A note from Mr Jackson

‘Once Upon A Time …’ 

A huge round of applause was heard last night to thank the teachers, education support staff, volunteers and especially the students who put on such a wonderful celebration of dance (and a little bit of drama) last night. The experience will live long in the memories of our students. Some will remember the individual acts and individual performance and we all will remember the joy at celebrating our students collaborating together.

DVDs and USBs of the show can be purchased by completing and returning the envelope in the ticket letter. Please contact the office if you require further support in completing this process.  Orders need to be given to the office by next Thursday 20 October.

TheirCare Silent Disco on Friday

Many are looking forward to the silent disco happening at TheirCare on Friday afternoon. They have recently been delivered a Toy Library Box (boxes are exchanged between TheirCare services) that enables them to have their own silent disco. We’re sure it will be a fun afternoon.

End of Year Vacation Care

While school will officially finish for students on Monday 19 December this year, TheirCare are seeking to see if there is interest in running a Vacation Care Program from Tuesday 20 Dec - Wednesday 22 Dec. For those who are eager to have their child enrolled during one or more days of this program, I urge you to respond to a survey that will be published shortly on Compass.

2023 Prep Orientation

We have our 2023 Prep students joining us for their first Orientation on Friday morning. We look forward to meeting our new families and welcoming a number of siblings of our current student cohort. If you know of neighbours or friends who have yet to enrol we urge you to encourage them to make contact with the office and complete their enrolment.

FORPS Meeting Tonight

I encourage any parent who is available to join us tonight at 7:00pm for the FORPS Meeting in Chandler Hall. This is a chance to meet other parents and be involved, as you are able, in plans for supporting the school.

Assembly on Friday

While assembly was cancelled last week due to construction of our shade sail, if rain persists we will opt for an online assembly. We will be awarding certificates for ICAS Science and English participants. All are invited and links will be posted through the Compass Newsfeed. 

Excursion Adventures Continues in Week 3

We wish our Preps well on Tuesday for their first excursion (outside of the concert) to a special musical performance. Later in the week the Year 1s will be staying late on Friday for a dinner and the Year 2’s will stay for ‘The Snooze’. These experiences support the growing independence and social learning of students. We hope the experiences are enjoyed by all. 

Interrelate

Next Wednesday evening 19 October we have two family sessions hosted by Interrelate for parents/guardians of 3/4 and 5/6 students early Term Four. This Family Evening comprises of two sessions:

• Session 1: Where did I come from? (Years 3 & 4) 6:00pm
• Session 2: Preparing for Puberty (Years 5 & 6) (Years 3 & 4 at parent’s/guardian’s discretion) 7:15pm

This Family Evening with be run by an Interrelate educator and the cost per family is $36 to attend one or both sessions. For more information see the attached note. Registrations close on Tuesday 18 October.

2023 Student Class Placement

Each year at this time we invite parents to share their thoughts and information which may affect their child’s class placement for the following year. 

The process of placing students into new classes is both complex and layered. A whole range of interconnected factors go into decision making. These factors include; academic performance, social and emotional development, behaviour, independence, relational groups, student history, as well as student and parental suggestions. The focus on shaping classes for the coming year is always on building connected communities that are balanced throughout the whole school and support the needs of all students. 

1. Students’ Learning Friends

Students are invited to create a group of five Learning Friends for the coming year. We will do everything we can to ensure that each student has at least one learning friend in their 2023 class. This list of friendships is sent home with students so that parents can have input and share in the discussion with students. These 2023 Learning Friends will be sent home in Week 3 by Wednesday 19 October. Parents are asked to discuss these choices with their child, make changes if required, sign it and return it to the classroom teacher by Wednesday 26 October. 

2. Parents/Carers Reflections

If there are specific requests for student placement in 2023 that are not covered in students’ identification of learning friendships, you can make a request in writing to the principal. Recognising the complexity of the process, I ask that your requests be limited to not more than three suggestions.  Any parent requests should be sent to the school email address rosanna.ps@education.vic.gov.au. The request should include ‘2023 Class Placement’ in the subject line and be received by Monday, 31 October. Any correspondence received after this date cannot be considered.

In shaping classes, teachers make every effort to consider all factors presented, but we cannot guarantee that all requests will be accommodated. All will be considered. It is important to note that requests for specific teachers cannot be accepted.