Principals Report 

Term 4 is gathering momentum and there is plenty of exciting events and activities happening for our students. Our Grade 3 and 4 students enjoyed their first school camps last week, whilst many of our junior students have exciting excursions and events forecast across this term. Let’s ensure too that our focus remains on excellence in student learning; we will celebrate some recent achievements in our ‘students attitudes to school’ survey data later in this report. 

2023 Enrolment

Confirmation of student enrolment is imperative at this stage of the year, as it informs our student-class placement and our workforce planning. A couple of key reminders for everyone:

1. If you have a child starting in Prep next year (or know someone who does), please ensure they are fully enrolled as soon as possible. Our transition program begins in November and planning for student-class placement for Prep 2023 is already well under way. 
2. If you know someone who is moving into our school zone, please encourage them to contact us and begin the enrolment process.
3. Please note that we will continue to run our school tours for new families each Friday at 9:30am (tickets here) throughout Term 4. If this time does not work for you, please do not hesitate to reach out to our office team to book an alternative time. 
4. If you are leaving our school zone and exiting our school, please notify our school in writing (port.melbourne.ps@education.vic.gov.au) by Monday 31st October.

Class Placement

In this newsletter, as I did in the previous edition, I shared our annual information regarding class placement for 2023. Our teaching teams will soon begin to construct classes for next year and, under a strict set of guidelines, there is capacity for parents / carers to make specific student placement requests. This process is identical to the one we have implemented since 2020 and is shared as a separate tab in this newsletter. Please note that all requests must be submitted by Friday 28th October and will only be considered in alignment with the class placement process as outlined.  

Students ‘Attitudes to School’ Survey Results

Each year, all students in Years 4, 5 and 6 at every Government School in Victoria, students complete a survey that analyses their attitudes towards school. Questions focus on areas including friendship, learning experiences and engagement in learning. 

In results released recently, Port Melbourne Primary School was ranked in the top-five schools in the Bayside Peninsula Area (all schools from Portsea to Port Melbourne) for improved positive endorsement (results) on the survey. This included growth in the key areas of ‘sense of connectedness’ (+ 9.3% improvement), ‘managing bullying’ (+ 6.1%) and student voice and agency (+ 11.9%).

Our results reflect the strong strategic focus in the school on excellence in teaching and learning and inclusive student wellbeing practices. These areas will continue to be of focus and we strive to achieve at an even higher level in 2023. 

Thanks for your ongoing support and keep doing your best.

Rohan.