Principal's Message

Please take the time to read each page of our newsletter, as we provide you with information updates across each curriculum area. 

Welcome to the 2022 school year! 

The first fortnight of our school year has been the most wonderful experience to be part of, and we should all be conscious of the behind-the-scenes work that our staff and community have put in to promote such a successful start to the year. 

As we move around the school there is a buzz of happiness and a true sense of orderliness within our classrooms. The daily actions of our students have shown that our school values of Respect, Responsibility, and Resilience are in action with everything that we do. 

A huge welcome to the large number of new families who have joined our school community this year. 

School Council Nomination NOW OPEN

Each year, DET schools call on parents/carers to become involved in helping to drive continuous improvements across their child/ren's school by joining School Council. 

Parents/Carers on school councils provide important viewpoints, and have valuable skills that can help shape the direction of the school.

School Council positions are voluntary, and are suitable for parents/carers who are both new and old to the school community. Nominating as a member provides a great opportunity to learn more about the inner workings of what makes Upwey South Primary School such an amazing place to learn and grow. 

If you are interested to find out more, and with to nominate please refer to the page titled "School Council News & PTA News" for further details. 

What is a school council and what does it do?

All Department of Education and Training (DET) schools in Victoria have a school council. They are legally constituted bodies that are given powers to set the key directions of a school, within statewide guidelines. In doing this, a school council is able to directly influence the quality of education that the school provides for its students.

Who is on the school council?

For most primary school councils, there are three possible categories of membership:

• A mandated elected Parent category - more than one-third of the total members must be from this category. Department of Education and Training (DET) employees can be parent members at their child's school, as long as they are not engaged in work at the school.
• A mandated elected DET employee category - members of this category may make up no more than one-third of the total membership of school council. The principal of the school is automatically one of these members.
• An optional Community member category - members are co-opted by a decision of the council because of their special skills, interests or experiences. DET employees are not eligible to be community members.

Generally, the term of office for all members is two years. The term of office of half the members expires each year, creating vacancies for the annual school council elections.

Note: From 2018 onwards, all schools offering an educational program at Year 7 and above must offer a student elected position, in addition to the above. This does not apply to primary schools. 

Responsible parking/driving around our school

With recent works occurring along Griffiths Road and Riley Road we appreciate the care that our community are showing when parking/driving around the school boundary. Please be aware when collecting your child to use the marked pedestrian crossings, particularly on Morris Road. We also provide a reminder to families that the Riley Road/ Morris Road exit is not designed for parking. 

Navigating your way through the school grounds

As a school community we are fortunate that through our CovidSafe Plan we are able to continue to allow parents to enter and exit the school grounds during drop-off/pick-up times. In order to help you navigate the school and arrange meeting points with your child/ren, please refer to the below classroom map. 

DET Privacy Notice

The following information is an important extract from the Department of Education and Training (DET) which should be shared across all schools. 

During the ordinary course of your child’s attendance at our school, school staff will collect your child’s personal and health information when necessary to educate your child, or to support your child’s social and emotional wellbeing or health in the school context. Such information will also be collected when required to fulfil a legal obligation, including duty of care, anti-discrimination law and occupational health and safety law. If that information is not collected, the school may be unable to provide optimal education or support to your child, or fulfil those legal obligations.

For example, health information may be collected through the school nurse, primary welfare officer or wellbeing staff member. If your child is referred to a specific health service at school, such as a Student Support Services officer, the required consent will be obtained. Our school also collects information provided by parents and carers through the School Entrance Health Questionnaire (SEHQ) and the Early Childhood Intervention Service (ECIS) Transition Form.

Our school may use online tools, such as apps and other software, to effectively collect and manage information about your child for teaching and learning purposes, parent communication and engagement; student administration; and school management purposes. When our school uses these online tools, we take steps to ensure that your child’s information is secure. If you have any concerns about the use of these online tools, please contact us.

School staff will only share your child’s personal or health information with other staff who need to know to enable the school to educate or support your child, or fulfil a legal obligation.

When our students transfer to another Victorian government school, personal and health information about that student will be transferred to that next school. Transferring this information is in the best interests of our students and assists that next school to provide optimal education and support to students.

In some limited circumstances, information may be disclosed outside of the school (and outside of the Department of Education and Training). The school will seek your consent for such disclosures unless the disclosure is allowed or mandated by law.

Our school values the privacy of every person. When collecting and managing personal and health information, all school staff must comply with Victorian privacy law. For more information about privacy including about how to access personal and health information held by the school about you or your child, see our school’s privacy policy: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Pages/schoolsprivacypolicy.aspx

Throughout this notice, ‘staff’ includes principals, teachers, Student Support Service officers, youth workers, social workers, nurses and any other allied health practitioners and all other staff at our school. This includes employees, agents and service providers (contractors) of the Department, whether paid or unpaid.

Keeping Aware of Information Relating to School

As a school we work hard to keep our families informed of happenings across the school. We acknowledge that receiving information in a timely and consistent manner can help to alleviate the pressures which come from managing a busy family calendar. 

Communicating via Compass

All of our school notifications are sent via the Newsfeed within the Compass app. There is also a calendar of events within the app, which sends push notifications to users to remind them of school events. 

We continue to utilise Compass for families to consent and pay in order for their children to take part in school events. 

In order to filter notifications which are received, you will notice that we send out notifications which are year level specific. This means that sometimes not all notifications are sent to all year levels. 

Administration Reminder

Please be reminded that if you need to collect your child/ren early, please contact the office when you are five to ten minutes away so we can have them at the office for collection.

Communicating with the School Administration Team

We look forward to partnering with you in 2022, and welcome your input: 

Damien Kitch (Principal)  damien.kitch@education.vic.gov.au 

Paula Lee (Business Manager) upwey.south.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Janette Clarke (Office Manager) upwey.south.ps@education.vic.gov.au