Newsletter

Greetings to the MPWPS Community,

The Spring weather is featuring and there are many people and families out on their daily exercise enjoying the sun and warm breeze. As you are doing this ritual, thank-you for respecting the social distancing and mask wearing regulations we now find ourselves assuming as normal.  Sometimes from my Office I can hear the laughter of children amongst the clatter of scooter or skateboard wheels.

Roadmap out of Lockdown

On Sunday the Premier announced the stepped approach to the lifting of lockdown restrictions and how this will be phased over the coming weeks.  Let’s hope this will become an actuality.  At present schools are waiting for the Operation Guide to guide us in resuming Face to Face learning at school for students. We have done this before and my thinking is that we will continue with similar staggered entry and exits and adjust the times for the school day (8.45-3.15) as we have already experienced. 

As in the past we will be providing you with the Parent Guide to returning to Face to Face Learning.  The guide will contain all the information that you will need to ensure a safe and successful return.

Year 3-6 we look forward to welcoming you back onsite around Oct 26th if all things go according to the plan with the continued lockdown arrangements.  In the meantime, your teachers are there, standing right beside you, ready to catch you if you fall and to encourage you forward should you need.  Continue to log into the Check-ins and small groups and follow your weekly timetable.  Sticking to the routine is part of being successful.  Come on we know you are tired but you can do this!

Planning Day for teachers next Monday

Next Monday September 14th all the teachers will be taking their Planning Day.  The teachers will not be online for this day.  As they come together the Foundation - 2 will be planning for the return of students Week 2 of Term 4, all other staff will be planning for the continuation of Remote/Flexible learning until Oct 26th. The students will have a timetable and there are some special tasks to celebrate Health and PE week. Thank-you to Corinne who has made a short video to celebrate this occasion. Watch for a special timetable for this day.

R U OK Day Thursday Sept 10th

Thursday is a day when we can support each other by simply taking the time to ask “Are you ok?” listen and perhaps just be present for that period of time. 

Awareness is the key here and taking the time to ask and be present.

There is a great You-tube clip called “FISH”. Here is a little taster!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKBS6qa6DeA

It is worth a moment to take a look, laugh and feel a little uplifted.  There are some pretty good life points or principles that we can all take from FISH and for Thursday (everyday really) the most relevant is ‘be there’.

A BIG thank-you to all parents, carers and family members

As Principal I would like to acknowledge and thank all parents, carers and families most sincerely for your encouragement and support to us here behind the gate. At times I am sure you are frustrated by a device or a timetable that appears over complicated or too many work sheets to be printed, and there is your own work to be done.  To extended family members who are supporting families so that parents can work, we acknowledge your role and to those families who have had to endure my questioning to be able to access Onsite Remote Learning I appreciate your willingness and all of your roles. However, we would not have been able to manage the Remote/Flexible Learning with such success if you, our wonderful community had not been so actively supportive.  Here are some of the behaviours that have been visible to me and has enabled success:

• Being flexible at home and in Round 2 finding the rhythm or groove of your family
• Communicating with the teacher if there is a problem, and being patient awaiting the answer (I think we have improved in Remote Learning No 2)
• Believing your child/ren can be successful in this way of learning
• Encouraging the child’s independence and diligence
• Holding expectations that are real and reasonable.
• Somehow managing your own work demands at home
• Becoming aware of how your child learns and supporting (not rescuing) them to become more confident
• Balancing the ‘push and pull’ of learning.
• Really demonstrating and being in the partnership between school and home.
• Supporting (not hovering) the child to find their way to a learning task.

So many great qualities are evident from this round of Remote Learning. We are going to ask you for your feedback to make the required adjustments for success.  There are many things that we can apply from Remote Learning to our classrooms and we are keen for these not to be lost. Please take up the opportunity to give us the feedback for improvement. 

Well that is about it from me.  Stay well and safe.

Sincerely

Your Principal

Kerri

Kerri Simpson

Not Returning to MPWPS in 2021?

We are sorry you are leaving us. In order for us to plan accurately, please complete the form below and return to the General Office  via email to moonee.ponds.west.ps@education.vic.gov.au 

Action:  We would appreciate your indication as soon as possible. 

Annual General Meeting reminder MONDAY Sept 14th at 7.30 pm

You are invited to attend our Annual General Meeting to be held next Monday 14th September at 7.30pm. Where the 2019 Annual Report to the MPW Community will  be presented. There will be reports from our Principal (Kerri Simpson), Business Manager (Sandra Monaghan), Curriculum Leader (Barbara Mc Kenzie) and Learning Specialists Kim Simmons (Literacy) and Jess Greenbaum (Numeracy) and Jarrod Sutton on Assessment and Reporting. 

Please go to Eventbrite to register your interest https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/118104757509  

Family Trivia 

We are very excited to offer this family opportunity to come together in a virtual space. Saturday Sept 19 and Sunday Sept 20 are the dates and our wonderful host Dolly will be with us again to enable fun for all.

Recognising the need for us as a community to come together, prompts us to provide this opportunity without cost, so committed are we to re-establishing family and student connections in anticipation of returning to school sometime soon.  We will also provide for each family a Fun Bag so that the afternoon can really be focussed on fun. 

As the school’s fundraising opportunities have literally evaporated before our eyes, we will provide a no obligation donation envelope in the Fun Bag should families feel they wish to contribute. The Family Trivia Fun Time has connection as its driving motive, so if you are interested the Eventbrite link is below. Come along it will be fun our host Dolly is amazing!!

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/mpw-family-music-trivia-weekend-tickets-118803324943

NO CURRICULUM DAY SEPT 18th 2020

Just a normal day with 2.30pm finish!

Monday Assembly

Please enjoy Monday's assembly video!

Shiloh’s information report and Nebular picture. He completed these on his ‘Virtual Incursion’ day.

He visited this site: www.kidsnews.com.au about Pharlap. He wrote down some questions and decided to find answers to them. He decided what he wanted to talk about and wrote down the facts in his own words. 

Inspiration to create the Nebula was from ScienceWorks Painting a Nebula. 

Room 11

Our room has been focussing on including similes, metaphors and personification in our writing. Here are four people from Room 11 to share their work.

Hunter: The world looked like an 80's retro video game.

Keira: The wind angrily whipped my hair behind me.

Navya: The sun disappeared, it was like it had gone on a holiday.

Clem: Fear gripped my chest and I couldn't breathe for a moment.

Curious Courageous Camille

Poem by 

Curious courageous Camille

Can’t keep her room clean 

Even a dress 

Can’t survive the mess

Her mum said 

“You need to go bed” 

But not in this mess 

Cars with stars

Blocks out of jars

And barbies without arms

She couldn’t find her night dress

Unless

She picked up all the mess

She picked up a basket 

For all the toys

But there was a lot of noise 

Dad said I’ll help you out

And then he said...

Look at the earth and space 

Everything got its place. 

So Camille kept her room clean 

And it was always a nice scene 

MVIMP Remote Learning

Janet's Cello group participating in remote lessons.