Footscray West PS Newsletter

Principal's Report

Principal: Brendan Millar

In this week's newsletter

  • Appreciations and News …
    • Appreciations and acknowledgements
    • Student Learning Conferences (and Student Led Conferences in Grades 5 and 6)
    • Conclusion of school review
    • Latest grade video
    • Western Metropolitan Primary School Cross Country
  • Coming up 
    • NAIDOC Week
    • Indigenous Art Installation
    • End of term will be at 2.20 pm tomorrow (after assembly)
  • Repeated (and updated) messages

Appreciations and News

  • Appreciations and Acknowledgements
    • Thank you to the FWPS staff team.  I know that many of our families deeply appreciate the care and generosity that is demonstrated by our staff every day at our school.  As a leadership team we are fully aware that we have a special crew.  We will share a morning tea tomorrow to show our gratitude to our staff team for their efforts over this successful term.
    • Last week I shared the news that Madi Sparvell will take 6 months leave to pursue a new professional challenge.  This week 4MS met with their new teacher Kris Lakusa and Madi and Kris conducted the Student Learning Conferences together.  Today Kris spent time in the classroom with Madi and the children.  We know this handover will make the transition for the students a thorough one.
    • Earlier this week I shared the news with the families of 2HR that their class teacher, Hayley Reynolds, who has been on health related leave for the last few weeks, has resigned her position at FWPS for personal reasons.  It is always disappointing when teaching staff are unable to continue in their roles, however change is an inevitable part of life and so we will manage this in a supportive manner.  Experienced team member, Heather Patterson has stepped away from her Tutor Learning role temporarily to teach the class.  We are grateful to Heather for the professional and generous capacity she immediately brought to the class. This arrangement will now continue at the beginning of term 3 as we conduct a search for a replacement teacher.
       
  • Student Learning Conferences (and Student Led Conferences in grades 5 and 6) – We appreciate the many parents and carers who participated in person or online with their children’s class teachers and specialists yesterday during our midyear SLCs.  The importance of fostering positive relationships between parents and carers and teaching and support staff cannot be easily overstated.  Our students benefit from reliable, predictable and supportive relationships.  
     
  • School Review concludes - We are delighted that the hard work of school compliance and review have now been completed.  We had our final day of the school review on Tuesday and it was a positive, affirming day.  We have set goals, targets and key improvement strategies that will form the basis of the next School Strategic Plan, which we will develop in Term 3.
     
  • School Review - an update by our School Council President, Andrew Newman

    I am just writing a short note for everyone in the school community on the progress of the School Review which is about to be completed.

    As School Council President I was asked to be involved this year in the progress of the review process that all out state schools go through every four years. The process is extremely thorough, looking at all aspects of how the school is operating, where it's doing well and where systems and processes could be further improved. The Review is led by an independent reviewer who is always a person who’s worked in the school system at senior levels. There are also challenge partners involved who are generally principals from school from our schools region, as well as other departmental experts.

    It’s a really detailed look at how the school is performing. The process involved a number of days setting goals and focus areas of the review initially and then following up with ‘field days’ where the goals and focus areas were investigated and tested. The process is finishing up now.

    I can tell you that I believe our little school has a lot to be proud of. Whilst primary school is clearly most importantly a place of learning for our kids, they also play a key part in guiding their development as people, learning to work with and support those around them. Through the review, I’ve been lucky to see first hand, the dedication of the staff, the love and support our kids have for the place and how important the role that leadership has in setting the culture and feeling of shared purpose the whole school has.

    Whilst there has been extensive discussion through the review of where further improvement can and should be driven, I wanted to pass onto everyone in the school community that we have a great deal to feel proud of in terms of the safe and welcoming environment that everyone has created. This is a credit to the all amazing staff at the school I’ve now known for a number of years, the strong and caring leadership of Brendan, Liz and Carolyn, but also our fantastic kids that every day show care and support for each other. We all want them to strive and achieve great things academically, but just as much to develop as caring people connected to those around them. I think a real love for their school shone through from all the kids we talked to through the review process.

    Your school council will continue to work with the Principal team following the conclusion of the review and how its outputs are developed into the next stage of managing the direction of our school. I sense a thirst to always improve from all the staff who were involved in the Review process. I really look forward to seeing how this evolves – particularly as we turn to our next area of focus: the development of a new school gym!

    Feel free at any time to reach out to me to discuss any element of the review, or the school more generally. I’m on the school council to represent the interests of everyone who is a part of the school community. I hope you enjoy this little update on an important milestone in the life of Footscray West Primary School.

    Andrew
     
  • Latest grade video - Our Grade 3 Orchard to Plate program is featured here: https://vimeo.com/837494529?share=copy
     
  • Western Metropolitan Primary School Cross Country

    Stratos reports on Monday's event:

    Last Monday thirteen of our students travelled by bus to Brimbank Park to compete in the Western Metropolitan Primary School Cross Country after qualifying for the event at the Maribyrnong Division Carnival.

    Each event had up to 80 competitors from as far away as the Bellarine Peninsula. All of our students acquitted themselves very well and although there were no qualifiers for the state championships, getting to this stage was an amazing achievement. An acknowledgment of two of our student Oscar Cameron and Oscar Shrestha who due to injury did not get the opportunity to compete.

    Our list of competitors were:

    12yr Boys – Josh Griffioen, Charlie Muhllechner 
    12yr Girls – Evie Millsom, Asher Sheldon, Ella Knight, Ka Hi Choong
    11yr Boys – Finlay Rooney 
    11yr Girls – Kara Li Bennett, Skye Coonerty 
    10yr Boys – Felix Nikolovski, Harry Mitten 
    10yr Girls – Madison Munro, Tilly Joyce

Once again a big appreciation to the parents who attended and supported our students on the day.

 

Stratos Tzanoudakis

Specialist's Team Leader

Coming up 

  • NAIDOC Week - NAIDOC Week is coming up from 2nd - 9th of July, which occurs during the next school holidays. NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. This week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The theme for NAIDOC Week this year is 'For Our Elders'.

    This week we include a brief report from our Marrung Champion, Grade 3 team member, Tess Maddison.  Tess has done a marvellous job since volunteering for this role earlier in the year.

    Like last year, we will be holding a voluntary school-wide colouring in competition at FWPS to celebrate NAIDOC Week. This year, the Marrung student representatives will be organising and judging the competition. One winner will be chosen from each grade. The winners will be presented at an assembly during Term 3 and will get their winning artwork proudly displayed around the school.Each student will be provided with a copy of the colouring in to take home during Week 9. We ask that students only write their names on the back of the colouring sheet, so the judges do not know the identity of the entrant. Completed colourings need to be handed back to class teachers by the end of Week 1, Term 3.
     
  • Indigenous Art Installation - Dan Whiting, a member of the grade 2 teaching team and our Facilities subcommittee of School Council, has been liaising with rising First Nations’ artist, Amina Briggs.  With the generous support of the Parents’ Association and with the involvement of our Marrung student leaders, we are pleased to reveal Amina’s Welcome art work which will be created at school next term and then installed in the most eye-catching location on the west facing wall of the Platypus building.  
  • School holidays start tomorrow at 2.20 pm (following assembly).
    End of term - Term 2 will conclude following an assembly (outdoor if feasible) at 2.20 pm on Friday, 23rd June.  School finishes an hour early at the conclusion of terms 1, 2 and 3.  TheirCare out of hours school service will start at this earlier time.

 

Cheers,

Brendan

Repeated (and updated) messages …

Repeated (and updated) messages …

Assembly - Assembly on Friday’s will be held outdoors only if the weather conditions are conducive.  If not, assemblies will be presented indoors in the gallery space in Dingo and broadcast to the classrooms.  At this time of the year it may be anticipated that the majority of assemblies will be held indoors.  For our indoor assemblies we gather all the student presenters, class assembly presenters and pupils of the week before assembly starts, as well as parents, carers, grandparents and community members who have come to watch.  

Hearing your voice - In every newsletter we will add a feedback link.  If you have a concern, suggestion or appreciation, or wish to specifically provide comment on school policies, rather than looking for the school email, you can just go to the link.  This will not be the preferred option for detailed emails - the usual practice of using the school email: footscray.west.ps@education.vic.gov.au will still be the avenue, but for the concerns, suggestions or appreciations go to:  https://forms.gle/dPnAN75bFVeM1i16A

Parent/Carer Volunteer Induction 

This information has been ‘pinned’ on Compass so it remains easily accessible.  You will currently find it as the second pinned item on your News Feed .  For all new families or parents and carers who didn’t complete the online process last year, if you wish to assist in classrooms, excursions or camps, or volunteer for really any other purpose at FWPS, we need you to complete the modules online.  For parents/carers who did this last year, all you need to do is sign the relevant form at the office.

Change of email  

We are no longer using the school gmail addresses for communication to staff.  Parents will be asked to communicate directly with staff using the email facility within Compass, or email the school email address at: footscray.west.ps@education.vic.gov.au ‘Attention staff member’s name’.  Emails sent from the Compass app will be sent directly to the relevant staff members’ education email account.  Please understand that staff are busy and will respond in a timely manner.  If a matter is urgent, you are advised to call the school during office hours, or leave a message outside those hours.

Car park use

A reminder that the car park is open prior to 8 am and after 4 pm daily for parent access for the TheirCare OSHC program.  At other times, please appreciate that the car park is for staff use.  Should you need to walk through to the TheirCare location at Emu Corner, for safety’s sake we ask that you use the pedestrian gate next to the boom gate and make your way between Koala and the Wallaby buildings past Gecko via the basketball court through to Emu Corner.

Please check out the brief explanatory video at: https://vimeo.com/777907951

Photo Permission - When parents and carers first sign the enrolment form for school entry, they may be understandably reluctant to sign the photo permission section.  We frequently use pictures and videos to share learning highlights and to maintain and foster school/home links.  As we frequently include photos and videos of the students learning and playing we are regularly confronted by wonderful picture opportunities we cannot share in our newsletter and videos.  

We would love you to review your decision so your child can be fully involved in the life of our school.  Feel free to contact your child’s teacher or the office so they can make those adjustments on your behalf.

COVID information

As you will all understand, COVID continues to be transmitted within the community and remains a highly infectious illness.  Consequently, it continues to be vital for families to remain careful when exposed to COVID or when demonstrating symptoms.  While schools will no longer be providing Rapid Antigen Tests - We do have dozens of leftover packs that have at least 6 months left before their use by date.  Drop in to the office, or send  us a message and we will send some home with your child.  

Many of you will have heard that this year RATs, while continuing to be supplied by the state government, will be distributed by local councils from venues such as our library locations.

Rapid Antigen Tests are also available for all Victorians from Council sites.  People can get 2 free packs (10 tests) for themselves and 2 free packs (10 tests) for each of their household members.

People with disability and their carers can get up to 4 free packs (20 tests) in line with existing RAT distribution for people with disability.

Further information can be obtained at Council Rapid Antigen Test Program.

Rapid antigen testing

It is recommended that rapid antigen tests (RATs) are used by students and staff:

·         If you have symptoms of COVID-19 infection, no matter how mild

·         If you are a household or close contact of someone who has COVID-19

·         If you are a social contact of someone who has COVID-19.

The Department of Health recommends that all Victorians should report their positive RAT result to the Department of Health online, or by calling 1800 675 398.

Students (or their parents) should also report a positive result to their school, either through the COVID Test portal or by phone or written notification.