Principal’s Message
Term 2, 2021
Hello Everyone,
It was lovely to see so many families coming along to our Social Night in the first week of term. To be able to get out and enjoy a community event is something we all can be grateful for especially after 2020 and the current situation in many places around the world. Thank you to all of those families who were able attend and making the evening such a success. Thank you to our fantastic teachers and staff for all of the work you put in ‘behind the scenes’ and on the night.
Our wonderful students also represented our school so well at the recent Athletics Carnival. Their enthusiasm, participation and behaviour was exceptional and we are all very proud of them. Thank you to Sue G for all of her work in preparing such a well organised and smooth-running carnival, and thank-you to those parents/carers who came along to assist and support the day.
The grade 5/6s had a wonderful time at the camp at Portsea during week 9 of last term. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit down to the camp, seeing our students demonstrating our school values and participating with vigour, achieving and even pushing beyond some personal goals! Well done to them all. I’d also like to thank the staff, Mel T, Emily S, Georgia R, Chantelle A, Connie L, Jess C and Kylie H for being away from their families for the three days and giving our students such an incredible experience. I’d also like to acknowledge and thank the parents, Richard K, Danielle F, Gary M and Jack C who attended, as without our parent volunteers our camps would not be possible! Well done everyone!
At our most recent School Council the Annual Report was presented to members and was ratified. A copy of this report will be made available to community shortly via uEducateUs and on the school website.
https://gorge.morangsouthps.vic.edu.au/
This term our Junior School Council and Student Voice have started regular meetings. Our JSC has started the process of considering possible fundraising events for the year and have put forward some fantastic ideas. Our Student Voice have also met and are starting providing feedback and student insight on one of our key student wellbeing policies. All are to be congratulated on their appointment and the work done so far this year.
The MSPS Cross Country trials were held earlier this term. The students thoroughly enjoyed themselves and put in a great effort. From these trials Sue selected our school team for the District Cross Country. We had 40 grade 4 – 6 students participate in the District Cross country. All students acquitted themselves well on the day and we are very proud of them, particularly for their persistence and willingness to have a go. Well done everyone. Six students finished in the top twenty for their age group. Congratulations to Ethan G, Zoe K, Alisha G Sophia B, Violet K, Bailey W.
Our Curriculum Day on Wednesday May 5th was a great success with staff further developing their knowledge and skills in Inquiry approaches to learning and development of these practices to develop problem-solving and reasoning skills in Mathematics.
Last week our Parents Association held their first event for some time – the Mothers’ Day stall. It is wonderful to have these events happening in our school again after 2020. It was a huge success. The students thoroughly enjoyed themselves and were so excited about shopping for their Mums or significant females in their lives. Thank you very much to the Parents Association and all those parents who came to assist on the day.
I hope all of the Mums and females who play a significant part in our students lives had a wonderful day and that you were truly spoiled with lots of love and appreciation.
The Year 5/6 students will shortly be working in small groups to complete the Attitudes to School Survey during weeks May 10th until June 11th. The Attitudes to School Survey assists schools to gain an understanding of students’ perceptions and their experience of school. The survey is conducted annually with our Year 5 and Year 6 students and provides us with valuable data on students’ views of their wellbeing, school in general, and teaching and learning to support school improvement.
A reminder that National Assessment Program (NAPLAN) testing has began being carried out over this current fortnight commencing Tuesday May 10th and concluding on Thursday May 21st. Our Year 3 and 5 students will be participating in this assessment. Teachers use a range of assessments over time to build a picture of your child’s strengths and needs. The results of the NAPLAN tests will form a small component of the assessment tools, which teachers as professionals, use to tell how your child is progressing. They are one test on one day. The NAPLAN results for 2021 will assist teachers in a small way to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses in Literacy and Numeracy. The analysis of school-wide data assists school planning and can be used by the school to monitor Literacy and Numeracy improvement over time. The student results from the NAPLAN testing will be due in schools in Term 3. If you would like to discuss this further, please call or come in to see Jane Brayshaw.
A note to all our families about road safety. Please be reminded that as pedestrians around the school, adult and children alike should use the crossings in Gorge Road, Riverside Drive and Doreen-Rogan Way. We have also been asked by Whittlesea Council to remind parents to please obey the parking signage and rules around the area at drop off and pick up times, particularly in relation to the Community centre parking on Doreen Rogan Way.
We are now taking enrolments for our 2022 Foundation (Prep) classes. Please inform family, friends and neighbours that if they have a child starting school next year and would like them to come to our wonderful school to come in for a tour and to enrol them soon. It is important that children are enrolled by the end of Term 3 so that they can participate in our excellent Foundation (Prep) Transition Program in Term 4.
Education Matters, Teachers Make a Difference & Every Day Counts!
Keep up that lifelong learning!
Julie Jones
Principal
