Assistant Principal's Report
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome to the end of Term 3! What a great, but busy, term we’ve had. We have had many excursions this term, which both students and teachers were excited about and enjoyed. It has been great that we have been able to get these up and running again this year and look forward to more next term.
I am sure that both Michelle and Jenny are having a lovely and well deserved rest this week. Jenny will be back next Monday – Wednesday, while Michelle will continue to enjoy her time away overseas. I have certainly become appreciative of the work that they both do while I have been here alone this week! I’d like to thank the amazing staff that we are privileged to have and their support, flexibility and understanding this week. I’d also like to thank the students and parents for their warm congratulations on my new appointment as Assistant Principal. I am excited to take on this role and to be able to continue to work with our students, staff and families in a different capacity.
Early Dismissal and Assembly
Friday the 16th September is our last day of school for Term 3. This day will be an early finish, with students being dismissed at 2:10pm. Please make sure you have made arrangements for your child/children to be picked up at this time.
Our assembly on this day will be at 9:00am in the gym. Parents and carers are welcome to attend.
Father’s Day Stall
The Father’s Day stall was well received by the students. A dedicated group of parents volunteered to man the stall over the day and we wish to thank them for their time and commitment. Without them this kind of event would not be possible. It is a joy to see the delight on the children’s faces. We hope all MWPS father’s or significant persons enjoyed the gifts that students chose with a lot of thought and care.
R U Ok? Day
R U Ok? Day on Thursday 8th September 2022, is promoted and supported by the R U OK? harm prevention charity. It is a national day of action where Australians are reminded that every day is the day to ask ‘Are you OK?’ and start a meaningful conversation whenever they spot the signs that someone they care about might be struggling with life. Teachers and students across the school spent some time on this day participating in activities that showed the power of asking ‘Are you OK?’
To support this day, students were encouraged to wear yellow, along with a gold coin donation. All funds raised will be donated to the R U OK? charity which helps promote and support mental health. Thank you to students who participated in this day.
Being Sun Smart and hats
In the previous newsletter Michelle outlined the new requirements for wearing a hat while outside- when UV ratings are 3+. In previous years, Term 3 has not been hat-wearing term, we are really impressed with how students have adapted to this change and are being Sun Smart. We have brief morning announcements of UV ratings to remind students to wear hats. If your child does not have a hat, we ask that you please organise a replacement over the holidays so that students are ready as the weather warms up in Term 4.
Social Media Conversations
We have recently been dealing with some incidences surrounding social media, in particular with our older students. These incidences have occurred while using social media at home, where students have engaged in conversations where inappropriate pictures have been sent, concerning topics have been discussed and very inappropriate language has been used. As a school we have been tackling this through our teaching of eSafety and our social emotional curriculum.
We strongly encourage parents and carers to closely monitor or manage their child/children’s use of any social media apps and websites. These include apps such as Discord, SnapChat and Tik Tok. Most of these apps have a minimum age requirement of 13 years old and the majority of our students do not meet these requirements.
The eSafety Commissioner website has online support and information for parents here: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents
Have a lovely holiday break and I look forward to seeing everyone rested and ready for Term 4.
Sarah Mills
Assistant Principal
