We have made it to the last week of a very long term. The children and staff have struggled with a variety of illnesses and are all looking forward to a much-needed break. We hope that everyone takes the opportunity to rest and recharge over the holidays ready for a gratefully short, winter term.
It is going to be another busy term, with Curriculum Day, Parent:Teacher Interviews, Book Week, Grade 2 Sleep-Over, Grade 1 Breakfast and Grade Prep Lullabies – to name a few of the events across the term.
At our recent School Council Meeting, I proposed a consistent end-of-term dismissal time to reduce confusion in the community. The School Council discussed this and agreed that all terms, 1 through 3, will finish at 1:30pm. Term 4 will finish at 12:30pm to allow time for a special ceremony for the graduating class of Grade 6 students (they will be dismissed after their ceremony).
Student Reports:
You will receive notification that your child’s Semester 1 Report is available on Compass at some point later today. We would ask you to read it and look at the comment and the next steps in the English and Mathematics areas. They will help you to know what you might be able to do to help your child at home. Please also discuss the work habits sections of all pages of the report with your child. We expect consistent and purposeful effort from all children all the time, in all classes. Effort is not about how well they achieve but how well they approach their learning. Our teachers know and understand that every child learns differently and at their own pace. We accept that they will not all achieve to the same standard, but we also believe that every child can learn and do our best to find the right way for each and every child. In partnership with you, we need to ensure that every child is doing all they can to maximise their learning. I have attached a brief article about reading reports written by Michael Grose, a highly regarded parenting expert. I hope you find what he says helpful – perhaps read it before reading the report.
Please download a copy of your child’s report from Compass in case you need it sometime in the future.
During Term 3 we will offer parents the opportunity to come and discuss their child’s progress with teachers and monitor what they have done since you received these written reports.
School Holiday Cyber Safety:
Again, over the past few days I have been speaking with parents about what their child is seeing, doing and/or interacting with when online.
WITH TWO WEEKS OF POTENTIALLY INCREASED ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY UPON US, I CANNOT STRESS HOW IMPORTANT IT IS THAT PARENTS INCREASE THEIR VIGILANCE IN THIS AREA.
- Please be aware that children are viewing sexually explicit material online. They are searching for videos and watching them. Some have told us they have deleted them and cleared their history so their parents can’t see what they have viewed
- They are sharing photos in public forums, without consent and without true understanding of the implications of their actions
- Some have their settings on public – meaning ANYONE can access their content and communicate with them
- Many children tell us they are using their devices in their bedrooms, when their parents are out, busy or asleep. This is extraordinarily dangerous.
Please have ongoing conversations with your children, watch everything they watch and be aware, they are incredibly savvy about technology. When I first started teaching, Grade 5/6 children used to snigger and laugh when they looked up the three-letter word starting with S-_-_. They thought that was funny – I only wish that was still the case – now they can see, hear and access so much more!
Traffic:
Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for…many parents and staff are traumatized by memories of our old drive-through process, however, our new roads bring their own problems. Our two ‘new’ roads are now being used by others as through roads – increasing both the volume and speed of vehicles. We will seek the support of Hume Council and the Police to monitor the speed issue – please don’t find yourself caught up in this. There will also be increased speed monitoring on Mickleham Road due to the large number of serious accidents recently – again avoid getting a fine by staying within the limit.
Please see the notes below to help reduce the risk of harm coming to any member of our community:
- Please DO NOT drop children in the middle of the road or load them into your car in the roundabout etc., it is simply too dangerous
- Please remember that everyone has their own morning rush and may have battled through traffic to get to school for pick-up – be patient with each other
- I would much rather any child be a couple of minutes late getting through the gate than watch what I have several times as parents impatiently go three cars wide to get to the curb. Safety comes first every time
- Drive within the speed limit – please remember that any child is at risk when near or crossing the road. They do not stop and think, they simply run straight across the road
- Think and take care when turning around. Many parents do ‘u-turns’ in the middle of the rush and others become impatient with this. Take care when making a ‘u-turn’ and NEVER do them on or near the crossings
- Please ALWAYS use the crossing. Your child will not do so as a reflex if you don’t model that for them – they will copy you and walk between cars. Drivers cannot see small children until it is too late
- You may have noticed that several house blocks near the school now have temporary fencing around them. There will be trucks making deliveries, cement mixers pumping concrete, and builders’ cars all over the place very soon. Please do not get into the habit of parking in or across driveways as they will soon be occupied by other vehicles. I will try to ensure our parking spaces remain clear but at times this is going to be difficult. It is part of the growth of our area. We will all need to be patient and understanding.
This may seem to be a long list but every day I observe multiple parents doing things that endanger their own child, other children and themselves. One rushed, frustrated decision can lead to devastating consequences that none of us want. Please take a breath and wait the extra couple of minutes necessary to keep everyone safe.
I hope you all enjoy the school holidays, we will see you all back fresh and ready for Term 3 on Monday, July 21st.
Take care, Julie & Staff
