Newbury Primary School Issue 8 - Thursday 6th June 2024

Dear Parents and Carers,

This term, students in Years 3-4 have participated in an extended excursion.

Year 3 and 4 students went to Werribee Zoo where they were able to see a range of animals up close. Students took part in a Safari tour through arid landscapes and Savannah grasslands and learnt about some of the world’s most endangered species. The staff and students enjoyed the experience immensely.

SEMESTER REPORTS:

We are fast approaching the end of Term 2 and with that comes students’ Semester One reports. Student reports provide parents/carers with information regarding the progress of their child as well as areas for improvement. These will made available on Sentral on Thursday 27th June. Please ensure you access your child’s report and speak to the classroom teacher if you have any questions.

TERM 2 STUDENT EMPOWERMENT FUNDRAISER:

Save the date! Our next fundraiser supporting the Jeans for Genes Foundation is on Friday 21st of June. One in twenty children faces a birth defect or genetic disease, like cancer, cystic fibrosis and life-threatening metabolic disorders. That's twelve children born every minute worldwide. Funds raised help to find treatments and cures.

2023 ANNUAL REPORT:

The Annual Report provides an opportunity for the school community to celebrate 2023’s achievements, reflect on the school’s performance, and understand where and how improvement efforts have enhanced student achievement, engagement and wellbeing. This can now be viewed on our website.

SCHOOL POLICIES:

Please note that we have had a number of school policies updated and loaded onto our school website under the Policies tab.

We encourage you to have a look at them.

MOBILE PHONES:

Please note that mobile phones are not permitted to be used at school. If you send your child to school with a mobile phone, it must be handed in to the classroom teacher for the day and be collected upon dismissal.

SCHOOL ZONE= 40KM:

When outside on Yard Support I am quite shocked to realise that some motorists are driving very fast in a School Zone. There have been several occasions where I have had near misses of cars stopping just in time, even though I am wearing a fluorescent high visibility vest. The legal speed limit is 40 km in school areas. Please be mindful of this. The risk of speeding is just too great!

DROPPING OFF AND PICKING UP:

Please be mindful of where you are crossing the road with your children to ensure safety. There are still some people double parking to pick up or drop off students; please do not so this as it poses a great risk to the safety of our students.

PREP 2025:

If you or someone you know is wanting to enrol their child in Prep for 2025, please contact the office as soon as possible for an enrolment form. We have been inundated with a large number of Prep enrolments for 2025 and need to determine numbers very quickly, in order to assist us in our planning for next year.

PREP 2025 ENROLMENT PROCESS:

Our enrolment process is as follows:

  • If you have not registered your interest for enrolment you will need to complete this by going to our website by completing our expression of interest form.
  • Office staff will check if your address is in our Designated Neighbourhood Boundary on www.findmyschool.vic.gov.au
  • If you fall into our school zone, you will receive an email to let them know this along with an enrolment form.
  • If you are not in our school zone you will be sent an appeal form to fill and this will be sent to the Principal for consideration. Please enrol in your closet school just in case we do not have a place become available. Once the decision has been made, we will be in touch via email with the outcome.

RESPECTFUL BEHAVIOURS WITHIN THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY POLICY:

School communities have demonstrated incredible resilience over the COVID-19 pandemic, through a stressful and challenging time. It is important for everyone to be respectful and kind to each other.

The Department of Education have released a policy entitled Respectful Behaviours within the School Community. You will see posters displayed around the school which outline what good relationships are based on and the types of behaviours that will not be tolerated which include threats, harassment and rudeness. Our staff work very hard to provide the best social, emotional and academic environment for your child. Please remember that we are human too and deserve to be treated with respect.

Learn more about the new Department of Education and Training policy - Respectful Behaviours within the School Community. Respectful Behaviours within the School Community Policy (education.vic.gov.au)

FIRST AID TIPS:

Please ensure that if your child is unwell or showing any Covid or cold and flu symptoms you keep them home until they no longer have any symptoms.

Please remember to pack a change of clothes in your child’s bag, as accidents do happen. This will prevent us from having to call and request you bring a change of clothes to school.

Gastroenteritis, also known as ‘gastro’, can cause vomiting and diarrhoea, as well as nausea and stomach pains. It spreads easily from having contact with an infected person. If your child has any gastro symptoms, they will need to stay home for 48 hours after the vomiting and diarrhoea have stopped.

Medical Information: It is important that you notify Newbury Primary School if your child’s medical details have changed to ensure that we provide the best care for them while they are at school.

If your child has been recently diagnosed with a medical condition that may affect them during their time at school, please keep us informed. This may include taking a new medication, a change in medication, a newly diagnosed medical condition such as Diabetes, Asthma, Epilepsy, an Allergy, Anaphylaxis, or any other pre-existing medical condition that the school is unaware of.

If your child has recently been diagnosed with Diabetes, Epilepsy, Asthma, an Allergy or Anaphylaxis, you will need to provide the school with an action / management plan. Once we receive an action / management plan we will work with families to develop a student health support plan or an individual anaphylaxis / allergy plan.

BIKES AND SCOOTERS:

At Newbury Primary School, we promote health and fitness and it is terrific to see many students riding their bikes or scooters to school which assists them in being healthy. The second bike shed is now available for use. Please make sure your child is wearing a helmet and that once they enter the school grounds, they walk their bike or scooter in.

WHY EVERY DAY COUNTS AND IT’S NOT OKAY TO BE LATE:

We have recently been reminding our school community that every day counts. This also applies to being late to school. It is crucial that children and students develop habits of regular attendance at an early age.

Poor patterns of attendance place students at risk of not achieving their educational, social and psychological potential and are disadvantaged in the quality of choices they are able to make in later life situations.

When students arrive late to school their learning can be affected.

Students who are late:

  • miss out on organisation time, for getting their belongings from their tubs and out onto their tables
  • miss out on roll marking, lunch order collection and taking monies or notices to the office – and their notices and lunch orders often stay in their school bag
  • miss out on learning time when they take their lunch orders, monies or notices to the office
  • miss out on hearing what’s happening and the learning intentions for the day
  • are often unsure about what they have to do in the lesson
  • can arrive at their classroom to find that their class has gone to a specialist lesson and they do not know where to go
  • find learning becomes disjointed and difficult
  • are failing to take responsibility for their learning
  • tend not to see being late as a problem
  • distract other students when they arrive.
  • miss out on playing with other children before school
  • develop the lifelong habit of being late – bosses are less supportive than schools.

Parents are reminded that all students arriving late to school must be signed in at the school office by a parent or guardian. The late passes are then to be given to the classroom teacher.

If you are experiencing difficulty in getting your child to school on time, please discuss the matter with your child’s teacher.

SUPERVISION BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL:

Please note that supervision for students before school commences at 8:45am and after school until 3:25pm. Staff are not on duty beyond these times. Please do not drop off your child before this time or leave them waiting after school beyond this time as they will not be supervised.

ALL DAY GRAZING:

At Newbury Primary School, we understand that students need food to fuel their brain and that they are hungry during the day. It is great to visit classrooms and see students nibbling on carrot sticks, cheese, rice crackers, fresh or dried fruit, yoghurt or vegetables. We encourage students to bring along healthy snacks that they can munch on in class so ensure you pack some into their lunchboxes. Some suggestions include; baby cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, dip and crackers, pretzels and small cans of tuna. Having these in containers where possible, also helps to reduce the amount of rubbish around the school. Please refrain from providing food that may affect any anaphylactic students.

We are so pleased that you are a part of our school community and thank you for choosing Newbury Primary School. We look forward to working together positively, so that together we can provide the best learning environment and supports for your child.

Principal Class Learning Community

Michelle Nunn

Cameron Traill

Kate Plant

Belinda Rae