Principal's Report 

 We have had another wonderful and eventful 2 weeks at Rangeview! 

In addition to the teaching and learning which is a focus in every classroom, we also found time for; Level 3 & 4 Hoop Time, the Book Fair, Foundation celebrated 100 Days of School, National Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Children's Day, Cupcake Day, Principal's Day, Division Netball, Level 3 CERES excursion, Level 5/6 Smoothie Bar Incursion, and Level 4 Camp!  

This term also saw the new Victorian Government Schools Agreement (VGSA) 2022 come into effect. More details below and to come. 

VGSA 2022

New Victorian Government Schools Agreement (VGSA) 2022 has come into effect from Monday 25th July. This is the legal document which outlines the working conditions and pay scales of all employees with the Department of Education Victoria – Teachers, Education Support and Principal Class. 

There are a number of changes to this new VGSA from the previous 2017 VGSA and these are being discussed at our Consultative Committee meetings and with staff as a whole. There are some complexities around the implementation of the VGSA and we have sought advice from DET and are communicating with our neighboring schools on these. 

Changes in the new VGSA include; 

• Rates of pay changes for all employees. 
• Some administrative workload relief for school principals
• Principal consultation before changes are brought in that impact principal workload
• Reduction in face to face teaching in 2023 from 22.5 hours to 21.5 hours and in 2024 to 21 hours. This will not result in less teaching time for students as additional teachers will be in place. 
• Professional Practice Days – three in 2022, two in 2023 and one in 2024 and then one each year to follow. 
• Quarantining or autonomy around the planning and preparation and collaboration time in the 9 hours within the 30 hours of the 30+8 model. 
• Time In Lieu for out of hours work in structured school activities – immediately
• Time In Lieu for camps – from 2023
• One of the four Pupil Free Days per annum for report writing or assessment
• 16 weeks maternity leave
• Partner leave 4 weeks
• Paid parental leave 16 weeks
• Prenatal leave increase – maternal and spouse
• Paid lactation breaks
• Cultural and ceremonial leave for ATSI
• 30 hours time release per year for AEU rep to consult. 

Some of these changes were included with additional funding from the Department of Education and some were included without funding. The change in face to face teaching is a funded change – so our school budget will reflect this next year to allow for additional staff to be paid to teach in this time. We look forward to how this will build on and enrich our curriculum. 

The change to TIL is not a funded change. For any school activities or camps. Rangeview will therefore be developing a model that allows us to provide TIL in an appropriate way, fitting within the new terms of the agreement, and also not restricting or removing all of the wonderful events and activities that we run with our students. 

2022 Parent / Carer Opinion Survey

Rangeview is conducting a survey to find out what parents/caregivers/guardians think of our school. The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education and Training that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement. We encourage all families to participate in this survey. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies. 

While previously a random sample of approximately 30 per cent of parents/caregivers/guardians have been selected to participate, this year, all families are invited to participate in the survey.

The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey will be conducted from Monday 15th August to Friday 16th September.

A link to the survey and an access PIN will be sent to each family this week. The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the fieldwork period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in a range of languages other than English. These include: Arabic, Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese, Chin (Hakha), Hindi, Japanese, Somali, Turkish, Punjabi and Greek. Survey results will be fed back to the community via email and in the newsletter. 

Each year we use the results to guide our planning around programs, initiatives and teacher practice in classrooms across the school. The school that we have is the one that we build together. 

Level 4 Camp

From Wednesday 10th to Friday 12th August 107 Level 4 students went to Camp Weekaway in Benloch near Woodend. The campers were supported by both their teachers and ES staff. A huge thank you to all of the staff that attended camp - it is a wonderful experience but also very exhausting! The Level 4 students took part in activities such as Hut Building, Orienteering, Flying Fox, Archery, Canoeing and Damper making. The staff reported a very successful camp with the students returning happy and tired on Friday afternoon. 

Cupcake Day

On Friday 5th August the Parents and Friends Committee ran a hugely successful Cupcake Day. Thank you to all of the families who baked cupcakes for the day and a big thank you to the parents who came in and ran the stall for the morning. The students were so excited and the cupcakes were delicious! 

Principal's Day

Friday 5th August was also Principal's Day. Liam, April, Kate and I were all very touched with the morning tea, well wishes and gifts that the staff presented to us. The students contributed video messages and completed a task on 'What does a Principal do all day?' with some hilarious results. Thanks Rangeview - it is such a pleasure to work in this school and community. 

COVID Update

Rapid Antigen Testing kits are still being distributed to families fortnightly however the requirement to test twice a week is no longer in place. Families are being asked to test if their child has symptoms or if there is a Family Contact at home and the child is attending school. This is in place for teaching staff also. These tests need to happen each day for the 5 days the family contact comes to school. 

There is a continued level of absence in staff and students due to illness – much of this is not covid related. 

Amenities Upgrade

Works continue in the upgrade of the Senior Toilet Block. To date it is running to schedule and all ground and scaffolding works have been completed. The fittings and fixtures are ordered and should be available on schedule. The project is expected to complete on time and be ready for use in Term 4. 

Marika Ferguson

Principal

(Lego Builder & Coffee Drinker)