TIME IN LIEU – SCHOOL EVENTS EXPECT SOME CHANGES IN 2023
For many years all communities have expected that staff organise and attend events such as camps outside of their working hours. Teachers have always done so because they see the important educational, social and wellbeing outcomes these special events bring to our students. However, this ultimately relies on the good will of staff and results in sacrificing time with their own families which can impact on their wellbeing and relationships.
As you may have heard new legislation around teachers work hours came into effect earlier this year to acknowledge this time that is often put in after hours. This means teachers will accrue “Time in Lieu” for required hours outside of scheduled work hours, the costs for which at this stage will need to be covered by the school. This will have an impact on the times and duration of some of the events and activities we organise throughout the school year.
Adjustments will need to be made in order to adhere to this. A couple of examples of adjustments will include, but will not be limited to:
- Parent meetings will mostly be scheduled for times within the standard school day.
- All school camps will be reduced to 3 days, 2 nights. (At this stage, time in lieu costs for staff attending camps are not passed on to families, as per this agreement. This means the school will need to find funds to reimburse staff for this extra time which is above and beyond their normal hours. The cost of reimbursing staff in the form of additional time/leave for the excess hours on camps will be too great for the school to support five day camps).
We will continue to review all school events and the positive impact they have on our students and the wider school community to determine whether adjustments need to be made. An ongoing result may be that we will be having more events within school hours. As always, the school will provide as much notice as possible to families with upcoming events which will include any changes to previously run events and activities.
YEAR TWO SLEEPOVER
The Year Two Sleepover took place on Thursday 10th November and finished on Friday 11th November. The theme for the sleepover was ‘Onesies and Animals.’ Students participated in activities before dinner followed by a movie before bed.
We thank everyone involved in making this such an enjoyable experience for our Year Two students and staff and know that this will be a memorable event for our students for years to come.
F-2 JUNIOR SCHOOL CONCERT WEDNESDAY 16TH NOVEMBER AT 6:00PM
We are very excited about the Junior School Concert which will take place at McKinnon Primary School in the school gymnasium. While we had originally planned on celebrating this event on the school oval, we have just been so unlucky with the weather recently and would not like anything to spoil this event. The Foundation, Year One and Year Two students have been working very hard in their Performing Arts classes to prepare for a wonderful show. Each class has been allocated an animal and will perform to a song based on that animal. With the help of Miss Ballard and Ms Brooks, students will also create animal head pieces during Visual Arts lessons that they can wear on the night and keep as a memento.
A Compass post will be sent to each individual class outlining what the students are expected to wear on the evening of the concert. We would love to see as many families as possible attend to help celebrate your child’s learning in a fun, relaxed and supportive environment.
If you have any questions about your child’s involvement in the concert, please speak to Sally Baldock or your child’s classroom teacher.
YEAR SIX NEWSLETTER
Another fantastic edition of the Year Six Newsletter has been published and available in our school library for students to read, along with all the other editions. Another thank you and big congratulations to Sidney Silkstone, Hili Segev and Olivia Acfield who created this newsletter and were awarded the Lorraine Francis Award for their efforts. These students took the initiative to start their own special newspaper which addresses current issues and talking points of the Year Six students.
YAY…IT’S PYJAMA DAY- TUESDAY 15TH NOVEMBER
Next Tuesday the 15th of November the Student Representative Council invite students to a ‘Pyjama Day’ to celebrate the Year Six students final year at McKinnon and support their graduation program.
If your child/children would like to wear their pyjamas (or robe or onesie) we ask that they bring a gold coin donation, which will be used to support the Year Six Graduation. The SRC and Year Six cohort thank you for your support! Please note: Proper footwear and a hat for recess and lunch is still required.
COLOUR RUN – NEW DATE REMINDER: TUESDAY 22ND NOVEMBER
A reminder that the new date has been locked in. Please put this in your calendars as we would love to see you there for the event. A new timetable listing the new times students will be participating in the Colour Run will be posted closer to the event.
MCKINNON MATHS OLYMPIAD COMPETITORS
This year, McKinnon Primary School took part in the Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads. Schools from all over Australia, New Zealand and other neighbouring countries took part. The Olympiads consist of five separate contests. Although students are competing against other members of their class and teams from other schools, they are primarily competing against themselves.
McKinnon Primary School finished in the top 20%! Ayaan Gupta was McKinnon Primary School’s highest scorer. Nathan Wen, Drishi Vasa and Dean Wu finished in the top 10%.
STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS
Scholarships are available for eligible students in Year 4 to Year 11, and for Year 12 students planning to undertake tertiary studies in 2023.
The Department of Education and Training administers a number of scholarships that are available to eligible students who are currently enrolled in Year 4 to Year 12 in 2022.
Applicants for these scholarships will be evaluated on their:
- participation in school activities
- community involvement
- academic record for the current year.
Scholarships are either one-off payments or cover the duration of the student’s course or annual study.
Many of these scholarships have specific eligibility criteria so please refer to individual applications for more information. Applications are open and close on Wednesday 1st February 2023.
For more information and a list of available scholarships, see the 2022 student scholarships for Year 4 – Year 12 fact sheet below:
For information on how to apply, refer to the link below:
https://www.vic.gov.au/student-scholarships
2022 23 Student Scholarships Factsheet Pdf
VOLUNTEERING AT MCKINNON
We would like to thank all of the wonderful volunteers that willingly give up their time to help build a great community at MCKPS. Included in this issue is the current Code of Conduct and Volunteer Policy. Please take a moment to read over these important documents. All volunteers require a Working with Children Check card that is kept on file at the school. WWCC are free for volunteers and if you register MCKPS as a place you may volunteer with, the Department will automatically update the school when you renew your card. For further information please visit:
https://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/
POLICIES ON COMPASS AND SCHOOL WEBSITE
If you are looking for a school policy, they are available on both Compass (click on Teaching and Learning tab (pencil) and select School Resources > Parent Resources > Policies, or, visit our website – https://mckinnon-primary.vic.edu.au/ and click on School Information and Accountability and select policies.
HEIDI ROGERS – PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT
Heidi Rogers recently completed her parent information session on the topic of Managing Anger and Stress – Yours and Theirs at McKinnon Primary School.
The session was a great success and has provided parents with valuable knowledge and strategies on managing stress. We had around fifty parents turn up for this event, who shared lots of positive feedback. We look forward to working with Heidi again in the future.
2023 ENROLMENTS and DEPARTURES
Have you got a foundation child you still need to enrol? Great news we are ready to accept that enrolment now, please send the forms to the office as soon as possible. Our Foundation transition program starts next week so it is important to enrol so that you and your child can attend these valuable sessions.
If are planning on leaving Mckinnon Primary in 2023, it would be greatly appreciated if you could notify the school as soon as possible.
FOUNDATION TRANSITION CONTINUING THIS WEEK
Foundation transition continues on Thursday 17th November. Our 2023 Foundation students will participate in several sessions to get to know McKinnon and their new peers over the next month. While our new faces will be getting to know what going to school is all about, we will be holding information sessions for the 2023 Foundation parents on a wide range of curriculum and other important areas of school life. This information session will focus on the area of the International Baccalaureate (IB)- PYP at McKinnon PS.
We look forward to seeing our 2023 Foundation parents there!
SUN SMART KIDS
We need to be especially careful during high UV times as it does not take long in the sun for burning and skin damage to take place. Much better to take protective measures such as covering up, wearing sunscreen and wearing hats so that our students can enjoy the outdoors. A reminder to our community that students without hats in the yard will be sent to a designated sun-protected area. Another important reminder is for students to ensure they neatly store their hats in a secure area such as their bag or on their lockers during class time and make sure it is clearly labelled with their namestso that it is returned to them if misplaced. Our SunSmart policy clearly states from 1st September to 1st May our hats are on!
2023 PLANNING
We are well underway for the planning for 2023. This includes our staffing, programming and home group allocations. The composition of our year level structure is also being developed. Preparing home groups is an exhaustive process that our whole staff commit many hours to getting right. There are many considerations in developing classes including social, emotional, behavioural and academic needs of each class. Additionally, we always consult with our students on whom they would like to be in their class next year. Students provide a list of requested peers, we ensure that at least one of these peers is included. We try to manage the influx of new enrolments to sustain positive class sizes and forward planning is most helpful to this. Thank you for your support and timely communication on this matter.
THE POPPY APPEAL
The Red Poppy emblem is a symbol of those who have fallen in times of war and the Poppy Appeal is run in the lead up to Remembrance Day. The Poppy Appeal contributes significantly to the fundraising work of the RSL. The largest fundraising activity of the Appeal is the sale of poppies beginning in late October each year. Poppies are available at the school in various denominations and the money raised is used to assist both current and former serving members of the Australian and Allied Defence Forces and their dependents when in need. The RSL encourages all Australians to purchase a poppy and ‘Remember in November.’
LIMITED RAPID ANTIGEN TESTS AVAILABLE AT THE OFFICE
We have a limited supply of Rapid Antigen Tests available at the office. Please place a message in your child’s diary if you would like a pack sent home, or visit the office to collect a pack. First in, first served. This is the end of our supply for 2022.
Hope you all have a great weekend,
Suzanne, David and Andrew