We have recently had a few families join LPS, I warmly welcome them to our school community!

Last year one of our community members noted to me that LPS has many families of diverse faiths, and it would be positive for me to acknowledge all important events in calendars. I will attempt to do this in 2023. I acknowledge the following celebrations and important dates of faiths that have recently passed or will happen for our families:

St Valentine’s Day
The observance of Lent from Ash Wednesday after Pancake/Shrove Tuesday. However, our Orthodox families would have begun the Great Lent on the following Monday. These are leading to Easter Friday, Sunday, and Monday
World Day of Prayer
Magha Puja Day a Buddhist festival celebrated on the full moon day of the third lunar month
Nanakshahi New Year Day, for our Sikh families
Harmony week from 21-27 March
Ramadan will begin for our Muslim families
Rama Navanmi for our Hindu community
The Chinese cultural festival of Quingming

Movie night

I would like to thank the P&C, on behalf of staff, for hosting a successful movie night on Friday 24 February. Over 700 people from the community attended on the night and the success of the evening was because of the tireless efforts of the P&C and helpers.

The focus of the evening was to bring together the community to celebrate 50 years of LPS and this was achieved. We are appreciative of the P&C for funding the movie so that families could attend free of charge.

Road safety around the school

Recently, I have been very disappointed with the parking and driving behaviours of our school community. While I have witnessed these firsthand on Burrendong Road, community members have informed school staff that similar behaviours are also prevalent on Parkhill Avenue.

Our crossing supervisor has nearly been hit while standing in the crossing, with children, by motorists who are not watching the road. Some drivers are looking for a place to park or are watching their children walk the path through the pedestrian gate. If you are worried about your child making it through the gate, please wait and watch from the car, while it is parked, not while you are driving.

Additionally, several community members are stopping at the crossing or in the middle of the road and letting their children in or out of the car. This is incredibly unsafe for your child and for drivers who are parked near you. They might not see your child as they drive out of their spot.

On the residential side of Burrendong Road, parking is limited near the crossing on school days. Exiting these spots is extremely dangerous due to their proximity to the crossing, putting the safety of our students and their families at risk.

I urge all our families to follow the road rules indicated on the signs around the school.

Some parents are parking and leaving their vehicles in the afternoon in the Kiss and Ride zone. This section of parking is for a maximum of 2 minutes while you remain in the car or within 3 metres of your car.

If you are concerned about the driving behaviour around the school, please contact Campbelltown Council to report your concerns.

Parking near schools is notoriously a problem in most communities. I encourage you to park safely away from the school and walk, or, walk to and from school to your home, if you can, as often as possible.

More information about child road safety can be found in English here, in Arabic here and in Farsi here.

Medication at school

There have been two incidents where students have been found to have medication at school that has been kept in their pockets or school bags. Medication prescribed to be taken at school must be stored in the office and administered by school staff. If you require your child to take prescribed medication at school, you must complete a written request (available from our website) and this will need to be approved by the principal.

If this medication falls out of a child’s bag or pocket, it has the potential to be accessed by other students. This is why it must be stored in the school office and administered with the support of staff.

Schools usually do not administer medication for individual conditions that do not require prescriptions (also known as ‘over the counter medication’). NSW Health advice is that this medication can still be harmful, and schools must follow the same procedures for prescribed medication when families request non-prescribed medication. Further information about administering medication at school can be found on the department’s website.

Complaints, compliments, and suggestions

LPS, as a Department of Education school, is committed to resolving community concerns at the local level where possible. If you have issues with the service that we are providing, starting with the teacher is the best place. Often the teacher is aware of what may have happened and involved in the follow up. The chart below will support you with who to go to when you have a school issue.

You can complain about the following:

Any aspect of the service the school provides
Any decision, including those about enrolment or support for student learning at school
Any practice, policy or procedure
Staff behaviour or conduct

You can also ask a question or raise a concern, suggestion or compliment by contacting the school directly (phone or email) or through the department’s online complaint form.

In most circumstances when you make a complaint, suggestion, or compliment through the form, it will be referred directly back to the school. In some situations, the complaint, feedback, or compliment will be referred to the Director Educational Leadership (DEL) for the St Andrews network. The DEL will then decide the best approach to resolve the issue. You can also contact the DEL if you believe that the complaint, suggestion, or compliment has not been satisfactorily managed by the school or to make a complaint about the principal. The St Andrews DEL can be contacted via the Glenfield Education Office.

All complaints received by the school, or via the form will be handled impartially, factually and in a timely manner.

The department has a number of resources to support families on how to make and effectively explain their complaints.

If you make a complaint, generally these can be sorted between the class teacher and the family quickly. A formal complaint that requires investigation will be acknowledged officially and from this acceptance can take up to 20 working days to resolve. You will be kept informed through the process and notified if it is unable to be resolved in the timeframe.

School uniform and the Uniform shop

The uniform shop will now be open from 2.40pm on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. This will coincide with the time that the gates are opened.

Staff have noted that the number of students wearing the appropriate school uniform has reduced and this has been echoed by community members. School uniform is encouraged as it helps students develop a sense of belonging and connection with the school because everyone is similar clothing.

It is also recommended by the department that the school uniform or dress code is reviewed every five years. The school has not reviewed the uniform for more than five years and feedback from students and the community is that it should be. Further information about department expectations for uniform can be found here.

To support this process of review, the school will consult with students and the community about the LPS uniform, providing an opportunity for you to let us know what you think about the uniform and how we can make it better. We cannot necessarily reduce the cost of the uniform; however, we may be able to make it more appealing for students so they will want to wear it and be proud to be part of LPS.

There is a uniform survey available for parents and caregivers to complete. Please contact the school if you cannot access or you would like a hard copy. The survey will remain open until the last day of term (Thursday 6 April).

NSW Police Legacy Child Safety Handbook – New issue

The 2023 issue of the NSW Police Legacy Child Safety Handbook is now available. The handbook is a free resource to assist parents, carers, and teachers on a range of topics important for child safety. You can find the digital handbook here.

I wish all of our families a wonderful Autumn holiday break which will begin on Friday 7 April. Students will return on Wednesday 26 April.

Leumeah P&C Association

Scholastic Book Club - Issue 2