Out and about with Mr Walsh

It has been a massive fortnight at Surfside with plenty of action in and out of the classroom. There have been plenty of rich learning opportunities, some great staff professional learning and some fantastic engagement and community events. Our year 6 crew have been busy planning and preparing for camp and our next newsletter will come to you live from Roses Gap. We wish Mrs Giggins and Mrs Mercer safe travels as they both embark on European adventures and look forward to seeing them in term 3 and hearing of their many adventures. We had some amazing news with the safe arrival of Billy Barnes - a big congratulations to Mr Brenton Barnes and his family.

A big thank you to our Surfside community who recently raised a massive $1300 in memory of young Henry. Our thoughts are with Mrs Naomi Uwland and her family during this very challenging time. Henry had been battling Leukemia for a period of time and we marvel at his courage and we are glad your donation can support the family and Childhood Cancer Research. 

This weekend is a special day for all of our Mum's and people who play a special part in our lives so on behalf of the Surfside Primary School community we wish you a very Happy Mother's Day.

Congratulations Mr Florence

On behalf of everyone at Surfside I would like to congratulate Mr Florence who has been recognised for his fantastic achievement towards his studies in preparation to be the amazing teacher he has been at Surfside. We are very lucky to have Mr Florence on board and impacting the students of J24 and the year 2 cohort. Mr Florence has been recognised with the following educational excellence awards:

Design and Technology Teachers’ Association Victoria (DATTA) Award 

This award has been awarded to the most outstanding students in technology education in an undergraduate education course, having completed the unit: Creativity and Design with high distinction.

Bank First Academic Excellence Award 2023 

This prize is awarded to the top fifteen students across all of the Initial Teaching Education and Master of Specialist Inclusive Education Courses, and Mr Florence was the top student in his Bachelor of Education (Primary) course.  

Reverend Dr Norman Curry Student Prize for Outstanding Teaching Practice 

The Reverend Norman Curry Student Prize for Outstanding Teaching Practice has been established to recognise Dr Curry’s significant contribution to Australian education. The 2023 prize of $2,000 has been awarded to Mr Florencr as a graduate of the Bachelor of Education (Primary) degree who has demonstrated excellence in teaching practice.

Keep up the great work Mr Florence!

Project 23 - Numeracy Collaboration Project

In 2022 we launced Project 22 which was a collaboration between Surfside Primary School and Bellarine Secondary College with a focus on numeracy. There are many added benefits to this program and we are very excited to continue this partnership in 2023. This week saw some of our year 6 students continue their connection with the Bellarine SEIL program and participate in a number of problem solving activities - this week it was the Fibonacci sequence. What is the Fibonacci sequence you may ask??? Check out the video below for some details about the students experiences as well as a clear explanation of the Fibonacci sequence.

Respectful Relationships Feedback Session

We had the opportunity to meet with some of the leaders of the Respectful Relationships program. We talked with kids and teachers from schools across Victoria. As a group we were able to share our thoughts and feelings about the topics we discussed to make sure they were relevant for students our age. We spoke about consent, peer pressure as well as inclusivity and active learning. We talked about being comfortable at school, home and online. Overall this was a great experience that we enjoyed being a part of.

Hannah C, Neve L, Molly B & Oliver R

School Photos

We recently welcomed Arthur Reed Photos onsite to undertake our school photos for 2023. All families have received forms and codes to start the ordering process. If you need any assistance with the ordering process please come and see one of the administration team or contact Arthur Reed. Jack really enjoyed seeing the Surfside crew getting their photos taken and decided to jump in on the action to have his first ever school photo taken.

Enrolment Time at Surfside

Enrolments have now opened for new students and families who will be joining the Surfside family in 2024. We have welcomed prospective and current families with school tours over the last fortnight and thank all of our students, staff and families making them feel welcome. If you have a sibling of a current student at Surfside they will need to complete this enrolment process also. Please contact the office if you need any further support or information with the enrolment process.

Year 6-7 Transition Forms

Families in year 6 have received their 2024 enrolment forms. A reminder to our year 6 families that transition forms, for 2024 Secondary School enrolment were due to be returned by Friday 13th May. All families are to return these forms if you are enrolling in the government or independent school system for 2024. 

District Cross Country Championships

It was traditional cross country weather for our students who had qualified for the District Cross Country Championships at Eastern Gardens. There was drizzle, cold temperatures, a little bit of sunshine and some good hills to test the runners out. Surfside performed very strongly and supported each other throughout the day. Congratulations to the 12 students who have qualified to participate at the DivisionChampionships in the coming weeks.

School Council - May Meeting

Our next school council meeting will take place on Tuesday 16th May at 5:30pm.

Attitude to School Survey Parent/Guardian Information

This information is distributed to inform you about the 2023 Student Attitudes to School Survey (AtoSS), that children in years 4-6 are invited to participate in. 

About the survey

We value student voice as a means to improving student engagement, wellbeing and quality instruction and are conducting a survey to find out what your child thinks of their school. 

The AtoSS is an annual student survey offered by the Department of Education to assist schools to gain an understanding of students' perceptions and experience of school. Students will be asked about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, their learning, peer relationships, resilience, bullying, health and wellbeing, physical activity, and life in general. 

This year, the AtoSS will be conducted at Surfside Primary School during term 2. 

What are the benefits?

Young people enjoy having a say! This survey has been running for nearly 20 years and is invaluable in helping schools understand student views to plan programs and activities to improve your child's schooling experience. The survey responses also help the Department of Education understand how student’s learning experiences can be improved.

What are the risks?

While we do not anticipate many risks of participation, some students may find some of the survey questions personal and sensitive in nature. Should you agree for your child to participate, they are still free to skip questions or to withdraw at any stage if the survey makes them upset or uncomfortable. A teacher will be present during the survey to support students.

The questions are selected from validated survey instruments used in Australia and around the world, are strength-based, and tailored for each year level group.

What will my child be asked to do?

Your child will be invited to complete the survey online during class time using a purpose built secure online survey tool. It is important to note that we are not in any way “testing” your child. Please note:

• Student participation in the survey is voluntary and students may withdraw at any time.
• The survey will take around 20-45 minutes to complete.

How is my child’s confidentiality protected?

Your child will be provided with a unique login to complete the survey from their teacher. The student login is an assigned identifier that may be used to link data for statistical and research purposes only. Personally identifiable data will not be recorded in the survey response file to ensure the confidentiality of your child’s responses is protected at all times.

How will results be reported?

The survey results will be reported back to the school in aggregate form throughout the survey period. All survey data that is made available in reports are for groups of students only so that no individual student can be identified. Data suppression rules are used for schools with low student numbers per year level.

Your school may share the results of the survey with parents, in documents such as the School Annual Report.

A copy of the survey that we are asking your child to complete is available from your child’s school at your request. Please contact the administration office if you would like to see the survey before making your decision about whether you would like your child to participate. 

If you would like more information, please speak to your child’s teacher, or contact the department at school.surveys@education.vic.gov.au.

Yours sincerely,

Department of Education, Victoria