From the 

Assistant 

Principal

I AM GRATEFUL FOR...

Being healthy! You may not have noticed me around the school gates over the last few days because I have been unwell. It has been a great reminder of being grateful for how rare this is, and how lucky we are to be healthy most of the time. It also serves as a timely reminder that some of the lessons we learnt last like the importance of hand hygiene and how we can look after each others health.

BREAKFAST CLUB VOLUNTEERS - SMPPS NEEDS YOU!

Next term we have our breakfast club starting up every morning! This is incredibly exciting and we are looking for parent volunteers to help hand out some food to our students and help bring us all together as a community. This will run from 8:30 – 8:50 Monday to Friday. If you can volunteer some time on one of the days, or if you would like some more information, please contact the office on south.melbourne.park.ps@education.vic.gov.au.

EVERY DAY COUNTS

We all want our students to get a great education, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students coming to school each and every day. If students miss school regularly, they miss out on learning the fundamental skills that will set them up for success in the later years of school. There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes. Additionally, attending school every day helps children to build social and emotional skills such as communication, teamwork and resilience.

"WHAT WENT WELL TODAY?"

There is an enormous body of research into mindset and how the way that we frame our questions impacts how we think. This is why there is such an emphasis on mindfulness and positive thinking in both education and in business. If we constantly see the glass half full, we build a habit of thinking that allows us to continually see the good things around us. We are practicing this mindset as a staff, starting our meetings with what we are grateful for. Children thrive off attention. We would like to suggest that the first question you ask your child after school is “What went well today?” This way you will hear all the fantastic things your child is up to at school, and it will start to embed a habit of thinking about the positives in each day.

SMPPS EDUCATION SUPPORT TEAM

At South Melbourne Park Primary School we have an amazing team of Education Support Officers, carefully selected based on their attributes and experience. These wonderful educators work to support specific students in our school to ensure they reach their potential, but they also work with a wide range of students. They are an invaluable support to our teachers and students and I am proud to introduce both our existing and new ES team to the SMPPS community . 

Hello everyone! My name is Sarah Atkins and I am an Education Support Officer. My role is to support the wonderful teachers, in ensuring that students with individual and additional needs, are effectively supported, in and out of the classroom.  

Most importantly, I believe in advocating for the child with additional needs, and I feel humbled to be entrusted with such a great responsibility.  I also firmly believe in inclusive education, and feel that an inclusive learning environment, produces positive educational outcomes for all students. 

Hello, my name is Ahlam Elakkoumi, known as Mrs. E, and I am part of the amazing

 Education Support Team at SMPP.  I'm a mum of three and I know how important these primary years are in supporting students academically and socially.  Over the past two years it has given me great pleasure to see the progress of our students.  This year,  I look forward to getting to know our new students and seeing the many smiley faces and I hope together we can experience the many great events and activities onsite! I look forward to another great year with you all!

Hello all. My name is Giulia Bruno and I this is my second year as an Education Support Officer at SMPPS. You can find me working in the prep area as well as the multi age area. I am very pleased and excited to be working with the students and offering a helping hand wherever I can. Outside of school, I love camping and going for long walks.

Hey everyone!! My name is Clódagh Dillon...some Aussies like to call me Clo. I am an ES for the 1/2 team and was over the moon to find out I was joining the South Melbourne Park family!! I’m excited to work for such a welcoming and innovative school and look forward to the year ahead. I am originally from Ireland and made my big move to Oz just over 2 years ago! I enjoy being active and trying new things, that constantly puts me out of my comfort zone. I am a very chatty and enjoy a good yarn so if you don’t mind the accent feel free to say hello! 

Hello, my name is Nicole Johnson and I have joined the SMPPS family, 2021! After completing my placement in 2020, I was fortunate enough to be given this opportunity as an Education Support Worker for class 1/2B. I look forward to taking this journey with students and staff, to build on and uphold the school values.

Hello, my name is Roy Lee, a newly-appointed Student Services Officer at SMPPS - this year primarily with the Prep S class. I am really excited about my role and look forward to building great relationships with the staff, parents and students. A bit about me, I’m about halfway through my Bachelor of Primary Education degree. I grew up on the Gold Coast, but have spent a considerable time travelling the world, and I’m a dual Australian-Hungarian citizen. I value other cultures and experiencing them first-hand, along with the food on offer!