PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

The start of Term 2 has certainly brought with it a change in the weather.  I hope that you all had a wonderful Easter break and enjoyed the glorious weather.  Students are now back into classes and need to be focussed on consolidating the learning from Term 1 with their learning in Term 2, before we move into the exam period later in the term.

Last week we welcomed Ms Brenda Meinhold and Ms Chiaki Green back into our community.  Ms Meinhold will be managing our Learning Resource Centre and Chiaki will be assisting in the LRC as well as supporting our Arts and Technology domains.  Welcome also to the new students that have started at our school over the past two months: Indiana, Wesly, Zarah and Emily.

Congratulations to our Health and Physical Education staff, who, through their efforts, enabled the school to be awarded the Cricket in Schools Award at the recent Cricket Victoria Community Cricket Awards.  Our students received the benefit of a boost in sporting equipment in 2020 to run this successful program. 

From Monday 3rd May,  all students must be wearing the Winter Uniform.  A number of students have already transitioned into the Winter Uniform and most look great, however there are a few students that have not taken the advice given last term and made suitable adjustments to, in particular, the length of their skirt.  I encourage all parents/guardians to check the uniform before students need to be wearing it on Monday.

Often during a school year school policies are reviewed and updated to ensure that they remain current.  I have written in previous newsletters about the number of policies that are currently being implemented due to the change of Governance of the School.  One of the policies that we will be reviewing in 2021 is the Uniform Policy.  Although this review will be to update the policy to include new items that did not exist previously, e.g the school beanie, we are also considering a review of the uniform options that are available for students to wear.

Wearing a school uniform is a badge of pride and it creates an identity for the school and it’s an important part of being a school student.  Uniforms give students a sense of belonging, teaches them to dress smartly and take pride in their appearance.  Most parents would also agree that a uniform, although costly at the outset, is cheaper than buying and maintaining a wardrobe of outfits.  A uniform also takes away the anxiety about what to wear, so that they can focus on learning.

I am proposing to set up a Uniform Review Committee that will consist of Staff, Parents/ Guardians and Students.  The voices of all groups is important when considering what could potentially be a significant change for our school.  The logistics of how and when this Committee would meet will be determined once we have the names of interested parties.  Therefore, if you would like to be considered for this Committee, please forward your name to the Personal Assistant to the Principal, Emma Webb on ewebb@mackillopsh.vic.edu.au.

I hope that many Parents/Guardians were able to attend the recent Parent Teacher Interviews.  Don’t hesitate to make contact with the relevant teacher if you have concerns in regard to your child’s learning throughout the year.