reach Year 10. Coming to school each day is so important for so many reasons. Not only for academic progress, but socially it is important for students to be at school to develop and maintain strong friendships and partnerships with their peers and teachers. We understand that life can be tricky at times, and things can happen that make regular school attendance difficult to achieve. If this is the case, please contact the school and talk to us about ways we can help. If you are after more information about the importance of attending school every day, check out these resources - everydaycountsprimary.PDF (education.vic.gov.au) 

Grounds update

I sent a Compass notification at the end of last week letting parents know that there were some areas of the school that had been highlighted as needing some repairs, thus some areas being marked with caution tape. As unpleasant as it is to see that in the school, it is of paramount importance to ensure that the school is safe for everyone, especially our students. I am pleased to say that there have been some repairs carried out already, sadly involving the demolition of one area of the playground that was beyond repair. There are some bigger areas of work to be carried out, but these will hopefully happen over the holidays when students are not onsite. This will include some repairs to areas of the courtyard that are simply falling apart due to age. There are some targeted fundraising monies that will go towards updating and improving this area, and I am hopeful to have some traction on this very soon. 

There have been some families asking how they can help in the grounds, which is amazing. Once I have an idea of when some of the repair work will be completed, I would love to organise a community working bee to spruce up the grounds, looking at things like pruning, weeding, planting, mulching and general cleaning and tidying around the school. Some of these things would be better to done after some more major works have been completed, so look out for Compass notifications that will come through (this might be in the holidays). 

Easter Hat Parade and Badge presentation

We are excited to have our annual Easter Hat parade on the last day of term. This will be outside on the lower basketball court, and as an outside event, we would love to invite parents and friends to come along. While we have members of the school community present, we are also going to conduct our Year 6 leaders badge presentation. These upstanding student leaders deserve to have their positions recognised in front of a crown, and while we are still advised to avoid whole school indoor events, and outdoor event in fine conditions is a great way to acknowledge these special people while also celebrating our Easter event! We hope that you can come along. 

We are also still seeking easter egg donations to make up prize hampers for students. While we are not asking for families to buy tickets, we would ask for people to donate any easter goodies you are able to make this a really special day for the amazing Launching Place students. 

Miss Mackie

We are very excited to wish Miss Mackie all the best for her upcoming wedding in the first week of the holidays. We hope that Miss Mackie and her future husband Jon have an amazing day, and we look forward to seeing lots of pictures! 

I will send out a small end of term newsletter next week, just to give you all any last minute information and updates. 

Have a wonderful week everyone! 

Kind regards,

Jess