Principal's report

Greetings Parents, Carers, Students and Staff of MPWPS,

Welcome to Week 11 of Term 2 2020. I hope you are all well and safe out there!

End of Term Dismissal on Friday

Please be advised that in order to have a staggered dismissal on Friday the following times will apply:

Grades 3-6:  Dismiss at 2.15

Grade F-2:    Dismiss at  2.20.  

Students will dismiss at the usual grade level gates. Please ensure that your child is aware of these times. 

Enrolments for 2021

After several of the virtual Q and A’s with the Principal, we are looking forward to welcoming all new families to Moonee Ponds West PS.  A planned School Open Day/Information session will be held on Wednesday AUGUST 12 2020.  The times for tours and discussion on this day will be 9.30 am, 2.30 pm and 5.00pm. We are hoping by Week 5 that adults will be back on our site so that we can show you the learning environment of the school.  We will be managing our numbers on   this day through Eventbrite.  eventbrite.com.au/e/110736249102 

If you are enrolled or thinking of enrolling for 2021 come along on this day to see our school in action.  Get the feel of the learning and the interactions teacher to student, student to teacher and student to student. The day is for any family with a student or sibling starting school in 2021. Barbara McKenzie and I will be hosting on this day.

Health Notice to all Junior School families

We have had a case of Impetigo (school sores) in the Junior School.  This is infectious and needs medical treatment before the child can return to school.  Impetigo presents with small blisters usually on hands or around the mouth, but can appear generally anywhere on the body.  I am attaching the Health Information sheet from the RCH re this condition for your information.  As a result, all the classes in the Junior school continue to be more thoroughly cleaned as a precaution. 

COVID-19 Update

Over the weekend you would have been informed by the media of some small outbreaks in schools.  These have been linked to family contacts and all the schools concerned are being managed by DHHS and the Department of Education. We continue to tighten and reassure our present processes of hand sanitising and washing, social distancing of the adults and additional cleaning of classrooms and shared spaces. At present we are running three staff areas for their social distancing. Children are encouraged to not be touching each other and to clean their space in the classroom on a regular basis. I expect that the staggered entry and exits to the school and split outside times for students, will continue next term but we will keep you updated via COMPASS.  Thanks again for social distancing outside the gates and for encouraging your child’s super independence at this time. We are still marvelling at the independence of the students. Who would have thought that entering the school on your own would have such a positive affect!  If this isn’t your experience please speak with us and we can of course help. 

Footnote: The RCH has a COVID-19 testing clinic each day. The clinic runs from 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm. It is less invasive for children if you are wanting your child tested. 

Virtual Assemblies

We have had two of these now and are finding that the WebEx tool is enabling more families to be part of things like assemblies. Last week some students from Room 20 shared their reflections on Remote Learning.  They read with confidence and then had their reflections published in last week’s newsletter.  Congratulations to all.  Friday at 9.15 is our next virtual Assembly date.  We will be forwarding the link via COMPASS to all families.  Our Junior School students are performing and we will be thanking and acknowledging the efforts of our outgoing fundraising group. How could you miss that!!

Letter from the Prime Minister

One of our senior students Aidan, wrote to the Prime Minister to share his reflection of remote learning. Letter writing is part of the writing instruction and so Aidan was using his knowledge of this structure to pen his ideas to others; the Prime Minister! The reply to this letter was published last week in the Newsletter.  Sending and receiving a letter via “snail mail’ is very exciting.  How about having your child write a letter to someone on the holidays?  Could be a great late in the day task after a busy day!

End of Semester 1 Reports home TOMORROW

The adjusted end of Semester 1 written reports will be uploaded to COMPASS tomorrow. Please understand they are different to the past reports as a result of the Remote Learning experience. Parent advice was communicated earlier re these adjustments but I am offering the information again for your convenience.  If you have lost your COMPASS password (parent logon) please contact the general Office to have this reset for you.  COMPASS is a wonderful communication tool and I encourage your continued participation in this way.

Camps for 2020

At last night’s School Council meeting the Council recommended to me that all camping activities for 2020 be cancelled due to the COVID19 situation. Whilst this will be disappointing for some, we must remember that we are in a pandemic and respond appropriately. What does this mean?  It means the 5/6 Camp planned for August will not go ahead; nor will the re booked 3/4 Camp in December.  

There will be no Sleepovers or Activity Nights which are all part of our camping program.  This decision also extends to the MVIMP Music Camp as well. No doubt the teachers in these areas will plan some other ways of experiencing different camping experiences with their own classes without mixing students, but this will be communicated at a later date. 

To all families that have paid for any of the programs listed we have a couple of options for you. The first is to hold your payment in your account for another expense - giving you a credit (for Family Contribution, MVIMP or any other program by negotiation) or refund your payment directly.  The first is our option but of course, we are guided by your request.  Please contact the General Office; Sandra Monaghan and arrange your option. 

I restate that after due consideration the School Council believes it is the safest and best option for students and staff for 2020.  Please if you wish to discuss this further with me please don’t hesitate to do so. 

Sincerely

Kerri Simpson

Principal