Principal's report

Class Representatives 2018

Thank you to community members who have volunteered to be Class Representatives for 2018. Classroom Representatives assist the classroom teachers with duties such as:

• Compile a Friendship List for your child’s class.
• Assist the class teacher with particular activities – e.g. parents/carers attending excursions, assisting in the classroom.
• Organising social events for the parents/carers of your class.
• Welcoming new families to Moonee Ponds West who are in your class.

Please find attached the list of classroom representatives for 2018.

School Council Elections 2018

School Council Elections 2018 update. As at the close of nominations on Friday 2nd March we had five nominations in the Parent Member Category and we have three vacancies. We will now be holding an election.

The candidates are Ben Atchison, Kylie Brown, Nigel Keegan, Matthew Kenny and Lisa Shaw.

Please find attached a statement from the five candidates and a ballot form.  Please find below the timeline for the ballot and the instructions on voting.  Ballot forms are also available from the office.

Candidate Statement

Ballot Paper

INSTRUCTIONS

To cast your vote, you must:

• Make a clear mark beside the name of the candidate/s

• Place the completed ballot paper in a blank envelope and either

(a) place the envelope in an envelope with the voter’s name and address on the back and deliver or arrange to deliver it to the person authorised to receive and register votes - Sandra Monaghan (Returning Officer), or, post it to reach the Principal, before closure of the ballot at 4.00pm on Thursday 15th March 2018

or

(b) between 8.00am and 4.00pm on any school day, including the day of closure of the ballot, place the envelope containing the completed ballot paper in the ballot box and print the voter’s name and address in the register of voters.

Please return your completed ballot paper to Sandra Monaghan - Returning Officer and School Council Secretary by 4.00 pm Thursday 15th March. If you have any questions at all regarding the process please contact Sandra Monaghan via the school office or @ monaghan.sandra.s@edumail.vic.gov.au

Election Timeline:

Thursday 15th March 2018

• Close of ballot

Friday 16th March 2018

• Vote count

Tuesday 20th March 2018

• Declaration of ballot

Monday 26th March 2018

• Special council meeting to co opt community members (the principal will preside)

First council meeting to elect office bearers (the principal will preside)

SMS communication

Thank you to families who have returned their forms. The system will be activated on Wednesday 14th March so please return your forms as soon as possible. Your family will not be included in the system without your authority.

The SMS communication is to be used, for example, in emergency situations and for student non-attendance at school.

By sending back the form with up-to-date mobile and email details parents and carers authorise the inclusion of these details in the sms functionality of the Department of Education’s CASES21 system.

If you have any questions regarding this SMS service could you please contact the office.

Skoolbag App

We will complete our trial with Skoolbag next week and welcome your feedback regarding the functionality and content of the app. Could  you please provide your feedback via the feedback system on the school website or by email to moonee.ponds.west.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au

Waste Wise Audit

This week MPW students along with Jess Greenbaum and Lisa McLachlan participated in a Waste Audit. Please see the article regarding the audit in Education news.

Enrolments 2019

Enrolment tour dates for prospective 2019 Foundation students are now listed on the school’s website. Enrolment forms for siblings will be available from the beginning of Term 2.

Photo Day

A reminder that the school photos will take place on Wednesday 28th March.

International Women's day

Each year on the 8th March, we recognise International Women's Day, an opportunity to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world. The day is also a reminder of the work that remains to be done advancing gender equality.

This year, the theme for International Women’s Day is ‘Press for Progress’, which recognises that there’s still a long way to go to achieve genuine gender equality worldwide.

Please see within the newsletter an article written by Alex from Room 17.

Aquabubblers

At this week’s school assembly, students spoke of the need not to put sand or sticks in our aquabubblers. If families are able to discuss the importance of the appropriate use of our aquabubblers this would be appreciated.

Expressions of Interest to become a member of the MPWPS Environment and Sustainability Sub-committee

School Council has recently re-established the Environment and Sustainability Sub-Committee and are looking for interested members of the school community to join the membership of this group.

The role of the Environment and Sustainability Sub-committee is to provide strategic direction and leadership to ensure that MPW supports and encourages best practice in regards to Environmental/Sustainability issues. The Environment and Sustainability Sub-committee has an overarching aim to promote an environmentally friendly and sustainable school, thereby reducing the environmental footprint of our school community. It will focus on reductions in resource usage, waste and cost, but also has the potential to provide guidance for educational services and thereby facilitate the delivery of effective and sustainable education into the future.

Environment and Sustainability Sub-committee members will be responsible for helping to:

• Provide a forum for sharing ideas
• Foster collaboration across the school community
• Design a coordinated approach to address need made apparent from surveys, or educational experiences
• Consider and develop strategies to minimise resource usage and waste across services
• Facilitate implementation of these strategies.

The Environment and Sustainability Sub-committee will meet 8 times per year ( in line with the School Council meeting schedule) at 6.00 pm on a Wednesday night (next meeting 21st March). If you are interested in joining the Sub-Committee and helping to contribute to this important group, please contact Sandra Monaghan at the school office. 

Reminder - Promoting Healthy, Safe and Respectful School Communities

Moonee Ponds West Primary School recognises the importance of the partnership between schools and parents/carers to support student learning, engagement and wellbeing. We share a commitment to, and a responsibility for, ensuring a positive school community that provides inclusive, safe and orderly learning environments for children.

This Statement of Expectations sets out our behavioural expectations of all members in this school community, including the principal, school staff, parents/carers, students, volunteers and visitors. It respects the diversity of individuals in our school community and addresses the shared responsibilities of all members in building positive, safe and respectful school communities.

We welcome your feedback and are  seeking feedback from students, staff and community members.  We are aiming to have final statement completed by the end of the term. Please provide your feedback through the school website or via the school email @ moonee.ponds.west.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au

School Self Evaluation

Three workshops providing you with the opportunity to reflect upon your experience of Moonee Ponds West  and provide your feedback will be conducted on 19th March at 9.00 am, 2.30 pm and 7.00 pm. To assist with the organisation of the workshops could you please confirm your attendance via email at moonee.ponds.west.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au  or by contacting the office.

Capital Works Project (Eglington St Toilet build)

The capital works project of building new toilets on the Eglington St side of the school has moved into the Design and Development phase. Please see the link below to view the Schematic Design.

Reminder - Secondary School Expo

The annual Secondary School Expo will be held in the school gym on 21st March.  For further details please see the information in 'Education News' Afterschool care will be in the performance space and the library on this day.

Fundraising

Further suggestions as to what our fundraising efforts could be directed towards are most welcome. All suggestions can be forwarded to the school’s email address or dropped into the office.

Reminder - Movie Night

On Friday 23rd March we will be holding our annual movie night. This is a wonderful opportunity for community to come together and enjoy a family evening under the stars - weather permitting. Please see the flyer within our Fundraising Events page within this newsletter.

The Fundraising Group are looking for new community to members to join the group and volunteers to help out at upcoming events.  Please  leave your details at the Office.

Curriculum Day

A reminder that tomorrow March 9 is a curriculum (pupil free) day, Camp Australia will be running a service tomorrow.

This Monday March 12 is a public holiday.

Enjoy the long weekend,

Jeff

Notices Home

Monday 5th March

• Head Lice Alert Room 9