Principal's Report
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome to week 7 term 1 – Book Week. We have been organising daily events to promote the wonderful experience books give us. The year’s theme is “Dreaming with eyes open”. We are looking forward to the Book Week Parade tomorrow from 9:10am with parents welcome. Children are encouraged to come dressed as a book character. For those children who decide not to dress up they will be required to wear their school uniform.
Parent Opinion Survey: Last week all parents who have an email address registered with the school should have received a link to the annual Parent Opinion Survey. Please consider completing this as your opinion and experience is valued. If you have any questions about this please contact the office and ask to speak to a member of the Principal Class Team: myself, Jenny O’Connor or Sarah Mills.
Prep Tours: If you have a child who will be starting school next year or know a family friend or neighbour who has a child ready to start school, you are invited to take part in a school tour, to hear about what is available at our school. Please contact the office to find a time that suits you and you’re your family. Although many schools in the Melton area have a designated school zone, we currently have capacity to enrol children from other areas in most year levels. A Prep Orientation Program operates during November where all children enrolled in Prep for 2023 will be invited to attend 4 sessions at school for approximately an hour to an hour and a half, with parents staying on-site to participate in information sessions. The final session involves the children meeting the teacher they will have in 2023, with the children in their class.
Riding Bikes and Bike Helmets: It is great to see so many children ride their bikes or scooters to school. These are locked in the bike shed during school hours for safety. A teacher opens the gate whilst on yard duty at the end of the day, so the bikes are not left unattended at the end of the day, however this area cannot be supervised before school. Can I encourage you to supply your child with a locking device so that no one can take the bike/scooter before the gate gets locked at approximately 9.10 am? May I also remind you that it is a legal requirement for ALL bike riders to wear a helmet whilst riding their bike? I often see children leave the area without the helmet. Please follow this up with your children, ensuring they are aware of this requirement. I have included a flyer as part of this newsletter.
Yard Supervision: We have staff on yard duty before school from 8.40 am and afterschool until 3.20 pm. We have a number of children arrive before 8.40 am which is not encouraged UNLESS they are attending the Breakfast Club from 8.10 am. We do provide an Out of School Hours Care for both before and after school and we strongly encourage you to enrol your child into this service if they need to be at school prior to or after the times the yard is supervised. Due to some children leaving the school grounds before school once they have been dropped off we need to change the morning routine. Gates will still be opened at 8.30 am with staff members supervising to ensure no child exits. This means we will no longer be able to offer 4 entry points. The small gate near the pergola/outside the office will no longer be opened before school. Please us the other 3 gates - carpark, West Melton Dve and the bike shed gate near BER to enter in the morning. This gate will still be opened at the end of the day.
Supervision After School: As you may be aware, there is a park on the corner of Coburns Road and West Melton Drive, where a number of students wait for their parents afterschool. Please be aware that the school is not able to provide teacher supervision in this area. I therefore suggest that you consider an alternative location at which your child waits to be picked up. Can I also remind you that we have an After School care facility run by Extend that is safe and well supervised and children can attend at a minimal cost. Please contact the school if you would like further information about Extend. Enrolment Packs are available at the office.
SunSmart Policy (Hats): We have a Sun Smart policy which outlines when hats need to be worn outside during recess and lunch and during sport events and sessions held outside when the UV Index is above 3. The predicted daily UV Index is available on our school website https://meltonwestps.vic.edu.au/ as well on most weather apps available on smartphones. I have attached a copy with this newsletter for your information. Please ensure your child has a school approved royal blue, broad-brimmed hat, available at Lowes at Woodgrove Shopping Centre as soon as possible because Sun Protection is recommended from mid-August. Daily UV rating will be shared with all classes from Monday 29th August and children will be directed to stay under a shady area by the yard duty teachers, for their protection if they are not wearing a correct hat. Earlier in the year we had many children disregard the direction of the teacher to move to a shady area if they were not wearing the correct hat. This year we will make contact with the parent if your child refuses to do as directed and would appreciate if you could have a conversation about the importance of being sun safe to support us and your child by ensuring they have an appropriate hat. Please ensure they have their name clearly marked on the hat. If a child continues to refuse after contact with apparent has been made, they may need to spend their lunch break supervised inside.
https://meltonwestps.vic.edu.au/
High Levels of Learning for All
Michelle Costa
Principal
