Principal's News
2020 Student Leader Maja Dixon
Sandringham Primary School
Dear all,
Thank you for continuing to show the Sandringham College community spirit in welcoming the Sandringham Primary community so warmly. Principal Louise Neave and many families have conveyed to me just how grateful they are for our support during this very challenging time.
I’d like to share an update on interim school arrangements and plans for rebuilding Sandringham Primary.
The usual timeframe to build a school is 2-3 years, but the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) is working hard to expedite the process, with demolition and site preparation already underway.
In consultation with the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) we have been carefully considering the best medium-term solution for students, staff and families of Sandringham College, Sandringham PS and Sandringham East PS.
While everyone involved in the current temporary arrangements has been incredibly supportive, this is not considered a suitable solution for the medium-term, given the impacts on all three schools and the separation of Sandringham Primary students across two sites.
Serious consideration was given to returning Sandringham PS to their school grounds. It has become clear, however, that having students onsite during major construction would present potential safety risks and disrupt the learning environment for students and staff.
It would severely limit the outdoor play space available to students, as the temporary facilities would take up the playing field and most of the courts. And it would delay the rebuild timeframe, as construction access would be restricted by temporary facilities and the need for additional safety precautions.
After careful consideration of this and other options, we are now planning to establish a temporary school for Sandringham Primary that will be located at the junior campus of Sandringham College (Bluff Road). The aim is for students to attend the temporary school from the beginning of Term 2, 2020, and throughout the 2020 and 2021 school years.
We believe that Bluff Road is the best option for the temporary school, because it allows:
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- all Sandringham Primary School students to be located together on one site
- good access for drop-off and pick-up
- relatively quick set-up in the short term
- good learning opportunities and sense of community in the medium term.
Sandringham PS will have its own dedicated space on the northern grassed area of the campus and will have access to our specialist facilities. This will restrict our use of these playing fields, but we are fortunate to have adequate space and multi-use courts across the campus.
Though the finer details regarding school operations are still being worked through, the VSBA will work closely with both schools to make the temporary school at Bluff Road a great space for students, staff and the community.
We’ll continue to share information as it becomes available. Thank you all for your continued support and understanding as we work through these plans.
Yours sincerely
Amy Porter
College Principal
Why it's not ok to be away.
Welcome to 2020 a year that is full of potential and opportunities for improvement and growth for all. We have had a crazy start to the year and I am immensely proud of our students, staff and community for the support that they have shown as we have welcomed Sandringham Primary School onto our grounds.
A key focus this year is attendance. At our College 90%+ attendance required at Sandringham College for all students to pass a Unit (VCE/VCAL) or the year level yr 7-10. We encourage all students and parents to aim for 95% attendance. This means that excluding school sanctioned activities, students should miss no more than 3 days per term from school.
Whilst it might seem to students and parents that a day off here and there does not really impact on student learning, the truth is that every day absent from school matters.
Ongoing absence not increases the likelihood of social isolation for children, it also has a direct impact on learning, on achievement and on long term outcomes. Current research indicates that the greater the number of absences, the larger the decline in student achievement. Studies of chronic absenteeism (missing more than 10% of school days) show that regardless of the type, absence, has a compounding negative impact on academic performance (Gershenson et al., 2017; Gottfried, 2009; Zubrick, 2014).
Long term the impact on students is poorer results in VCAL or the VCE or in the worst cases failure to complete year 12. In the modern era, a secondary school leaving certificate is the minimum qualification required for long term success in the workforce.
What the College can do to support students and families
At Sandringham College have a dedicated student manager for each student and a Wellbeing team to support students and families. If you are having difficulty getting your child to attend regularly and on time, please contact your child's student manager.
Department of Education - Tips to help improve your child’s attendance
- Talk to your child about school and how important it is. You can ask them how they feel about school, what they liked and if there are any problems.
- Reward good behaviour and not bad behaviour. For example, if your child refuses to go to school, do not let them have access to their phones or the internet
- Set a good example. Show them how you keep to your own commitments.
- Encourage your child to take on hobbies that your child enjoys such as sports and clubs. This will help them develop positive relationships outside of the classroom
- have a set time to do homework and go to bed.
- leave all technology out of their bedroom
- pack their school bag the night before with everything they need
- have a set time for breakfast
- plan to meet up with a friend so they can travel to school together.
Further information can be found on the Department of Education's website
Amy Porter
Movie Night Cancelled
Our apologies but due to the current building works re the Sandy Primary School relocation we have had to cancel our planned outdoor movie night. We have plenty of great PTF events coming up and I encourage all parents to get involved and support our school. I look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming PTF events or at a PTF meeting.