Appreciations
5/6 Campers are credited with working together to have a really fantastic camp experience.  We have heard appreciations from our staff on the terrific support from the parents and carers who attended.  We have also heard wonderful feedback from the parents about the quality and commitment of the staff attendees. Perhaps most happily we have heard very positive comments on the fantastic attitude, behaviour and appreciation that our grade 5 and 6 campers demonstrated.

We will look forward to sharing some of the fantastic images via next Monday’s assembly video.

The Father’s Day stall was very successful.  A total of $2,679 was raised, but I do know there are some expenditure costs are yet to be factored in.   While it was great to raise the money for the Parents’ Association, money that always is returned to the kids and through programs, the real joy is seeing the happiness on the kids’ faces, such as this moment with King and Lauren from 1LB.

Our 3/4 campers were giddy with excitement on Wednesday morning as they headed off with bulging bags to Somers for their 3 day camp.  We appreciate all of the effort and preparation that Bre has put in as the camp organiser, with assistance from, the grade 3 and 4, administration and leadership teams. We also appreciate the parent and carer volunteers who are attending. 

Reminders 
Hats are back! From the beginning of September until the end of April at every Sunsmart school, broad brimmed hats are required to be worn whenever outside during the school day.  We have provided the students with a few days to find their hats and get back into the habit.  From today we have enforced this expectation.  Please remember to label your child's hat clearly.

News
School Council News
There was a lot to cover during our School Council meeting on Monday.  Earlier this term, the Victorian Government Schools Agreement was ratified.  The agreement has had controversial aspects to it. We however applaud an approach that takes into account the many additional hours that teachers spend in doing their jobs well and truly beyond the paid 38 hour week.

The agreement has immediately required schools to manage significant changes in school staff work conditions. As some aspects require ratification with our staff, we will provide further details next week.

We also discussed the 3 student free days that will be held next term:

Time in Lieu day (TIL) 
This has been provided (in a regular year) as recompense for additional time teachers have spent in reporting directly to parents in the evening outside normal work hours.  As this time had been accumulated within the guidelines in place during the previous Schools Agreement, this pupil free day remains in place and will be held this year on Melbourne Cup Eve, Monday, 31st October. 

Curriculum days 
Schools are provided with 4 curriculum days each year.  This year we took one at the beginning of the year and one as a reporting day late in term 2.  The two remaining curriculum days will be held on Friday, 11th November and on the last day of school, Tuesday, 20th December.  The final day of the school year for students therefore will be held on Monday, 19th December.  School will conclude at 1.30 pm on this day.  

Their Care will provide a day program on the TIL day and both curriculum days should there be sufficient demand, as well as at the end of the shortened last day of our school year.

Policy Updates
Digital Learning Policy
The ComPol subcommittee of School Council, followed by the wider School Council group, have approved the recent update to our Digital Learning Policy. The updates include a clearer focus on outlining how digital technologies are used safely and responsibly by students at school. 
This policy can be found on our website here: https://www.fwps.vic.edu.au/uploaded_files/media/digital_learning_policy.pdf
If families have any questions about Digital Learning at FWPS or require support and suggestions for home, please contact a member of the Principal Team.

Complaints Policy
The Complaints Policy has also been updated to refelct current DET guidelines. This policy can be found on our website here: https://www.fwps.vic.edu.au/uploaded_files/media/complaints_policy_.pdf 

This week …

Adjusted specialist timetables … have been in place and will be next week due to the need to make many adjustments for the 3/4 camp and team curriculum planning days. 

The Maribyrnong Division Athletics event was held on Tuesday.  A large contingent of 38 students from Footscray West attended the Maribyrnong Division Athletics Carnival at Keilor Park Athletics track on Tuesday. All the participants competed extremely well with many place getters and a record number of competitors qualifying for the Western Region Finals to be held in Term 4 at the same venue (all details to follow in next week's Newsletter). A big appreciation to all the parents who came along to support our competitors on the day. Thanks to Mikala for her excellent recording of all the results and support of the students and the ever reliable Stratos for his excellent organisation and management.

Grade 3/4 camp at Lord Somers Camp 

The coaches are due back at approximately 2.30pm.  Please do not ring the office to check on arrival times … (there are over 180 students on camp).  We will send out a Compass post promptly should there be any predicted change to the estimated time of arrival.  The timeframe will not enable time for us to include the 3/4 camp images in time for next Monday’s assembly video, however the team will share photos/videos during next week, the final week of term while the memories remain fresh.

Coming up … next week

• Video assembly on Monday 
• Footy and Sporting Colours Day (last day of term)  - On Friday 16th September we will celebrate the conclusion of the AFL season with our annual Footy/Sports Colours Day. This event is being promoted as a fundraiser for State Schools Relief, our very own schools charity.  See if you can dig up a gold coin.  They will be collected by the class JSC member and counted in the office.  
• Outdoor assembly (weather permitting) at approximately 2.15pm on Friday, prior to end of term dismissal at 2.30pm.  All students booked into the Their Care program will be catered for at this earlier time, however it is important that arrangements for all other students are in place.

Reminders …

The Department of Education annual Parent and Carers Opinion Survey was made active a fortnight ago.  We subsequently sent an email with each family’s unique login details to encourage a substantial proportion of our families to participate.  The survey will close on the 16th September (the final day of term 3).

Volunteer Induction Process
In the light of the new Victorian Child Safe Standards and due to a real need to be able to provide a remote manner for parents and carers to complete mandatory requirements, we have completely revamped our Volunteer Induction process.  A number of parents have already completed necessary modules in order to assist with prep swimming, or as camp volunteers for the upcoming grade 5/6 and 3/4 camp.  Recently all families received relevant information via a Compass post.  It is still available in the Newsfeed and it is repeated again in today’s newsletter.  Please note that while parent/carers as classroom helpers have traditionally assisted, within our ongoing Covid environment, that option will be determined by the class teacher.

Weekly Covid Update
New Covid cases this week …

Please remember if your child tests positive there are two steps you must take:

1. If staff or students receive a positive test result at any time, they must report this through the Department of Health system (Rapid antigen tests | Coronavirus Victoria) or via the coronavirus hotline at 1800 675 398.
2. Parents must continue to report a positive Covid case for their children to our school, either through the Covid Test portal or by phone or in writing; this is so we can accurately record absences for the 7-day isolation period and inform the community of the number of Covid cases to encourage parents to remain vigilant.

If a staff member or student has recovered from COVID-19, they are not required to get tested or isolate/quarantine if re-exposed to a case within 4 weeks of ending their isolation period. Please note this is a change from the previous period of 12 weeks.

All students and staff who return a positive result from a rapid antigen test should also follow the latest advice at https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/rapid-antigen-tests.

Cheers, 
Brendan

I am pleased to announce following a break the Scholastic Book Fair is back and will be held in the library during Week 3 of Term 4.

It is a great opportunity to buy some children’s books and help raise funds for the school at the same time.

Further information will be available next term.

Jodi
Library

Volunteer Induction Course

Hello FWPS families,

Thank you to the many people who have enquired about volunteering at our school. We are pleased that following the release of the new Child Safety Standards in July, we have completed our revised Volunteer Induction course.

To become a registered volunteer, you will be required to complete the Volunteer Induction Course below, sign the 2022 agreement (available from the office) and submit a Working With Children Check prior to volunteering.

*Please note that due to the introduction of new Child Safety Standards in July 2022, all volunteers who have trained previously at FWPS are required to retrain under the new induction program.

This Volunteer Induction Course has been designed as online, to enable volunteers to undertake the training at a time most suitable for them. 

The following videos/modules are mandatory for any aspect of volunteering at FWPS.

1. Volunteer Induction Course - Introduction (4 mins)
2. Our school values - Tribes and Respectful Relationships (2 mins)
3. Child Safety Standards Volunteer Training (27 mins)
4. Privacy (2 mins)
5. OHS Induction for Volunteers (2 mins)

Following this, there are additional modules for specific volunteering roles. Please ensure you complete the relevant module for the activity you are volunteering with.

1. Assisting in the Classroom (8 mins)
2. Assisting with Excursions (3 mins)
3. Assisting with Swimming (2 mins)
4. Assisting with the Orchard to Plate program (3 mins)

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE VOLUNTEER INDUCTION COURSE

Please note that volunteers for camps will complete an online induction following the information evenings.

All relevant policies for the Induction Course can be found on our school's website at: https://www.fwps.vic.edu.au/page/222/Policies-and-Child-Safe-Standards 

Once you are a registered volunteer for our school, your child’s teacher will be in contact with any upcoming volunteering opportunities. Please note that all volunteering is ‘as required’ and the number or frequency of volunteers in classrooms is at the discretion of teaching staff.

If you have any questions about the volunteering program at FWPS, please contact a member of the Principal team on 9687 1535.

Warm regards,
The FWPS team

Volunteering at Footscray West PS 2022 (Volunteer Agreement)

Dear Parents/Carers,

As we move into the next stages of our Respectful Relationships program at FWPS, we’ll be focusing more explicitly on consent and body/personal safety.

The teaching of consent in all Victorian government schools is mandatory and will be done in an age-appropriate way for all year levels. We’ll be using picture story books, videos, role plays and Community Circles, among other strategies, to engage students in conversations about consent and personal safety. In these lessons, students will learn that consent must be given for all types of contact, including kissing, hugging, and touching of more private areas of the body. They will learn that any form of unwanted or forced behaviour, including unwanted kissing, touching, and sharing of sexual images and texts is a crime.

Across the next few weeks, all year levels will be focusing on ‘Body Autonomy and Asking For / Receiving Consent’.

Some key questions will be:

• Who is the boss of my body?
• Is it ok for others to touch my body? If so, when?
• Is it ok for me to touch other people’s bodies?
• How do I ask for consent and how do I know it has been given?
• What are private zones? What are the correct names of them?
• What actions can I take if someone touches my private zones?

When teaching children about consent, we begin by focusing on the general concept of consent (i.e. seeking consent to use somebody else’s pencils). We ground it in the everyday lives of children and reiterate the importance of consent as a show of respect for the rights of others. This is linked strongly to our Tribes Agreement of Mutual Respect. The key messages students will receive when learning about consent are:

1. You must explicitly ask for consent.
2. The person giving consent must do so freely and enthusiastically.

We teach children that a lack of ‘no’ does not mean yes, nor does a coerced or indifferent ‘yes’. Consent must be a strong YES that is understood by all parties, and it must be vocalised.

We encourage families to watch the following video for kids about consent:

As part of this sequence of lessons, we will teach the students to understand that their body is special and unique. We will reinforce to children that their body is their own; that they are the boss of their body. We will discuss when it may be necessary for someone else to touch their private zones (i.e. when a doctor is treating you and a parent is present) and what the correct names are for these parts of the body.  

When teaching children about their body parts, we do not use ‘pet’ names for their genitals. Without the correct names for body parts, children may find it difficult to ask for help when they encounter inappropriate sexual touch. This is even more evident in younger children when misinterpretations by adults are more likely to occur due to the child’s inability to explain or understand what has happened. By not using the correct names for genitals, we send messages to children that the private parts of their body are rude and that it is inappropriate to discuss them with others. Children will feel more comfortable disclosing unsafe feelings if they believe adults are able to receive the information.

Children often understand some concepts of privacy, however, they do not necessarily relate these to their own body. As a rule, the private zones of your body are where the bathers cover. The mouth is also considered a private zone. Referring to private zones is an easy way for children to understand which parts of their body are private and should not be touched by another person. Children need to learn that their private parts are good, however, they are private. Further understanding is developed about when and where it is OK to be naked and that children are entitled to privacy when bathing and dressing.

If you have any questions about the Respectful Relationships program at FWPS, please contact a member of the Child Safety and Wellbeing Team.

Many thanks,

The FWPS Child Safety and Wellbeing Team – Liz Beasley (Assistant Principal), Carolyn Lockie (Assistant Principal) and Lisa Peterson (Learning Specialist – Wellbeing and Inclusion).

A note about self care for parents and carers: We understand that the above information may be triggering or upsetting for some individuals. If you or someone you love has been affected by sexual or family violence, there are a number of free services which provide confidential support.

     

Father’s Day and Special Persons Stall

Happy Father’s (and Special Person's) Day (even if Father's Day is a difficult time for you and your family).

The Parents Association hope that you had a glorious weekend! We hope you spread some home made jam, wore your socks, used your cool bottle opener keyring, used your bookmarks and loved watching your little ones faces as they presented you with their thoughtful gifts.

Both the stalls we ran were a success and raised approximately $2,100.

The event was once again coordinated by two amazing ladies who are the drive and purchasing superstars of the stall, preparing over 1500 gifts.

THANK YOU to Maggie Rybka and Rebecca Pratt.

Maggie and Bec were also supported by so many volunteers who wrapped gifts, baked, set-up the stall, worked at the stall, and most importantly made this wonderful event happen.

The stall was also supported by the kids of many of our volunteers. Shout out to the kids, who carried boxes and set up the stall.

Here are the names of the wonderful people who generously supported the Father’s Day stall:

Carolyn Whitby, Andita Satiagunawan, Michelle Diep, Sharee Logan, Karen Tan, Mo Cushnie, Emily Re, Annie Yarnton, Clem McBride, Verna Kristy, Cindy Lobo, Carmen Griffin, Debbie Corbett, Clare Mitchell-Crow, Ash Higgs, Stacey Baker, Beth Scholes, Alicia Madden, Elena Heddles, Claire Mitchell-Crow, Ines Vara, Adele Coone, Kate Garcia, Laresa Kosloff  and Kellie Danskin.

We may have missed some names- either because you donated anonymously, or because we failed to record your name. So finally, if we have missed anyone – Sorry and THANK YOU.  

REMEMBER: If you are privy to some deals on gifts, ribbon, and books that we could potentially purchase for either the Mother’s or Father’s Day Stalls next year please reach out! FWPSParentsAssociation@outlook.com                                                                                                                                                                                         
             

End of term beverages
In an end of term tradition.... pop on down to the West Footscray Wine Bar for a beverage before early school pick up on Friday 16^th of September. This is your moment to have a quick break and a catch up before the school holidays start. We guarantee you'll get a reminder when it's time to leave for school!

PA Member Sign Up
If you enjoy hearing about what the PA are getting up to and would like to be even more informed as a member, please follow THIS LINK to sign up now.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Cheers,
Sharee, Kate and Tinny (your PA Exec) & PA Committee

Hi parents, guardians, staff, and friends! 

We continue to welcome all children and families to TheirCare this term and we are excited to be getting more children each morning and afternoon and meeting more of the incredible people in this beautiful FWPS community! 

Spring is here! So, this week we have been creating dream catchers and pressing flowers to make beautiful bookmarks! 

The children are very excited to attend the holiday program and have started making suggestions for activities! They are especially excited about the Zoo! Our program is available on the desk or online at www.theircare.com.au. This holiday’s theme is Mission Impossible!  

This week’s Star of the Week for TheirCare will be Harry Mitten for being an excellent role model for younger children and encouraging and inviting children to join in on his games! 

We are still supporting the ASRC through donations of food and activities for the rest of this term. So, if any families have any spare canned goods they would like to donate, our donation basket is under the sign in desk in the Emu corner.  

Our lost property basket has continued to grow, at the end of the week, we will be moving the lost property so if you are missing something please come to the Emu Corner and check our basket!  

For all families if you have any questions about TheirCare and would like to come and have a chat please come visit us in Emu Corner in the morning or afternoon, alternatively you can contact us on the details provided and we will help you as best we can.

TheirCare Team: 
Louise, Daniel & Connie 

Contact Details: 
Service Phone: 0487004072 
Email: footscraywest@theircare.com.au                                               
Head Office: 1300 072 410