A word from the Principal

What a terrific start to the 2023 school we have had for both staff and students.  There was certainly a buzz in the air as students and their families came into school.  We hit the ground running and began our specialists programs on Day 1 as everyone was so keen to start Media, Science, Art, Music, Mandarin or PE.  Mr Horne has been incredibly impressed with the enthusiasm for the new Media subject and he can't wait to actually begin working with students and the green screens, videos and cameras! 

Welcome 2023 Foundation students, our 2029 Graduates! 

This week, our Foundation students have been so excited to start their schooling life as they begin to learn new routines. They have been getting to know their classmates and have enjoyed playing outside with their new friends. Yesterday they arrived at school bright eyed and full of wonder, ready and excited for a fabulous year of fun and learning! We are excited to have them and their families join our Karoo community.  

Getting to know you Interviews

Please book in via Compass for the Getting to know you Interviews with your child’s class teacher.  It is a wonderful opportunity to meet your teacher and give them any insights into your children so that the teacher is able to understand them and provide for their needs. We hope that providing both onsite and Webex interviews will cater for all families in our community. 

Mobile Phones (and SMART WATCHES) at Karoo 

In line with DET policy, students who choose to bring mobile phones to school must have them switched off and securely stored during school hours, including lunch break and afternoon break. Students and their parents will be required to sign a 2023 Phone Policy Agreement (available at the school office, on Compass (see School documentation) and on our Website).   Please note that smart watches also fall under the guidelines of our mobile device policy. Students are not to use their watch as a communication device during school times and must be in aeroplane or school mode. This includes sending and receiving any information. If parents want to communicate with their child then they must must contact the office and a message will be forwarded to the student at an appropriate time. As per the policy, if a ‘smart watch’ is being used inappropriately during class times, the student will need to hand it into the office at the start of the day and collect it when school finishes.  Please find our mobile phone policy attached here: 

https://karoops.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Mobile-Phone.pdf 

Student Leadership

Our Student leaders were excited to receive their badges last week.  They will spend Friday mornings with Miss Wild and Mr Leeson undergoing a leadership development course.  During this time they will create action plans and consider their role in the school and how they would like to make their mark and impact their particular area (Science, Media, Library etc).  At Karoo we strongly believe that leadership is more than a badge though and that we must equip all of our senior school with the mindset about influencing the Karoo community in a positive way.

Communication at Karoo Primary School 

Karoo Primary School is committed to effective communication and treating everyone in accordance with our school values. It is therefore important that everyone in the school community work together to ensure we are cooperative, honest and respect the protocols below. Our commitment should be to conduct ourselves in a respectful, calm and courteous manner.  Teachers will not be able to check or respond to emails during teaching time and will endeavor to reply within 24-48 hours.  Please be mindful of the hours that you contact teachers and avoid where able, late at night when people are home.  It is important for all people to have some family time and an opportunity to wind down from the day.  This enables everyone to recharge and be able to be at their best when they are teaching your children during the day. 

Who should I make contact with? 

Ideally your child’s class teacher is the preferred person to contact, however there may be times that it is more appropriate to speak to a Principal Class staff member or school leader. 

Leadership Team

Principal – Mrs Danielle Heatley 

Assistant Principal (Teaching and Learning) – Ms Ashley Kuusela 

Wellbeing and Inclusion Leader - Mrs Courtney Hoffmann

Learning Specialist  - Mrs Robyn Harris

Learning Specialist  - Mrs Simone Vitas

Leaders 

Foundation – Mrs Amy Ellis

Year 1 – Ms Fiona Marker

Year 2 – Mrs Karen Corrales 

Year 3 – Ms Clare McCandlish

Year 4 – Miss Tanya Mollica

Year 5 – Miss Michelle Davies

Year 6 – Ms Claire Moyle 

Specialists - Ms Ashley Kuusela 

What does communication at Karoo look like? 

• School assemblies every fortnight (odd weeks of the school term) on a Friday at 2.45 p.m.  These alternate between whole school and sub-school. 
• School newsletter every fortnight (even weeks of the school term) uploaded on Compass and the Karoo website 
• Weekly Newsfeed information shared on Compass 
• Phone calls and emails from staff 
• Getting to Know You interviews – an opportunity to meet your child’s class teacher in February 
• Mid year and end of year student progress reports 
• Mid year Parent Teacher interviews to discuss student achievements
• Noticeboards in the school grounds (PE/ Sport near the gym, Visual Arts - outside art room, Community Noticeboard - near the library and Student Council board - in the courtyard 
• Classroom displays 
• Karoo emails via Compass 
• Seesaw will also be introduced during 2023 as a student portfolio

School Crossing/Parking 

Having been back at school for only a week, we have already been made aware of some issues relating to parents parking safely and legally particularly in Karoo Road. This is a concern and is creating a safety risk for students, parents and the wider community. A Council Parking Inspector has already visited the area and will be continuing to make regular visits to monitor people who are parking illegally. Once again, we ask parents to park in designated parking spots and to obey all parking signs.  There are a number of 2 minute drop parking spaces where you are not able to leave your car. These are purely a drop and go area for your students to say goodbye to you at the car. 

Annual privacy reminder for our school community

Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy.

Please take time to read our school’s collection notice, found on our website https://karoops.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Privacy-policy.pdf

We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use Google Workspace for Education safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using Google Workspace for Education, please contact the school.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in ten community languages:

• Amharic
• Arabic
• Dari
• Gujarati
• Mandarin
• Somali
• Sudanese
• Turkish
• Urdu
• Vietnamese

I hope you have a wonderful week and I look forward to seeing you in the school yard. 

Danielle Heatley

Principal