Principal's Message

Selemat datang semuanya (Welcome everyone)

Assembly

In assembly this week I was able feature our Leadership Centre and their Book Club trailers.

Planning Week

Next week (Friday for Specialists) all Year levels will spend time planning for Term 4. Classroom teachers are going to be using their Specialists day to socially distance and get together to plan the curriculum and events for term 4.

School Council

School Council met last Thursday night. 

We reviewed the strong Foundation numbers and transition to school plans for 2021. Parent feedback provided through the Parent Zoom meetings was also discussed. A number of policies have been reviewed and were approved in accordance with the usual policy review calendar, including the Student Dress Code Policy which takes into account enthusiastic student feedback. 

Curriculum days are an important opportunity for professional development (PD) for MPRPS teaching staff. These days are scheduled according to the availability of quality PD providers as well as with regard to public holidays. School Council has approved the following 

Curriculum days for 2021:

Wednesday 27th January 

Friday 5th March

Thursday 3rd & Friday 4th June (Queens Birthday Weekend)

School Council approved the Annual Report to the community which would normally be presented at the Annual General Meeting in July but due to COVID restrictions could not be. Please see this link to access the Annual Report or visit the school website.

Council also noted with thanks the extraordinary contribution of Karen Jefferies to the student garden over many years. This garden has enriched the educational experience of all MPRPS students and would not have been possible without the dedicated work and commitment of the Taubert family. If you have a passion for gardening and would like to join a team of like-minded families to continue to develop this wonderful resource for our students, please email the school at mt.pleasant.road.ps@education.vic.gov.au.  

On a personal note, we continue to live in extraordinary times and I know this has been challenging at times for many MPRPS families. If you haven't already joined the MPRPS Facebook group (MPRPS Parents & Friends Page) it is a great source of encouragement, memes and tips ably moderated by volunteers Flip McKinnon and Trish Brimelow. Jess Sterritt-Walker also coordinates a community of helpers who can be contacted at mprps.community@gmail.com if you have any needs. A huge thanks to our teachers also, who with smiling faces bring optimism, structure and as much normality as possible to our children's days!  

Bec Smith, School Council President

Camps and Term 4 Events

Due to restrictions we have negotiated new dates for each of our camps we are aiming to hold  

• 5/6 camp from Tuesday 1st of December to Friday 4th of December.(restrictions permitting)
• 3/4 Camp will now be on Monday 30th November to Wednesday 2nd of December. (restrictions permitting)

We thank parents for their flexibility around this and all the changes we have had to make.

All other events that would have been held in Term 4 will be either adapted or delivered virtually. This includes the Grade One Late Stay, Year Two Sleepover and Junior School swimming, We want to make sure that we can still celebrate these events regardless of restrictions in place. So we have started our planning but will also be seeking ideas from students (student voice) and also from our parent community. Look out for any opportunities to have input into what Term 4 will look like at MPRPS.

Specialist Parent Q and A

Thank you to the specialist teachers and parents who attended our Parent Q and A last Wednesday. It was another great opportunity to hear from our teaching staff who shared some of the units they have covered across the school and changes they have made in response to student and parent feedback. These Zoom sessions have been a great way for us to connect and virtually ‘see’ our parent community! Thank you for all your continued support.

Kinder Parent Q and A

The Kinder hosted their own Parent Zoom Q and A on Friday. I thank the teachers and educators for all jumping on Zoom and being ready to answer questions. In some ways it's just nice to each other! 

Foundation 2021

There will be a 'Meet the Principal' zoom on Wednesday the 16th for families who children will be starting Foundation in 2021. We also have our Foundation teacher filming introductions and activities form their classrooms to share with children and families. This will be a great way for children to 'virtually' meet all the Foundation teachers.

Student Attitudes to School Survey (AtoSS) Years 4-6 2020

At MPRPS we value student voice as a means to improving student engagement, wellbeing and quality instruction and are conducting a survey to find out what children in Years 4-6 think of your school. 

The AtoSS is an annual student survey offered by the Department of Education and Training to assist schools in gaining an understanding of students' perceptions and experience of school. 

This year, the survey also includes some questions about student health and wellbeing and student perceptions of COVID-19. Understanding health and wellbeing needs has always been important, but especially so this year, and the Department is providing this survey to allow schools to capture this information to support students. Students will be asked about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, family, friends, health (including mental health) and wellbeing, and bullying.

The health and wellbeing questions are taken from another Department survey called the Victorian Student Health and Wellbeing Survey (VSHAWS) that has been conducted with a sample of schools in Victoria since 2014. The questions about COVID-19 have been developed by or recommended by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. 

This year, the AtoSS will be conducted at our school over the period Wednesday 9th September to Friday 18th September. 

The survey results will be reported back to the school in an aggregate form in term 4. All survey data that is made available in reports are for groups of students only so that no individual student can be identified. Participation in this survey is voluntary. If you do not wish for your child to do the survey, please opt out via email to the school before 9th September. 

Sampai jumpa, Kim