The West Weekly  

Principal's Report 

Appreciations

We have received some really supportive feedback about our assembly videos, so I would like to acknowledge our grade 6 captains, along with the wonderful support of grade 6 teaching team member, Shannon Mason, for it is their ideas and energy that are providing lots of material for us to use.  What a joy it is to work with this super positive crew!  In the final Monday assembly we can look forward to some lunchtime vox pops about what is great about being back at school and what the kids are missing about learning at home.

 

News

School Council

On Monday, School Council met via video link for our final meeting of term 2.  We had a great discussion about how we have managed students, staff and community during the period of enforced learning from home.  It is in challenging times that having a supportive school council that shares values and goals is most appreciated.  Acting Assistant Principal, Lyn Wilkinson provided a summary of parent and carers’ responses to the Remote and Flexible Learning at Home survey and she has prepared a brief version that is included below my report in today’s newsletter. 

 

We are determined to collect our community’s recollections of what this extraordinary period we have lived through has been like. Along with the survey for parents, all classes have had the chance to present a shared collaborative activity that was prepared in collaboration with our grade 6 captains. The JSC members have been working on their podcast even when students were learning at home. Senior staff members, Carolyn and Libby are developing a feedback module for all staff.  We know that we need to use some of our recent experiences to better provide learning and communication opportunities in the future.

  • Wallaby building repairs – We have known since term 1 that during this year there will be major disruption to users of the Wallaby building, our 105 year old most substantial building.  Last week the consulting project architect confirmed that the disruption will be at the major end of expectation, with all classrooms, music rooms, service, admin and leadership offices, adult and disabled toilets being unable to be used. We have been informed that all users of these spaces will be ‘decanted’, most likely to temporary rooms on the oval. So two years after the decanting of the Bilby building, we will go through an even more disruptive process. We anticipate that the works will start during term 4 and continue through until at least the January holiday period.  There will be LOTS to do and again our resilience will be tested, but one thing we do know is that we have buckets of that! The reality is that without this major restabilising we would eventually have a key building that we cannot use.  At least this way we have funding and a plan to return to a repaired iconic Wallaby building.  So hopefully the families of West Footscray can use the building for another 100+ years. As planning elements are confirmed I promise I will keep our school community updated with all relevant information.
  • Student reports – I reiterate that our revised and simplified student reports will be provided this term.  Instead of going home with the students ahead of Parent/ Teacher Interviews (Student Led Conferences in the 5/6 grades), they will be sent home with the children next Friday, the last day of term 2.
  • Reporting day – You may recall that we had a School Council approved day for teachers to write reports planned for 29th May.  Due to the extraordinary circumstances involving return to school arrangements, it was no longer an appropriate time, or relevant need to hold this day as a student free day.  However, we still have a requirement and ambition to provide a Parent/Teacher interview day.  Consequently, the student free day will be repurposed from a report writing day, to P/T interview day.  The day that has been chosen and approved by Council is Wednesday, 12th August, smack bang in the middle of term 3. We anticipate that this may need to be arranged as video conference meetings, however we will follow Department of Education advice as to whether we can hold face to face meetings in the traditional manner.  As this is approximately two months into the future, I won’t try to predict at this stage what form these will be held.

Morning entry and afternoon exits – We won’t prescribe any major changes to plans that will soon have been in place for a fortnight.  I again urge parents and carers to use the school crossing and pay attention to traffic and the health and safety of children and adults.  We have witnessed some flagrant traffic violations and for the sake of convenience it really isn’t worth it!  Students who bring in mobile phones (predominantly in the senior school) have since their return to school have had them collected in the morning and returned in the afternoon by office team members.  This arrangement will change from Monday when the students will be required to sign in and collect their phones from the office daily. No student should have a phone in their possession during the school day.  The current school policy can be accessed at: https://www.fwpsvice.sponsored1.com/uploaded_files/media/mobilephonepolicy2017.pd

 

Library Borrowing

Students will be able to borrow over the holidays due to their limited access to the library this term. Reminders for students who still have overdue books from Term 1 have been sent home with students.  

 

Second hand uniform – Our active Parents’ Association is really keen to provide opportunities for parents to purchase good quality second hand uniform items before students return in term 3.  With parents unable to ‘access school in the usual manner at present, the following provision has been prepared.  If this is relevant for you make sure you read the notice on page 4 providing a form for parents to make a uniform purchase request.  As some popular items are in short supply, we will put requests in the order that they are returned to the office.  When the uniform order has been filled it will be sent home with the child.

 

Enrolling 2021 Preps

We are currently taking enrolments for 2021 Preps. If you have a child who turns 5 before 30th April 2021, your place of residence is within the school neighbourhood zone and would like to enrol them at Footscray West Primary School please contact the office to collect an enrolment form.  Enrolments for  2021 students should be lodged at the school office before Friday August 21st 2020. It is very important for our school planning purposes that we are aware of any siblings that may be enrolling in Preps next year. 

 

Best regards

Brendan 

 

Flexible and Remote Learning 

at Home survey

A huge appreciation to the 22 families who responded to the Flexible and Remote Learning at Home survey. This has provided us with additional information to help capture the experience of remote and flexible learning from a family perspective. For many, the experience has been a positive one, even though there were challenges along the way. Opportunities to support and learn from each other, communication between the children and their teacher, and time management featured in the feedback shared in the survey. Team coordinators and level leaders have considered some of the suggestions from the survey and changes will be made to the presentation of the curriculum overviews that are presented in the newsletters at the beginning of the term. The video assembly has been widely appreciated and we are investigating how we can continue this in the future.

Lyn Wilkinson

Assistant Principal (Acting)