OUR FABULOUS EDUCATION SUPPORT STAFF
Earlier this week we celebrated our fabulous Education Support Staff and the contribution they make to our community. We have twenty ES staff who support our students and teachers in many ways across our school. They do an outstanding job whether it is in the classroom, the admin area, first aid, library or learning support. They are all extremely committed to our students and to the work they do. Many of their jobs are unseen, however our school and students wouldn’t achieve the results we do without them.
MAY SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING AND AGM
We held the AGM this week and presented the annual report. We also approved the Care of Personal Property Policy, approved the finances for March and April and celebrated the donation from Coles for the election BBQ and cake stall this Saturday.
EDUCATION WEEK – CELEBRATING 150 YEARS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION
The week beginning Monday 23rd of May is Education Week, and the theme this year is celebrating 150 years of Public Education. We have a rich history at McKinnon Primary and strong community partnerships exist here. Activities such as the Mother’s Day Stall, to the recent cross country at McKinnon Reserve all help foster that sense of community and identity within our school and build our story of education and history.
Please come along next week and let your child take you on a tour of the school and their learning environment at McKinnon by participating in the student led conferences.
CHANGE IN TIME: STUDENT LED CONFERENCES – MONDAY 23rd MAY 3.45PM – 5.45PM
Students and teachers are excited to invite you back into the classrooms as part of education week celebrations. This is a very special event as students have the opportunity to share and reflect on their learning in their own classrooms. Please don’t forget to book a timeslot and check your Compass Feed for more information on the event. We have extended the time of these on the Monday until 5.45pm to enable our working parents extended time to book in and attend.
PARENT HELPERS SESSION
This week Molly Sweeney ran two sessions for F-2 parents to be trained as Parent Reading Helpers. These were informative sessions and we are looking forward to starting this support up again after the long COVID break. Thank you to Molly for facilitating these sessions.
PARENT EXPERTS
Our community provides a rich layer of knowledge and experience and we are always looking for opportunities to invite parents as a ‘knowledgeable other’. Having a parent share their experiences and understanding to the class is very memorable and helps build understanding in different contexts. Please read the ‘Curriculum Newsletters’ sent by year levels to see how you may be involved.
RECONCILIATION WEEK
Reconciliation Week begins on the 27th of May and McKinnon Primary School wants to recognise, educate and celebrate the week with our students and community. This year, the theme for Reconciliation Week is “Be Brave. Make Change.” encouraging all Australians to make change in their daily lives – where they live, work, play and socialise – and contribute to achieving reconciliation.
In preparation, students are inquiring into what reconciliation means, making connections to past and current units of inquiry and building their own personal understanding. We are asking students to give their feedback and ideas to their Student Representative Council so we can celebrate the week in a way that is meaningful for our students.
Look out for more information on how we are ‘being brave and making change’ on Compass and in the next edition of the Newsletter or you can investigate Reconciliation Week yourself at https://nrw.reconciliation.org.au/ .
NAPLAN
From May 10th to May 19th students in Years Three & Five participated in the annual NAPLAN test. These tests are nationwide and provide an insight into student performance under strict testing conditions. Whilst we analyse the results of these tests to help build a picture of students in differing testing scenarios, we are very much aware that student learning evolves in varied ways for all students. At McKinnon PS we maintain a focus on holistic learning that represents the progress of the whole child over time. We offer a breadth and depth of curriculum that is not represented in the NAPLAN tests and we are constantly assessing student performance in a range of settings and curriculum areas.
STUDENTS’ ATTITUDE TO SCHOOL SURVEY (AtoSS)
The AtoSS is an annual online student survey completed by Years Four to Six students. It is offered by the Department of Education and Training to assist schools in gaining an understanding of students’ perceptions and experience of school. Students will be asked about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, their learning, peer and family relationships, resilience, bullying, mental health and wellbeing, physical activity and life in general.
Participation in this survey this year is voluntary. Please refer to the Compass Post shared recently for further information on the survey and instructions on how to opt out if you do not wish for your child/ren to participate.
WEEK NINE TEACHER PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE DAY MONDAY 20th JUNE – STUDENTS NOT REQUIRED AT SCHOOL
Due to staff shortages and the availability of CRTS, teachers’ professional practice days will be held all on the same day this term, as outlined by DET. This means on Monday 20th June students will not be required at school and Team Kids will be available if care is needed on the day. You can contact Team Kids on 1300 035 000.
ENROLMENTS FOR 2023
We cannot believe that we are already thinking about student enrolments for 2023 but the time is creeping up on us! If you have a child who will be starting Foundation in 2023, can we please ask that you drop off your completed enrolment form to the school office as soon as possible.
If you know of a family who is wanting to join the McKinnon community in 2023, can we encourage you to remind them to call the office to organise a school tour. Tours occur every Wednesday at 10am.
Further information on our enrolment process is published on our website at: https://mckinnon-primary.vic.edu.au/enrolments-2/
REMINDER: SEX EDUCATION NIGHTS – PRESENTED BY SEA
We are very happy to be working with SEA to provide parent as well as parent and child information nights.
SAVE THE DATE:
- Wednesday 8th June – Parent Only ONLINE webinar at night (a chance to ask anything without children present)
- Wednesday 15thJune – Parent & Child Night Face to Face (between 5-8pm depending on age group)
The Parent and Child Night will cover the following areas:
Year 1 & 2 (45 mins)
- body safety messages explained
- explore the characteristics of positive and caring relationships
- identify a network of trusted adults children can go to when they need help and support
- learn the parts of the body that are private and proper names used to describe them
Year 3 & 4 (60 mins)
- learn the names of male and female reproductive body parts
- talk about body safety, including identifying the people to go to when feeling unsafe or uncomfortable
- simple explanation of the beginnings of a baby, pregnancy and birth
- introduction to puberty
Year 5 & 6 (60 mins)
- learn the names and functions of male and female reproductive body parts
- reinforce body safety messages
- learn about the physical, social and emotional changes of puberty and how to manage them
- discuss responsible and respectful use of technology and social media
Please save the date and look out for more details to come on Compass in the coming weeks.
Wishing you all a lovely weekend.
Simone, Suzanne and David