OUR COMMUNITY EVENTS

MOTHERS & SPECIAL OTHERS MORNING TEA

It was wonderful to welcome so many mothers and special guests to our ‘Mothers & Special Others Morning Tea’. Families enjoyed spending time in classrooms reading with their children and strengthening the important partnership between home and school.

We extend our thanks to TheirCare for generously providing the morning tea.

EDUCATION WEEK

It was so lovely to have our parents, carers and families attend our Education Open afternoon. Our students love to have their families come into their classrooms and chat about what they are learning.

ANZAC DAY

Our School Captains, Manraj and Naksh proudly represented Mirniyan Primary School at the ANZAC Day service held at the Memorial Cenotaph in Cranbourne on 25 April. During the ceremony, students listened to guest speakers, witnessed a commemorative flyover and laid a wreath on behalf of our school community. We were incredibly proud of the respectful and thoughtful way they represented our school at this important event.

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ATTENDANCE

Our attendance rates continue to improve this year, which is very pleasing. Attendance is closely monitored and supported by our Wellbeing Team. Thank you to our families for recognising the importance of regular attendance and to our staff for creating engaging learning environments where students enjoy coming to school each day.

WELLBEING AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT

At Mirniyan Primary School, students participate in the Respectful Relationships curriculum, supporting the development of social, emotional and relationship skills.

Alongside our wellbeing programs, we also support vulnerable families by connecting them with external services where required. Information about The Orange Door support service is included below for families seeking assistance with parenting, wellbeing, relationships or family violence support.

Our school cares about the safety and wellbeing of our students and their families.   

Sometimes things at home or in a relationship are not OK or families can be worried about the wellbeing of their children or young people. 

The Orange Door can help you to get the support you need, quickly and easily. It’s free and you don’t need a referral. 

 

The Orange Door   

The Orange Door can help families. They provide support for concerns with parenting, relationships, and family violence. 

The Orange Door is a free intake and assessment service for: 

• families requiring support for their child or young person’s wellbeing or development  

• families needing parenting support  

• young, isolated, or unsupported families 

• individuals and families experiencing family violence 

• adults using family violence 

• young people using violence in the home.  

If you contact The Orange Door, they can help by: 

• working with you to identify the help and support you need 

• supporting you with the wellbeing and development of your child or young person 

• helping you make a safety plan if someone is making you feel unsafe 

• connecting you to services that can help like counselling, accommodation, mental health and drug and alcohol services, parenting support groups, services for children, financial help, or legal assistance 

• supporting you to access funding for basic living expenses and some other costs 

• supporting you to change abusive or controlling behaviour. 

Each Orange Door location across Victoria has their own phone number and email. Students and their families can also visit their local Orange Door in person for support, Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm for support. No appointment is needed. 

To find your local service, see: The Orange Door – Support near you. 

How schools connect with The Orange Door 

Our school might talk to a student and/or their family about The Orange Door.  We might encourage them to contact their local Orange Door to get advice and help if needed.  

Ideally, a student and/or their family will get in touch with The Orange Door to seek advice and support.  

Sometimes, schools might make a referral to The Orange Door without the student or their family’s knowledge or consent.  Schools will do this if: 

• informing a student and/or family increases the risk to their safety or wellbeing 

• not linking a student to support increases the risk of their safety and wellbeing. 

You can learn more about: 

• The Orange Door and how they can help you and your family here. 

• how our school keeps our students safe by reading our Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy CSS child safety and wellbeing policy template and our Child Safety Code of Conduct MPS_ChildSafetyCodeofConduct.pdf. 

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The City of Casey Council has started the installation of two new school crossings near Mirniyan Primary School, located on Appenzeller Drive and Welsummer Drive, Clyde North.

Please see flyer sent to all families on COMPASS titled “New school crossing installation – Mirniyan Primary School” that had important safety information for pedestrians and drivers approaching the new crossings, as well as information for anyone interested in becoming a School Crossing Supervisor. It would be great to see locals from our school community staffing these sites.

We will continue to update our school community as we receive further information from the City of Casey Council. 

School crossings generally operate for approximately 45 minutes in the morning and afternoon, aligned with peak school travel times. Once the crossings commence operation, operating times will be reviewed and adjusted as required to ensure the majority of pedestrians using the crossing are appropriately catered for.

School crossings operate in accordance with VicRoads school zone times, which are 8.00am–9.30am and 2.30pm–4.00pm.

We are extremely pleased that our school will have two school crossings installed and we continue to work in many ways with the City of Casey around Road Safety for our students and families. 

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We are pleased to be continuing our partnership with Casey Council to implement the Safe Around Schools Program, which focuses on improving road safety around our school community.

The program includes:

• Road safety education sessions for students
• Observation visits and traffic monitoring
• Parent and community surveys
• Student leadership involvement
• Ongoing communication about safe road rules and parking expectations

The program is designed to educate the school community around Road Safety so we can all work together to keep everyone safe. It involves the Casey Council Safe Around Schools (SAS) team working with our school community in a variety of ways to achieve safety for everyone.

ROAD SAFETY MESSAGE FROM SAFE AROUND SCHOOLS (SAS) TEAM

We remind all families to follow parking restrictions and road signage around the school to help keep all children safe.

Follow the Rules & Signs

All children deserve to travel to and from school safely-your children and all other children. Some of the unsafe and/or unlawful behaviours we continue to observe around our school include:

• Dropping off or collecting students in a No Stopping zone.
• Remaining parked in the No Parking (drop-off/pick-up) zone beyond the permitted time.
• Double parking.
• Making U-turns in high-traffic areas.
• Speeding.

 

No Stopping zones are in place because stopping, even briefly, creates significant risk. These zones are often located near blind corners, narrow roads, pedestrian crossings, or intersections. Stopping to drop off or collect a child in a No Stopping zone is both unlawful and unsafe.

Please note: The area outside the school office is a No Stopping zone. You must not stop or park in this area for any reason.

No Parking indicates a designated drop-off/pick-up zone during the times shown on the sign. Vehicles must not be left unattended, and stopping is limited to a maximum of 2 minutes.

Double Parking occurs when a vehicle stops alongside parked cars. We frequently observe this during quick drop-off and pick-up times around the school. This behaviour is unlawful and dangerous, even if it is only for a short time.

Please slow down and follow all parking restrictions and road signage around Mirniyan Primary School to help keep our children safe.

Safe around Schools is currently running a competition- Please see the COMPASS post titled "Safe around School Footpath Decal Competition".

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Influenza (flu) can be serious, especially for children.  

Choose to protect yourself and your loved ones with an annual flu vaccine. The earlier you and your family get vaccinated, the better your protection heading into winter.  

Keeping our school community well  

We encourage parents and carers and students to: 

• wash or sanitise your hands thoroughly and regularly, particularly before and after touching your face 

• cough or sneeze into your elbow 

• stay home if unwell and consult your GP or Nurse-on-Call as needed 

• stay up to date with your flu vaccinations. 

Flu vaccinations 

Flu vaccination is recommended for everyone aged 6 months and older. 

Some people are more at risk of severe illness from flu, especially babies and toddlers. They can get a free vaccination as part of the National Immunisation Program. 

You can book a flu vaccine through your GP or pharmacy, or find a flu vaccine near you.  

RSV vaccinations for mothers and babies 

RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) is a common virus that causes colds and ear infections. In babies, it can cause severe illness like bronchiolitis.  

The RSV vaccine is available for pregnant women as part of the National Immunisation Program. In Victoria, eligible babies can also get the RSV vaccine until Wednesday 30 September 2026.  

You can speak with your GP or midwife about the vaccine. 

Find out more 

For more information about staying well this winter, refer to: 

• your GP, pharmacist or midwife 

• the Better Health Channel – Don’t risk the flu campaign, including information about flu and other vaccines. This information is available in different languages 

• the Better Health Channel – RSV vaccine for mothers and infants 

• the Raising Children Network – influenza, COVID-19, bronchiolitis and helping your child prepare for vaccination.  

 

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3-6 PARLIAMENT INCURSION
Our Grades 3–6 students thoroughly enjoyed their Parliament Linked Incursion where “Parliament came to the classroom.” Students participated in role plays, stood for election, debated issues and explored the process of turning a federal bill into law.
Students across the school also participated in the Safe Around Schools incursion, learning important road safety skills through interactive activities and props.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP
Our SRC students have been busy collaborating on ideas and initiatives to further enhance our school community. They are currently preparing a proposal presentation to share with the leadership team in the coming weeks. We look forward to hearing their innovative ideas and seeing the positive impact they hope to make at Mirniyan Primary School.

MIRNIYAN MIC MASTERS- OUR VERY OWN PODCASTERS
We now have a Mirniyan Mic Masters team who are doing an amazing job setting up their own podcast to connect further with our community. I think I am about to be interviewed by them soon. Check out our Facebook page for links to each episode!
Our Mirniyan Mic Masters are: Zarley, Jiya, Xavier, Abby, Jewel, Aseel & Ishwa

FIRST NATIONS
We are pleased to support our Koorie students and student leaders in attending ‘Echoes of Country – Footprints to Respect’ to strengthen their cultural identity, knowledge and connections to First Nations communities and perspectives.

 

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AEU AND INDUSTRIAL ACTION
The AEU has reached an agreement in principle with the Department of Education. The agreement will now be voted on by AEU subbranches and subsequently by Department employees before being finalised.

SCHOOL REVIEW
As part of the Department of Education’s four-year review cycle, Mirniyan Primary School participated in a School Review process this year. The review involved a panel including school leaders, Department representatives, principals from other schools and our School Council President.

The review process was a positive experience for our school, highlighting and celebrating all that we have achieved in less than a year and a half of being opened. The review process helped to identify our strengths, areas for growth and future directions to support continued improvement in student learning and wellbeing outcomes. Feedback from staff, students and families played an important role in shaping our next 4-year School Strategic Plan.

As part of this process, a parent group through a Parent Forum provided families with an opportunity to contribute feedback, ideas and perspectives to support the future direction of our school. I would like to thank everyone who participated in the review process.

KINDER ON SCHOOL SITE (KOSS)
As I am sure everyone is aware, works have officially commenced on our Kindergarten on School Site project. We are very excited to welcome a kindergarten next door in 2027 and look forward to the opportunities this will create for our community.

STAFFING UPDATE
We are pleased to introduce and welcome new three new staff members to our Mirniyan staff team.
Anthony Richards is our new Assistant Principal, who has joined our Wellbeing team.
Emma Wratten is the classroom teacher for 3/4B, joining the ¾ teaching team.
Caitlin Dawson has joined our education support staff team and will be working in classrooms supporting our students.
We also say farewell to Nate Balenovic, our Youth Worker and thank him for all his work at Mirniyan Primary School with our students and families. Nate had his last day working at Mirniyan Primary School on Thursday. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
Our Administration staff will be attending whole school professional learning sessions, for the first week of each term. The Administration Office will be closed early at 3:30 on the first week of each term.

CHILD SAFETY AND WELLBEING AT MIRNIYAN PRIMARY SCHOOL: INFORMATION FOR FAMILIES AND THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY
Mirniyan Primary School is committed to providing an environment where students are safe and feel safe. We have a zero tolerance for child abuse and are committed to protecting children from harm.  
Our comprehensive child safety framework outlines our school’s strategies and explains how we support and maintain child safety and wellbeing at Mirniyan Primary School [insert link to webpage with your school’s child safety policies and procedures] The framework includes the following policies, codes and procedures:    

• Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy CSS child safety and wellbeing policy template
• Child Safety Code of Conduct -which outlines acceptable and unacceptable behaviours for all staff and volunteers at our school. MPS_ChildSafetyCodeofConduct.pdf
• Child abuse (including grooming) – identification and response Complaints Policy Child Abuse (Including Grooming)-Identification & Response
• Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy  MPS_StudentWellbeingandEngagementPolicy.pdf
• Bullying Prevention Policy MPS_BullyingPreventionPolicy.pdf
• Volunteers Policy Volunteers-policy-template-November-2022
• Visitors Policy Visitors-policy-template-November-2022
• Digital Learning Policy Photography, Filming & Recording Policy 
• Yard Duty and Supervision Policy Yard Duty and Supervision Policy

Our students and their families are important partners in keeping our students safe and providing a child safe environment. We value feedback and ideas on how we can continuously strengthen our child safety framework.  

These regular newsletter reminders are one of the ways we ensure our school community is aware of: 

• our commitment to child safety, and  
• how to provide feedback or raise child safety concerns. 

If you have any concerns about child safety at any time, please contact our Assistant Principals, Anthony Richards, Sophie Nightingale, Anne McDonald or our Principal, Nicole Walker by email: mirniyan.ps@education.vic.gov.au or by phone 5929 2299. Any child safety complaints or concerns are treated seriously. For more information about our school’s complaints process, see our Complaints Policy [insert link].  

We also welcome your ideas on ways we can improve our approach to child safety and wellbeing. If you have any suggestions or comments please contact Nicole Walker, Principal by email: mirniyan.ps@education.vic.gov.au or by phone 5929 2299

SUPERVISION ARRANGEMENTS BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL

Student safety at Mirniyan Primary School is our highest priority and the safe and appropriate supervision of students is an important element of our duty of care to students. Part of this duty is ensuring parents and students are aware of our student supervision arrangements before and after school.
Mirniyan Primary School grounds are supervised by school staff from 8:30am until 3:30pm. Outside of these hours, school staff will not be available to supervise students.

Before and after school, school staff will supervise the entrances on Welsummer Drive and Appenzeller Drive.

Before school: School grounds are supervised at 8:30am

After school: School grounds are supervised until 3:30pm

Students on school grounds outside these times will not be supervised (unless they are attending a before or after school care program or supervised extracurricular activity).

Parents/carers are requested to ensure that students do not attend school outside of these supervised times unless they are attending before or after school care, or a pre-arranged supervised activity (i.e. sports practice).

Families are encouraged to contact THEIR CARE for more information about the before and after school care facilities available to our school community or if you would like any further information about our student supervision arrangements.

For a copy of our school’s Yard Duty and Supervision Policy please refer to our website. This policy includes Mirniyan Primary School’s student supervision arrangements across the school day, including before and after school.

Kind regards

Nicky Walker

Principal

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