Thursday 17th February

Dear families,

Thank you to Liv and Family

For coming to school last weekend with her family and weeding the sensory garden area near the greenspace. It looks incredible. This is greatly appreciated and shows wonderful school pride and a sense of community. Make sure you check out the student of the week section Liv!

Thanks also to families that have offered to come and do some weeding, just come to the office and we will give a bag to fill.

Rapid Antigen Testing

This looks likely to continue for all of Term 1. We are expecting another delivery in time for the beginning of week 5 and will communicate collection details.

Tests will be provided in packs of 5 individual tests. Families should collect one pack for each child. Students and staff will do the tests at home and must report any positive test results to us at school.

Thank you for your support and cooperation in doing this.

Checking in with QR codes

This will no longer be required as you enter our school.

Getting to know you interviews

Monday was set aside for families and class teachers to meet and discuss everything they need to know to make 2022 a wonderful year. We appreciate having a student free day wasn’t ideal but it was greatly appreciated to be able to connect in person or online. If you have any feedback you would like to provide please do so via email menzies.creek.ps@education.vic.gov.au or dale.mcinerney@education.vic.gov.au

House Athletics is coming soon – Monday 21st February

House Athletics Sports for all students. The Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2 students will be participating in tabloid-style activities, and the Year 3 - 6 students will participate, within their age groups, in a variety of athletics disciplines. We look forward to the students having a wonderful day! Successful Year 3 - 6 athletes may have the opportunity to go on and compete in the EDEC Athletics Sports.

Working Bee/ Community Picnic – Saturday 5th March

Our Term 1 Working Bee day has been set for Saturday the 5th of March from 9am to 1pm. There will be a free barbeque for all attendees and our first community event for this year. We will be aiming to prune trees and bushes, weed garden beds, some whipper snipping and have a basic tidy up of the school grounds. Children are welcome to bring their bikes, scooters and ball games. This is a great way to meet new families and catch up with old friends while helping out the school. Whether you can come for an hour or two, or half an hour, any time and effort would be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions please see Matt Cody or email matthew.cody@education.vic.gov.au

After the working bee we will be inviting the community to gather for a picnic from 1pm – 3pm. This will be a great chance to reconnect with families and meet new families.

Bunnings BBQ on Saturday, 26th March

We have been allocated the Narre Warren store at Fountain Gate. This is a great opportunity for our school and preschool to raise some money and we are putting a call out for volunteers to assist on the day and/or to donate supplies. Please access the form so we can determine where we need support. Thanks in advance for your support of our school community and apologies in advance as we will be pushing this communication regularly!

School Uniform and being SunSmart

Students are required to be in full school uniform. This includes wearing of school hats. Please ensure these are labelled. No hat = no play outside, students will be directed to say under cover to avoid UV

Birthdays – free dress

To make our students feel extra special on their birthday they are able to come in free dress. If the birthday falls on the weekend or the holidays they can arrange a day with their teacher when they will come in free dress.

Visitor’s to School

A reminder to everyone that we have a policy which requires all visitors to report to the office first, when entering the school. Should you need to visit the classroom, see your child at recess or are a helper at school, please report to the office first to sign the visitor’s iPad. This ensures that in an emergency we are able to account for all people at school. Visitors to school sites must also wear masks when indoors and must be fully vaccinated.

If you are having someone collecting your children that is not on your emergency contact list or does not normally pick up your child, can you please send a note to your teacher or let the office know.

Working with Children’s Check

We encourage, need and value parental and community support at Menzies. There are many ways that parents, grandparents and friends can assist at our school. We need all parents to obtain a Working with Children’s Check if you wish to be involved as a helper in classrooms or for excursions. These checks are free for volunteers. Once you have your WWCC, please come to the office so we can photocopy this and we will add your name to our list of parents who have a current WWCC.

For more information on applying go to https://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/individuals/applicants/how-to-apply

If your child is ill at school, or suffers an accident, our staff will give immediate care and appropriate first aid. However, it is necessary on occasions to contact families. Please make sure you notify the office of any changes to your or your Emergency Contact details as well as mobile phone numbers for our SMS system. Please also keep the Office informed of any change in medical issues faced by your children as this helps us to make the best choices for their welfare.

As we are in the middle of the fire season it is a good time to remind our families to ensure that all your details are up to date at the school. If you have changed address, got a new phone number or have a new alternative contact please contact the office to give us the details so that we are able to contact you if required.

We do have Assembly tomorrow at 2:45pm. We will invite families to join us online by accessing https://eduvic.webex.com/meet/mcinerney.dale.j

Regards,

Dale McInerney

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