STUDENT SAFETY AROUND OUR SCHOOL – ROADS
Children are our most vulnerable road users and to address this road safety issue school speed zones with lower speed limits were introduced many years ago. All motorists need to be aware that children in traffic are not like adults. They can be unpredictable and because they are small, they can be hard to see. So, take extra care and slow down when you drive near any school. We know all our community members have positive intent and no one sets out to purposely be unsafe around our children. However, there is nothing that can take back the effects of an accident and we need to all work together to keep everyone safe.
We have had a few parents recently highlighting their concern about cars not following the signed parking restrictions and the resulting safety issues this is causing for our students and community. The kiss-and-go areas on Tucker Road, Collins Street and Moylan Street are designed to enable parents the opportunity to stop for two minutes and not leave their vehicles. If you are wanting to leave your car and walk into the school, please park away from the school. Remember that these restrictions are put in place by the council to support the safety of our school community and they must be obeyed. Thank you to those people that are using drop-off and pick-up in the correct way and prioritising the safety of our kids and the community.
Never leave children unattended in cars on hot days, it is important to remember that you should never leave your child alone in a car. The temperature inside a car on hot days begins to rise as soon as the door closes and within minutes the temperature inside can be double the temperature outside. Leaving children in hot cars – even for a moment – can result in injury or death. Young children’s smaller body size and underdeveloped nervous system places them at a much greater risk of life-threatening heat stroke, dehydration and other serious health risks. Victorian legislation makes leaving a child unattended in a car a criminal offence.
It is important that we all work together in ensuring safety around our school, be patient and know your child will always be supervised until you arrive.
YEAR LEVEL INFORMATION AFTERNOONS AND THREE-WAY CONFERENCES/PARENT, TEACHER STUDENT INTERVIEWS
On Monday- Wednesday of last week staff across all year levels and specialist areas held information afternoons for parents. We thank those parents who were able to attend these sessions and also those who were not able to attend but read the handouts sent out by each year level on Compass. This year we all sought to respond to parent feedback about these sessions held previously. Parents said that when we focussed on curriculum areas such as English and Maths the presentations amongst the different year levels ended up delivering the same messages at all sessions. To respond to this, we asked all year levels to pick the most important things to share, that were specific to their year group. This included areas such as levels of independence, expectations and learning behaviours. We will hold curriculum specific nights e.g. Maths, English, (held later in the evening) to address these areas and encourage you all to attend.
We have also had the Three-Way Conferences/Parent, Teacher Student Interviews held on Monday and Tuesday of this week. These were an opportunity to meet the class teacher and hear from your child about areas for learning they will be looking at this term. We have received some feedback that parents would also like the option to attend the conferences/interviews virtually so they can tune in from work for example. We really appreciate this feedback and will work to ensure both in person and virtual meetings are offered for the next parent teacher Interviews. Thank you to all staff for their time, thought and preparation for both of these sessions.
Please always remember if allocated/scheduled days or session times do not suit you, staff will always work with you to make a mutually convenient alternative time. We do this all the time and it is no trouble to work outside of these times to meet with you. If you were not able to attend this week, just get in contact with your child’s class teacher.
I would also like to stress with families that these were just one opportunity to spend time with your child’s teacher and your child. We also encourage parents and carers to feel comfortable to make a time to meet with their child’s teacher at any point throughout the year when you have a concern or would like to share further information
PARENTING EXPERT: MICHAEL CARR-GREGG- WEDNESDAY 8TH MARCH, FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY!
On Wednesday 8th March Dr Michael Carr-Gregg will be speaking about the important topic of “BUILDING RESILIENCE IN CHILDREN”. This evening is being held at Coatesville Primary Sports Stadium at a cost of $10 per person. https://www.trybooking.com/CFSKI
Bookings are essential and this event is for parents only.
Dr Carr-Gregg is an adolescent psychologist, a well-respected speaker and one of Australia’s leading authorities on teenage behaviour. In 1985 he founded Canteen, the acclaimed cancer patients’ support group for teenagers in New Zealand and Australia. Dr Carr-Gregg has been a regular on Melbourne radio 3AW, the resident parenting expert on Channel 7’s Sunrise and a regular on its Morning Show. He has written several bestselling books on parenting.
HOT DAYS AND EXTREME WEATHER DAYS
On days when it is extremely hot, the children will remain in classrooms and be supervised just as they are on wet days. To let our new families know more about our hot day procedures please read a few points below.
- students are encouraged and reminded to drink lots of water throughout the day
- students can go outside at recess (provided it is not too hot by this time of day)
- teachers can take their class outside for a short break if required, but not during the hottest part of the day
- lunch will be held indoors
- hats must be worn outside
2023 TUTORING PROGRAM
As you may be aware, the Victorian Government Tutor Learning Initiative is available again in 2023, enabling schools across Victoria to engage students who need extra assistance with their learning.
The tutoring program at McKinnon PS is being led by Learning Specialist Amanda Young, with teacher Amy Dove teaching the selected students in both English and Mathematics. Data has been reviewed and families have been notified if their child is involved in the first cycle.
SCHOOL COUNCIL NOMINATIONS
We are currently calling for nominations for School Council – there are limited places. There are three (3) parent positions and two (2) Department of Education and Training (Staff) positions. Please contact the office if you would like a nomination form. Nominations close on Tuesday 28th February at 4pm.
Please view the School Council Elections Information For Parents which outlines many important details regarding school council elections. Any further questions please feel free to contact the office for further information.
The newly elected council will commence on Monday 20th March. The term of office is a two-year period.
We have five members whose term has been completed this year. These members are: Sainath Tavate, Clement Yeung, Andrew Kearl, Cameron Azer and Mohammad Shajan. I would like on behalf of our community to thank them for their contribution and commitment to ongoing school improvement during their time on school council.
ARE YOU BEING SUNSMART?
In line with the school’s policy, Term One is a SunSmart term. This requires all students to have the appropriate navy wide-brimmed hat. These SunSmart hats are to be worn during all outside activities during Term One until the 30th of April.
STUDENT SAFETY- CLOSED SHOES
We have noticed some students coming to school in open sandals. Students must wear closed shoes. Closed school shoes or runners are much safer for students to wear at school all day. Thank you for helping us with this important requirement.
LABELLING BELONGINGS
Please ensure you are clearly labelling your child’s school hat. We do our absolute best to support children with constant reminders about clothing and belongings but with so many students, items do end up lost or missing. If items such as school hats are labelled, we always do our best to ensure they get back to their rightful owners.
EVERY DAY COUNTS!!
In the Victorian education system, it is compulsory for all students to attend school each day of the school year. At times an absence may be unavoidable, however, every effort must be made to ensure students attend school on time each day. Evidence tells us that students who regularly miss days of school are at risk of missing out on learning the basic building blocks in subjects and may experience long term difficulties with their learning. School attendance helps children develop social skills, such as friendship building, teamwork, communications skills and develops healthy self-esteem.
Please try to ensure that any appointments are made outside of school hours. To maximise learning opportunities we need all students here all day. If this presents a problem for you and your child please make time to see us. All late arrivals and early departures need to be signed in/out at the school office by a parent/guardian. It is not acceptable for a student to sign themselves in or out of the school. The office will locate your child’s class and walk them to their classroom. Please advise your child’s teacher of early pick up requirements, then your child will be at the office at the time you requested waiting to be picked up. You can place a note in your child’s diary. This is a strong focus of the Department of Education & Training. Further information can be found on the website: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/parents/behaviour/Pages/attendance.aspx
UPDATING CONTACT DETAILS/MEDICAL
We ask all families to please ensure that you have up to date contact details on Compass and at the office. This includes your current address, phone numbers, emergency contact details, etc. Our current student enrolment information will have been sent out to all families today via email. Please check this information to make sure it is all still correct then make any amendments and let the office know so the Admin Team can update your file.
Any students who have a medical condition must have up to date medical records at the office. Of most importance is to ensure asthma, diabetes, and anaphylaxis management plans are current. These need to be signed off by your local doctor and are required to be updated annually. Of course, these documents are so important to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students, especially yours.
INSIGHTS – PARENT CLASS LISTS, WALKING EXCURSIONS AND MEDIA RELEASE
Just a reminder that we will be preparing the parent contact lists for each class next week. It is important that you complete the Insights on your Compass dashboard. If we do not have permission your details cannot be included on the parent class contact list and your child cannot participate in local walking excursions or appear in the newsletter etc. Please check your Compass dashboard for any outstanding Insights.
Hope you all have a great weekend,
Suzanne, David and Andrew