Our Teachers:• have high expectations, build

positive relationships and planthoroughly.

• know where students aredevelopmentally and scaffoldtheir learning to all students tomove forward.

Our school has high quality,dedicated staff, who strive to ensureall children reach their full learningpotential. We are dedicated toupholding a core set of values,where Acceptance, Support,Persistence, IndividualResponsibility, Respect andExcellence (ASPIRE) are an integralpart of all interactions.All members of the schoolcommunity are committed,enthusiastic and engaged in studentlearning. Students, staff and parentsbuild positive relationships usingour ASPIRE values.

The Community of Morwell CentralPrimary School is committed tocreating an environment thatnurtures learning for life.

… 1st Learning Block… Eating Time Inside… RECESS… 2nd Learning Block… Eating Time Inside… LUNCH… 3rd Learning Block

Our Students:• are encouraged to take ownership of

their learning through setting goals,self-reflecting and self- assessing.

• always strive to do their best.

The Learning Environment is:• engaging and challenging.• safe and supportive.• collaboratively owned by all.

The School Community: • supports students to be

responsible citizens who are able to use a variety of thinking and learning strategies.

An environment that demonstrates and upholds our

ASPIRE values.

8:30am – 10:30am 10:30am – 10:40am10:40am – 11:10am11:10am – 12:40pm12:40pm – 12:50pm12:50pm – 1:30pm1:30pm – 3:00pm

The Numeracy program at Morwell Central focuses on providingreal life, hands on activities that enable students to develop andexpand their mathematical skills, concepts and problem solvingabilities.

The Numeracy curriculum consists of the areas of Number andAlgebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probabilityand we follow the Victorian Curriculum. The Victoria Curriculumaims to develop the numeracy abilities that all students need intheir personal, work and civic life, and provides the fundamentalson which mathematical specialties and professional applications ofmathematics are built.

Home support plays a vital role in a child’s daily learning experience.Our home/school partnership is important in supporting thecontinuing development of numeracy skills outside of school time.We strongly encourage parents to take an active interest throughplaying card games, counting items around the house, readingtimetables (train, bus, T.V,Cinema), working with money and so onto widen the numeracy experiences our students participate in.

The Literacy curriculum at Morwell Central is basedon the Victorian Curriculum, which is broken intothree strands: literature, literacy and language.These strands focus on reading, writing, spelling,grammar, speaking and listening.

Teachers take care to create an environment that provides a variety oflearning spaces suitable for whole class, small group and individualinstruction where students can work independently in the classroom,accessing resources when needed.

The home and school partnership is important at Morwell Central.The home reading program is an example of this. Take home booksare provided across the school for home borrowing. Children in the

junior grades participate in daily reading circles or partner readsto give them the opportunity to practise reading in front of theirpeers.

At Morwell Central Primary School we encourage the children to take ownership of their learning aswell as promoting the development of skills that will enable them to be lifelong learners. Weprovide opportunities for children to become engaged in rich and varied learning experiences thatrespect and suit individual developmental stages, while promoting the growth of the whole child.

We have embraced a teaching approach in the Prep to Two Learning Hubs based on theDevelopmental Curriculum called ‘Discovery Time.’ This approach to learning promotes an excitingand stimulating learning environment that allows children to explore and investigate their owninterests.

In our 3 to 6 Learning Hubs we are guided by an inquiry approach to learning. Inquiry learning is anactive thinking process, where students form their own questions, plan and implement ways offinding information and use these experiences to build answers to any questions they may have.

At Morwell Central we offer a broadrange of curriculum programs with aspecial emphasis on developing theessential skills of Literacy, Numeracy,Science and Technology.All students have a homeroom groupand teacher who they meet witheach morning from 8:30am to9:00am. After home group meetingsstudents are grouped based on theirlearning needs and work with allteachers within the Learning Hub.Learning needs and groups aredetermined by pre assessments.These groups are flexible andregularly change.We foster an environment wherestudents are encouraged to takeownership of their learning, by goalsetting, self reflection and selfassessment. Through theDevelopmental Curriculum in the P-2Learning Hub and Inquiry BasedLearning in 3-6 Learning Hub, allteachers promote individual learningwhere students are supported toexplore, inquire and reflect.The creation and maintenance ofa positive school culture oflearning ensures that all childrengrow to appreciate the value oflearning and take pride inindividual and groupachievements.

All classes participate in physical activities on a weekly basis. Engaging in physical activities contributes to wellbeing and good health. Our focus is on the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

Children are also given opportunities to compete in a variety of different sports in the Victorian School Sports Association at a local, regional and state level.

Each year a whole school Athletics Carnival is held at the Newborough Athletics Track. All students participate in different track and field events, adapted to their age level.

Students in learning hubs participate in four weeks of tennis lessons with a visiting coach.

As part of our curriculum students will also attend swimming lessons. Qualified instructors at the Morwell Leisure Centre run this program.

The school also enters in netball, basketball, football, soccer, cricket and cross country competitions.

All students at Morwell Central participate in weeklysessions of both Music and Performing Arts. In theseclasses students engage in a wide range of musicaland performance activities to develop their artisticcreativity.

Each year under the direction of our music teacher, children in the 3 /4 Learning Hub perform at the Latrobe Valley Eisteddfod in the choral singing section. This gives students exposure to performing on stage, in front of a large audience. Children in the Lunchtime Recorder Group perform in the instrumental section.

All children have weekly classes in Computers. Students learn programs such as Microsoft Word and Excel, Inspiration and Kidspiration,Tux Paint, iMovie and much more. IPads and netbooks are used as an integral part of learning.

Children are encouraged to borrow books regularly from our Library. All home groups have an allocated weekly library session with their teacher, where they can borrow books. A library borrowing form is distributed at the beginning of the school year and once this has been completed and returned students can borrow books.

All students in the Senior Learning Hub participate in an annual school musical. Students in the Prep to 4 Learning Hub are involved in an annual school concert. Both are Performed in our state of the art Performing Arts Centre.

Berry Street Education Model – Being “Ready to Learn”

Morwell Central Primary School has implemented the Berry St Educational Model (BSEM) across the school which is designed to meet the educational needs of students who have experienced:

By practicing Rethink and Reflect as often as possible in social interactions, students develop self-discipline, self-control, self-esteem, self-confidence, maturity, respect, empathy, independence andresponsibility. The Rethink and Reflect program runs in conjunction with our ASPIRE values program andalongside our classroom expectations. ASPIRE forms the basis for the values we would like our studentsto have while Rethink and Reflect focuses on how we would like them to behave.

Morwell Central Primary Schoolimplements a program called Rethinkand Reflect to teach social skills andforms the foundations of our studentbehaviour change process. The programaims to improve the social functioning ofall children. The Rethink and Reflectprogram focuses on teaching childrengood communication, problem solvingand behavioural skills. It encouragesstudents to rethink and reflect abouttheir responses in certain situations andencourages them to think about choicesand natural consequences.

Whilst we are aware that many of our students have not experienced any of the factors above we also know that the research tells us that the Berry Street approach has the potential to significantly benefit all children in our school setting.The Berry Street Education Model is designed to improve a school’s capacity to support students’ in ‘Being Ready to Learn’

At Morwell Central Primary School a strong emphasis is placed on:• Building relationships and understanding our students backgrounds• Helping students to be ‘Ready to Learn’ in order to be successful• Underpinning all behaviours within the school are the core ASPIRE values of Acceptance, Support,

Persistence, Individual Responsibility, Respect and Excellence • Teaching and developing social skills through the explicit instruction of ASPIRE Values lessons and self

regulation strategies and techniques• The development of My Job, Your Job, Our Job behviourial expectations - Teachers and students

develop classroom behaviours and expectations around what the teachers’ and students’ jobs are• Developing independent learners, that are able to regulate their behaviourIt is expected that all our teachers deliver teaching and learning opportunities with the Berry Street Model embedded and include explicit lessons on our ASPIRE values and Ready to Learn techniques and strategies.

• chronic stress• Trauma• Lack of environmental supports • and other factors that impact on their development and classroom learning.

Teachers and students develop classroom behaviours and expectations based on collaborative discussions around what the teacher’s and students’ jobs are. This type of collaborative discussion ensures everyone is responsible for their own behaviour and choices.

The school’s Student Wellbeing officers are available

to meet each school day. Please contact office staff if you would like to make an appointment

At Morwell Central Primary School we believe everyone has the right to fully participate in an educational environment that is safe, supportive and inclusive. Underpinning all behaviours within the school are the core ASPIRE values of Acceptance, Support, Persistence, Individual Responsibility, Respect and Excellence.Each week students are rewarded for their outstanding demonstration of our ASPIRE values.

Save the Children offer family support and a play group at MCPS on a Wednesday.

Save the Children can be contacted on 51277270 or the wellbeing team at MCPS can support you with a referral to either there playgroup or the family support program.

The Morwell Family Support Program can help with building parenting skills and confidence, dealing with sensitive family issues and support with referrals to other services.

Students making good choices will be given ASPIRE positive behaviour tickets and Golden Tickets, whichcan be redeemed for activities of their choice from a student complied ASPIRE catalogue. Each week student leaders collect and tally the ASPIRE

and Golden Tickets that each student has earned and once a week students have the opportunity to spend their tickets at the ASPIRE Market

Breakfast Club is open from 7:45am everyday. For the cost of only a 50 cents donation, students can enjoy a range of cereals, muffins, pancakes, raisin toast or

sausages.

Further support is offered to students whoexperience language difficulties. Children workin small groups where they’re helped toimprove either language or social skills

Children experiencing difficulties with theirspeech are offered speech therapy on a one toone basis.

Toe by Toe is a reading and phonics basedprogram designed to improve students’alphabet and sounds skills. It is run three timesa week and is offered to all students on aneeds basis.

Throughout the year all students haveopportunities to attend special programs in the form of excursions. Costs are kept to a minimumand the number of these special programs is restricted.

This program provides students from Non-Englishspeaking backgrounds with small group work toassist in their development of English, while stillcelebrating their own culture. It also supports thestudents in their class work and helps them tointegrate into the school and wider community.

Students in Grades 3 – 6 take part in ourcamp program. Parents will be notifiedwell in advance of the dates and costs. Every effort is made to keep costs down to aminimum to ensure all children can take part.

Morwell Primary School has a full time KESO whosupports Indigenous families with schoolengagement. The KESO can offer support,guidance, home visits, advice, referrals andgreater connection to the Indigenous Community.

In the year prior to starting school,Morwell Central will hostinformation sessions and tours ofour school for both parents andchildren.

After enrolments have opened,children will have opportunities toparticipate in sessions at school runby teachers. These sessions are agreat way for the teachers to meetand get to know the children as wellas beginning to prepare children forschool.

In December, the State-wideTransition day is held, and studentsare invited to attend a session withtheir new teacher and classmates.Information packs will be sent hometo all enrolled students, containingimportant details about our schooland things you can do at home tosupport your child to be ready tostart school.

When the school year begins, Prepstudents attend school for thewhole day, but have Wednesdaysoff for our Prep-Entry Assessments.Each child has timetabled interviewwith their teacher, where theycomplete tasks that provideteachers with valuable informationabout their current maths andliteracy knowledge, which informsour teaching.

The year 6 to year 7 transition process atMorwell Central for our year 6 students beginswhen they are in grade 5. Our students aregiven a ‘taste’ of secondary school through theAwareness Day Program which is held everyyear in term 2, for our grade 5 & 6 students,with our local secondary school Kurnai College.

A Parent Information night is also held in term2 outlining the transition process, applicationforms and the student support services thatare offered through the school.

Student welfare is a major focus at MorwellCentral, ensuring all students have a successfultransition from the primary school setting tosecondary school. Our school welfare teamorganize and run two in-school studenttransition sessions that focus on thepracticalities such as reading timetables, howto open and close a lock, to unpackingconcerns and fears. Past students are invitedto the sessions to answer questions from thestudents.

Extra transition (Kurnai College – Morwell Campus only)is arranged for any student requiring extra supportbeyond the set transition days arranged by the varioussecondary schools. The hub leader ensures allcommunication between the various secondary schoolsis forward onto parents via phone calls, the schoolnewsletter, hub bulletin and leaflets. Home groupteachers also liaise with each child’s school of choicethrough the completion of student academic forms

We encourage parents to be involved in theprograms and activities, which the schooloffers. Parental support is often sought throughthe newsletter or individual class notes.Areas where parent involvement isoften needed include:• ! Camp and Excursions• ! Sporting Activities• ! Breakfast Club• ! Reading Circles• ! Literacy Programs• ! Numeracy Programs• ! Discovery Time in the P- 2 Hubs• ! Inquiry Learning in the 3 – 6 Hubs• ! If you are interested in assisting at the

school, either contact your child’s classroomteacher directly or contact the office.

Visitors to the school, including trades persons, visiting teachers or specialists and those parentsassisting with class programs are required to sign in and collect a visitor’s badge at the office. Thisenables students and staff to easily recognise visitors.

If you wish to be make contact with your child during school hours please contact the office first onyour arrival. This will ensure that no misunderstandings occur and more importantly that classes arenot interrupted.

School assemblies are held once a week in theGymnasium. This begins with the singing of theNational Anthem and then the presentation ofweekly student and values awards. Parents andfriends are always welcome to attend.

Our school newsletter is sent home withthe eldest child in the family eachfortnight on a Monday. It is the mainform of communication from the schoolto home so please ensure you read yournewsletter each fortnight. The Newsletteris also available on UeducateUs andposted on our Facebook page.

School Council meets twice a term. The School Council has the responsibility to workwith the Principal and staff in setting the policy and direction of the school. Thisworking relationship is very successful. If you would like to become involved pleasecontact the school.

Once a fortnight each Learning Hub send home a newsletter that is related directly to your child’sLearning Hub. It is the main form of communication from each of the Learning Hubs, so pleaseensure you receive this newsletter each fortnight. The Hub Newsletters is also available onUeducateUs and posted on our Facebook page.

At Morwell Central Primary School the Junior School Council is seen as an important and valuableopportunity for students to have a voice within the school and develop organisational andcommunication skills. Their peers elect students from Grade 3 to Grade 6 classes for a twelvemonth term of office. The Junior School Council meets with nominated teachers once a week.They discuss any items raised by the students of the various classes, as well as perform a range offundraising and awareness activities for charity.

At Morwell Central Primary School we believethat every child has the potential to be a leadergiven the right set of circumstances andenvironment. With this in mind, each year we runa Young Leaders’ Program for our Grade 4 and 5students to help all individuals reach their fullleadership potential and instill a culture ofleadership within the school.The Young Leaders’ Program:• Develops confidence, character and citizenship

in young people.• Promotes both personal and public leadership.• Is based on the building blocks of presentation

skills, responsibility, organization andteamwork.

Students in Grade 5 and 6 have the opportunityto represent their peers as School Captains, ViceCaptains, House Captains and House ViceCaptains, Home group Representatives, JuniorSchool Councilors and Transition Leaders.

At Morwell Central Primary School we have adesignated area within the school groundswhere students can go if they need supportto find a friend. Junior School Councilmembers are rostered on to help supportstudents establish friendships.

Morwell Central Primary School run a verysuccessful ‘Active Kids’ Program, which givesstudents access to learn and try a wide rangeof different sports and activities. ‘Active Kids’activities vary from term to term and includeactivities such as Arts and Craft, Dancing,Computers, Basketball and lots more. Theprogram is run by our 5/6 students andsupported by our teachers. This programplays an integral part in developing oursenior students’ leadership skills.

The Recycling Rangers are a group of studentswho meet together weekly because of theirstrong desire to look after our environmentand to spread the Reduce, Reuse and Recyclemessage. Currently, one of the main jobs atMCPS is to take great care of our WormFarms and to ensure that all members of theMCPS community are aware of what can befed to the worms. By feeding the wormsdaily, we are reducing our overall waste andreusing our compost on our school gardens.We are assisting our environment.

The Recycle Rangers work closely with AlisonTaylor from Resource Smart. Resource SmartSchools is an award-winning VictorianGovernment program that assists schools toembed sustainability in everything they do.Schools take action to minimise waste, saveenergy and water, promote biodiversity andtake action on climate change to benefit theirschool and community. Resource SmartSchools helps schools reduce costs whilegiving students the opportunity to learnabout sustainability in a tangible and realisticenvironment.

The Recycling Rangers also work closely withPeter Collins from Latrobe City. Peter isLatrobe City’s Sustainability Education Officerand he assists the Rangers with keeping ourWorm Farms healthy and also withencouraging good sustainability practisesthroughout the MCPS.

Resource

Smart The school canteen at Morwell CentralPrimary School operates every Friday.We have a number of parent helpersthat volunteer their time to come andhelp every Thursday to collate all theorders and Friday to prepare the food.All orders and money for the canteenmust be in to the office by 9.30am onThursday with your child’s name, grade,order and correct money enclosed. Ifyour child is going to be absent on theFriday, we appreciate phone calls so thatwe are able to carry orders over until thenext week.The canteen operates on a traffic lightsystem which is governed by the HealthyKids School Canteen buyers Guide.

Green being an everyday food

Amber being a sometimes food

Red being an occasional food

Any student that arrive late are to comethrough the office area and be signed in byour Attendance officer or office staff.Students will be given a card, which needs tobe handed to their homeroom teacher.Students who are late miss out on our daily”Ready To Learn” time activities which hasthe potential to impact negatively on theirday at school. Students being present for thestart of each day is extremely important toensure that students are set up to besuccessful whilst at school. If a child isregularly late, the school will seek to identifyways to support.

Parents are asked to come through theoffice and sign the attendance book ifchildren are leaving school before 3:00pm.Parents also need to sign children out if theyhave appointments during school hours. Ifstudents are returned to school after anappointment they must be signed back inthrough office staff.

The Education Department requires parents tosupply the school with a written explanationfor the absence of any child.If your child is absent due to illness or anyother reason, please contact the office after8:15am so that we know why your child is notat school. If verbal or written notification of anabsence is not provided, our AttendanceOfficer will make contact the same day tocheck as to why your child is not at school.Absences can be logged on uEducateUs byfollowing the Step by Step guides that will besent home, if you require support please phonethe school and a member of staff will help youto use this module of uEducateUs.

At Morwell Central Primary School we care for the safety and wellbeing of all our students. Very busy streetssurround our school and it is essential that parents observe the parking restrictions when picking up anddropping off children. No Parking is allowed in the drop off and pick up drive through area in the school onthe corner of McDonald Street and Holmes Road. This area is being supervised by staff before and afterschool. Cars can ONLY enter this area from the entrance on McDonald Street. This pick up and drop offlocation is one way and cars must exit on Holmes Road.Please be aware that parking inspectors regularly patrol the area and will post infringement notices on carsparked illegally.

School levies are set by School Council each year.This levy is for all student stationery, books andsupplies.

The prompt payment of fees would be greatlyappreciated as they form an important part of thebudget on which the school operates throughoutthe year.

The Camps, Sport and Excursion Funds (CSEF) is provided by the Government to help meet the educational needs of your children. To be eligible for CSEF, families must have a current Health Care Card. Full details are available from the office.

All money sent to the school should beenclosed in a sealed envelope, marked withyour child’s name, homeroom, the amountenclosed and what it is for. Please note thatno money is kept at school for change.

The school is keen to look after the total wellbeing of its students and acknowledges that medication maybe essential for some students. All medication for students must be kept at the office. Writteninstructions on how and when to administer the medication must be provided.

Students who suffer from asthma must have an Asthma Plan completed and filed at the office. Thisshould be updated regularly. It is important that the school is informed of any ongoing illness or medicalproblems your child may have. Appropriate plans for managing these should be discussed with schoolstaff at the start of the school year.

The Ministry of Education requires the followingExclusion Table to be observed in cases of infectiousdiseases. Please note that for children who have notbeen inoculated prior to coming to school, theexclusion time is much longer.

In the event of a serious injury orsickness at school, parents will becontacted immediately, or ifunavailable, the emergencyperson listed on the child’s file willbe contacted. In the case of anemergency an ambulance will becalled immediately. Parents will benotified as soon as possible. Theschool has trained First Aid staffwho attend to minor injuries. Allminor injuries will be recorded inthe First Aid record book and anote will be sent home with yourchild explaining the injury andtreatment.

When you enrol your child youprovide us with certain informationconcerning them. If there is anychange in the information that youhave provided, please contact theschool immediately to ensure thatthis information is updated. Notethat information provided isconfidential and is only used for thecare of your child and will not bemade available to anyone outsidethe Department of Education.

The School Nurse visits the schooleach year and performs a screeningprocedure on all Prep children andany other students who have beenreferred by staff. Parents arecontacted for permission prior tothese screenings taking place.

Disease Policy

Chicken Pox Student excluded until fully recovered, or for at least 5 days after eruption first appears.

Mumps Exclude for 9 days or until swelling goes down.

Measles, Rubella

Exclude for at least 4 days from onset of rash.

Impetigo (School sores)

Exclude until appropriate treatment has begun. Sores must be covered with a watertight dressing.

Conjunctivitis Exclude until discharge from the eyes has ceased.

From time to time there will be outbreaks of headlicethroughout the school. At the start of each yearparents are asked to fill out a permission form givingauthority for head checks. If your child is found tohave headlice you will be notified about the need tokeep your child home until treatment has occurred.Your child must be treated before they can return toschool. If you suspect that your child has headliceplease notify the school immediately.

SummerNavy and white check school dressNavy jumper or jacket or school jacketNavy shorts or skirtsNavy and yellowed panelled polo shirtWinter Navy pants or tracksuitNavy jumper or jacket or school jacketNavy and yellow panelled polo shirt

Uniforms are to be worn every day unless auniform free day is specified. School policy alsostates that children must be in school uniform toparticipate in excursions outside of the school.

School clothing and other items should be clearly labelled with your child’s name. Each Learning Hub will have a lost property tub. If your child loses an article of clothing, please check with your child's homeroom teacher, if they can not find it, they will check the lost property kept in the admin area for you.

Children are expected to wear the schooluniform which consists of a mix and matchcombination of navy pants and paneled yellowand navy polos and jackets. Uniforms may beordered from the school’s uniform shop.

It is school policy that during Term 1 and Term 4 children must wear a wide brim hat outside. InTerm 2 and Term 3 if UV levels are high students will be asked to wear their hats. Students who donot have a wide brim sunhat will be asked to sit and stay where it is shady on the seats outside.Preps are given a hat when they commence school. All other students can purchase a hat from theoffice. Hats should remain in your child’s homeroom.

SummerNavy jumper or jacket or school jacketNavy shortsNavy and yellow panelled polo shirt Winter Navy pants or tracksuitNavy jumper or jacket or school jacketNavy and yellow panelled polo shirt

uEducateUs is an unique online applicationthat allows direct communication betweenschools, parents and students.ReportingTeachers generate student academic reportson uEducateUs, including end of semesterand progress reports. Parents can easily andregularly view their child's reports throughthe uEducateUs system.

AttendanceStudent attendance can be recorded online,allowing for a much more reliable and up todate source of information for the school andparent. Parents can also issue sick and absentnotes via the system, both in advance and forprevious absent days. Schools will be notifiedinstantly and the student's attendance willreflect this.

Newsletter & Hub NewslettersA School newsletter will be be released oncea fortnight and every second week their willbe Learning Hub Newsletters released also.Newsletters are uploaded to uEducateUs,allowing parents to access the school'snewsletters at any time of the day.Automated smart phone notifications andemails are sent out to parents informing themwhenever a new newsletter is released.