Welcome to Issue 8 of the College Newsletter! This includes: - Teaching and Learning this term at The Lakes - Year 2 SRC Reports - How to make Attendance Notes in Compass - Reconciliation Week & National Sorry Day - Child Safe & Wellbeing Policy - What’s on @ The Lakes
THE LAKES SOUTH MORANG COLLEGE NEWSLETTER 2022 - ISSUE 10 Date 00, 2022
Term 2, Week 7 Issue 8 - 2024
The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
The Lakes South Morang College respectfully acknowledges that beneath the significant River Red Gums that feature across our school's landscape lay the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri - Willam people of the Kulin Nation.
Principal Report
01
Student Perspective
03
School Council
03
PRINCIPAL REPORT
College Connections
04
Teaching and Learning
06
BILL PANAS COLLEGE PRINCIPAL
Primary Awards
08
Sport Scoreboard
09
Compass Update
10
Welcome to the back end of Term 2. As I have just clicked over one year as our College Principal (plus one year as Acting Principal in 2022), I can only say how proud I am of OUR COLLECTIVE ACHIEVEMENTS AS A SCHOOL COMMUNITY over this period. Walking through both campuses fills my heart with joy as I witness: the consistent and deliberate transformation in teaching and learning with our focus on academic rigour; the positive contributions, comments and demeanors amongst students; the school pride that is evident with our high expectations; our student and staff uniforms; the beautiful state of our buildings, yards and their surroundings; and, our holistic commitment to everything Lakes!!! Our College community is aligned in our journey, and yes, whilst we experience bumps and roadblocks along the way, it forms part of our College DNA and forces us to reflect, collaborate, review and reboot in our efforts to improve learning growth and student outcomes. We have worked diligently and cooperatively to build structures that work for our College; implement processes that are clear and transparent; and be guided by all parents/carers, an active and responsible school council, staff and students on areas for improvement. This has been awesome because the message we have been receiving loud and clear is that we are all invested in achieving our goal as a pillar College within our network, with our students and their families at the front and centre of learning. I believe that we have an authentic working environment that enables every stakeholder to feel safe, heard and valued. On occasions, there are some behaviours that sit outside of our College Values and impact our wellbeing and safety. However, we believe we have set the required processes to support student needs, whilst setting a culture for student success through high
Policy Spotlight
11
Social Scene
12
14
What ’ s on @ The Lakes
Community Noticeboard
18
SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST IN THIS ISSUE:
• Teaching and Learning this term at The Lakes
• Year 2 SRC Reports
• How to make Attendance Notes in Compass • Reconciliation Week & National Sorry Day
• Child Safe & Wellbeing Policy
• What ’ s on @ The Lakes
Secondary Campus 80 Jardier Terrace, South Morang 3752 Primary Campus 275 Gordons Road, South Morang 3752
(03) 9404 9000
The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter PRINCIPAL REPORT
expectation. This is actively being reinforced with our student results and achievements. There is no doubt that the majority of students and families have jumped on board with our intent and appreciate the changes to both the structures and focus of our College. This is evident through student results through NAPLAN, teacher judgements, VIA, student leadership and sport; collaborations at events and discovery interviews; meetings between students and staff; publications including Aspire; and presentations at transition tours/ information days – all demonstrative of the progress and achievements that underpin our expectations these days. Most students are standing up to lead the charge. This is extremely pleasing and a testament to your efforts as adults, parents and carers. Your role modelling and commitment to our College learning programs, combined with our messaging, both visual and literal for calmer classrooms, lower noise levels, explicit expectations and positive behaviours/SWPBS are paying dividends in spades! Finally, we all know that there is considerable work to be done in our efforts for school improvement. We will continue to plan together, consult effectively and proactively with our vibrant community, invest in targeted resourcing and build the blocks that will continue to both define our College as a school of choice and a centre of educational excellence that we can all be proud to be a part of moving forward. We have lot ’ s going for us and together with Marcus and Bonnie, our wonderful Campus Principals, we are looking forward to the next phase of our development and growth, and meeting ALL of the goals that we originally set in our 2022 strategic plan. Semester One Assessment & Reporting: This is a busy time for both staff and students as lots of hard work and determination culminates with CATS, SACS and Exam completion. Support your child ’ s increased workload over the next few weeks at home by providing a conducive study space, enabling them to prioritise school work; assisting with organisation, proof - reading of tasks and so on so that your child feels that the learning journey is shared with you; and demonstrating strong empathy towards their immediate needs which is very important. Attitude To School Survey: Our Year 4 - 12 students are required to complete the DE survey at school. This takes approximately 45 minutes and will be used to determine how our cohorts feel about their school environment, particularly in areas of academic performance, ability to perform at their personal best, accessing suitable learning resources and relationships with teachers and peers. The survey mirrors the Parent/Carer and Staff Survey which are also crucial and critical reflections of College performance. Thank you to the team of staff and to all the students for completing this year ’ s survey with honesty and conviction. Semester 2 Timetables: Staff allotments are being finalised for Semester Two. There will be some changes as a result of changes in staffing, predominantly leave, and electives/lifestyles rollover. I believe that we will be ready to publish new student timetables towards the end of this Term so students are ready to go for next Semester. Fortunately, we will be able to commit to our full curriculum program, excursions/incursions, sports, performing arts and camps. This is a wonderful achievement and comes on the back of our dedicated staff who have come forward to assist with changes to their time fractions and part - time days, which in many cases impact their own personal arrangements with their own children. New Basketball Court - Primary Campus: Please adhere to the instructions regarding student access and safety across the front of Gordons Road and the top playground area in the immediate period. Whilst we are all excited to have this project completed, it will take some time so everyone needs to follow the safety instructions at all times. We will also be sending correspondence regarding pick up and drop off procedures from the gate at Gordons Road. Yard Duty teachers will be extra vigilant and Secondary Learning Coaches will remind secondary students who walk or ride past the Primary Campus that there are works and safety procedures in place and to be extra careful.
Have a wonderful weekend and thank you for your support. It is much appreciated.
Mr Panas College Principal.
STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
STUDENT REFLECTION ROCCO & STELLA YEAR 2 SRC
Term 2 has been a very busy term so far! Playing sports and PE has been so much fun, especially learning new skills like catching and throwing. Craft time has also been something we ’ ve been loving. We love getting creative and making things with our own hands. It's a nice break from our reading and writing and we can get messy. Drawing pictures for our narrative projects has been a great way to bring our stories to life. We enjoy using our imagination and sharing our ideas through art and drawing. Learning how to read time in numeracy has been challenging but also fun and exciting.
We can't wait for Term 3 to start so we can go swimming! It ’ s always a fun and exciting activity, and we can ’ t wait to learn and improve our swimming skills.
Lastly, thank you for the new mini whiteboards for our classroom. They are so handy for practicing our writing and math skills, and it's great that SRC listened to us and so we got something we wanted.
SCHOOL COUNCIL: PARENT/CARER COMMUNITY HOT TOPICS
One of the purposes of School Council is to raise, review, discuss and action issues that are important to our parent/ carer community. We want to hear from you on how we can improve our school! If you would like a "hot topic" discussed at a School Council meeting, please reach out to one of the following parent/carer reps or email Amanda Farrelly, School Council President, on amanda.farrelly@education.vic.gov.au.
Current Parent/Carer Reps:
Amanda Farrelly (Primary)
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Jenny Archibald (Primary)
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Grant Voss (Primary)
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Kathryn Lieschke (Primary)
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Veronica Marsh (Primary & Secondary)
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Anna - Lisa Tewma (Secondary)
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Josie Benfari (Secondary)
•
Helen Skendaris (Secondary)
•
The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter COLLEGE CONNECTIONS
RECONCILIATION WEEK and NATIONAL SORRY DAY Wominjeka .
A word from the woi wurrung language group, the language spoken by the Wurundjeri - Willam clan of our Whilltlesea area.
A word that many of you would have heard or seen before. A word that not only means welcome, but also to come with purpose.
A word that we urge our College community consider, with an open mind and open heart - to welcome and to come with purpose, and consider how this approach aligns with our College ’ s acknowledgement, truth telling, and reconciliation practices.
This week, as part of our support for Reconciliation Week and Aboriginal Perspectives in our curriculum, we turn our attention to truth telling, an exploration of the Stolen Generation, and a reflection on the role that each of us play in effecting positive change - both now and into the future. Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about shared histories, cultures and achievements and explore how we can contribute to reaching reconciliation in Australia. Topics like these can be uncomfortable and that is as it should be - history is not always comfortable. National Sorry Day, 26th of May, is a day that acknowledges the strength of Stolen Generations survivors, who despite being forcibly stripped of their country, culture, language and family, continue to advocate for healing and pave a path towards reconciliation for our Nation. As a College, we acknowledge the ancient and ongoing connection to land, waters, sky, knowledge, and culture that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have. Across the City of Whittlesea we are blessed with daily reminders that highlight our connection to country. For our school, this includes the significant and protected River Red Gums that feature across our school grounds and more broadly across the South Morang area. The cultural significance of these ancient and magnificent trees should not be underestimated - particularly those in our area that hold within their
expansive trunks the scars from lifetimes ago when the old people who lived lightly and sustainably on the land, built canoes and shields from the River Red bark. These scarred trees, serving as ancient cultural artefacts that are often hiding in plain sight, highlight how the old people interacted with the land, culturally significant sites and surrounding waterways including the Plenty River, and Edgars, Merri and Darebin creeks that run through our region. Morang is a woi wurrung word for sky. The valleys and gorge located within South Morang provide some of the most incredible vantage points for birdwatching, where we can see flying overhead Bunjil the Wedge Tailed Eagle, creator of all, or Waa the Raven, the trickster who bought fire to those of the Kulin nation. Our College is located on land that always was and always will be aboriginal land, so incorporating aboriginal perspectives into our curriculum and daily operations is a responsibility that enriches and elevates learning, knowing and being for all. Our College would like to pay respect to the old people, the elders within and across mob who for over 65,000 years have passed down songs and stories to keep culture alive. Without their commitment to this, assimilation policies and practices of the past, impacting hundreds of thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait families, would have wiped the richness and beauty of culture and connection from all generations that have followed.
This year's theme for Reconciliation Week is 'Now
More Than Ever'. This theme is a reminder that no
matter what, the pursuit for justice and the rights of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will,
and must, continue. To celebrate Reconciliation
Week, students completed an activity designed to
Our College acknowledges the deadly leaders of today. Aunties and Uncles who lead and advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with power, strength, tenacity and dignity across Victoria and Australia.
explore and celebrate their own cultures. As
Reconciliation Week is a chance to learn about
shared history and respect differences in culture,
this activity allowed students to share about their
Lastly, our College would like to acknowledge the young ones - those within our school community, who are emerging to lead future generations of mob into an Australia whereby generational trauma, poverty, deaths in custody, infant mortality, life expectancy, educational and employment opportunities are not things that adversely define First Nations people. Instead, the hope is that these young ones can lead a fairer and more equitable future for all.
family's background and gain insight into other
student's lineage. The activity allowed for students
to share about their family's history and celebrate
the similarities and differences between each of
us. The leaves designed by each student will be
included in a wreath that will be displayed as a
celebration of the continued pursuit of
reconciliation between all Australians. The
students involved in The Koori Program at The
Bonnie Lee Gunditjmara woman
Lakes will be in charge of creating this wreath and
will decide where it's final hanging place will be.
The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter TEACHING & LEARNING
PRIMARY CAMPUS Throughout Term 2, students on the Primary Campus have been working diligently in English and Maths to continue to develop their literacy and numeracy skills. In Prep, students have been learning their letter/sound relationships, and how to correctly write their letters, while also developing their comprehension skills through daily reading sessions. They have also been practicing their ‘ Magic Words ’ at school and at home. In Year 1 students have been building their number fluency and practicing their addition and subtraction vocabulary through the use of partitioning and number lines. Number patterns have also been investigated and they have LEARNING AT THE LAKES
revised place value to ensure they can confidently use numbers up to 100.
In Years 2 and 3 students have been reading fiction and non - fiction texts, applying letter/sound knowledge when attempting to decode unknown words (Year 2) and developing comprehension skills, asking, and answering literal and inferential questions (Year 3). Students have also been writing within different texts types such as recounts, narratives, poetry (Year 2) and persuasive language/ techniques (Year 3). Year 4 students have been ‘ Investigating Materials ’ during Inquiry and they visited ScienceWorks to consolidate this learning. They have also been comparing 2D shapes and 3D objects, identifying the properties of these shapes and comparing their area and volumes. This has been continued in Year 5 where students have been looking at units of measurement, and calculating, for length, area, volume, capacity and mass. Year 5 students will have also attended an excursion at the Victorian Space Science Education Centre as part of the ‘ Out of Orbit ’ Inquiry topic.
During Inquiry, our Year 6 students have been investigating some key questions about the ‘ Journey of a Product ’ where they investigate the journey of a particular product from production to distribution and then to consumption. This investigation has been supported by students being immersed in activities related to the 'needs' and 'wants' of society and how they help determine what Australia imports and exports through the Port of Melbourne. Year 6 students understanding of Economics has extended into Digital Design where they have worked in teams to plan and design a product or service to promote a Zoos Victoria campaign through social enterprise. Teams will sell their product or service to Prep to Year 5 students in Week 10 for Dojo points. As students complete their CATs in English and Maths their results will be published via Compass Learning Tasks.
ENTERPRISING VIA STUDENTS
On Friday 24th May 35 Enterprising Female VIA Students from Years 7 - 10 sat down to change the world. They took part in a 1 day design challenge presented by Young Change Agents to ideate solutions to '"How might we reimagine the Future of Food?" From a fridge that would minimise wastage and suggest meal ideas to accessible Aquaponics systems and a social enterprise cafe that created meals for the needy as well as providing musicians with a performance space the ideas were truly inspiring!!
SECONDARY CAMPUS
Teachers on the Secondary Campus have successfully begun publishing student assessments via the Compass portal. Learning tasks such as CAT ’ s/SAC ’ s and SAT ’ s are assessed by teachers and returned to both students and parents/carers with completed rubrics, an overall mark and comments. This information should be read carefully and used to set goals for further improvement. These marks will also be included in end of Semester reports to enable a wholistic view of a student ’ s performance in relation to Victorian Curriculum level progression or the successful completion of VCE units. Additional assessments are undertaken at different points throughout units to enable teachers to have a clear picture of students learning needs in relation to the specific area of study at the time. Teachers then plan learning programs accordingly, rechecking students progress through the use of summative assessments.
SEMESTER 1 REPORTING
Reports for Semester 1 will be accessible via Compass and be available at the following dates:
Primary P - 6: Wednesday 26th June
•
Secondary 7 - 9: Wednesday 26th June
•
Secondary 10 - 12: Friday 19th July
•
The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter PRIMARY CAMPUS AWARDS
LEARNER OF THE WEEK
Prep A
Prep B
Prep C
Jeshua G
Lauila T
Arjan S
1A
1B
1B
Dayan L
Jihoo P
Charlotte J
2A
2B
Nathan N
Audrey L
3A
3B
3B
Uday S
Sofia T
Tida K
4A
4B
4C
Suryansh M
Alexis T
5A
5B
Audrey T
Harry A
6A
6B
6C
Blaine G
Vishal S
Lucas L
LIFESTYLE AWARDS
Sport
Art
STEM
Performing Arts
Prep
Junior F
Macey P
Hakan F
Year 1
Daksh S
Gavin F
Victor J
Matzu CH
Year 2
Mason B
Nathan N
Anaya A
Dhven M
Year 3
Chace K
Nestora M
Murphy B
Year 4
Neve L
Aden S
Avery - Joy E
Thaemela S
Year 5
Yasmin F
Georgina M
Thomas B
Steven N
Year 6
Asha D
Lucas L
Alex M
SPORT SCOREBOARD
PRIMARY INTERSCHOOL SPORTS
ROUND 4
A close game for our Netball A girls with a tight win. They remain undefeated.
Scores: Netball A - won 18 - 15 Netball B lost 2 - 6 AFL lost 13 - 46 Handball boys lost 5 - 7 Handball girls lost 3 - 9
TEEBALL WINNERS!
Our 5/6 boys and girls competed in our district tee ball gala day event!
The girls were undefeated, winning the day! Great Job!
Our boys finished 3rd overall, winning 2 and losing 2.
SECONDARY SPORTS
Congratulations to all students who attended the interschool athletics carnival. We had some great results but the effort shown by our students was even better. A huge thank you to those athletes who did extra events and filled gaps. They certainly showed our Lakes values. Well done!
The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter COMPASS UPDATE
ATTENDANCE
POLICY SPOTLIGHT: CHILD SAFETY AND WELLBEING
thelakes.edu.au/uploads/8/3/9/0/83901006/child_safety_and_wellbeing_policy_2024.pdf
Child safety is a shared responsibility. Every person involved in our College has an important role in promoting child safety and wellbeing and promptly raising any issues or concerns about a child ’ s safety. The Lakes South Morang College is committed to communicating our child safety strategies to the College community through:
The Lakes South Morang College is a child safe organisation which welcomes all children, young people and their families. We are committed to providing environments where our students are safe and feel safe, where their participation is valued, their views respected, and their voices are heard about decisions that affect their lives. Our child safe policies, strategies and practices are inclusive of the needs of all children and students. We have no tolerance for child abuse and take proactive steps to identify and manage any risks of harm to students in our College environments. We promote positive relationships between students and adults and between students and their peers. These relationships are based on trust and respect. We take proactive steps to identify and manage any risk of harm to students in our College environment. When child safety concerns are raised or identified, we treat these seriously and respond promptly and thoroughly.
ensuring that key child safety and wellbeing policies are available on our website including the Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy, Child Safety Code of Conduct, and the Child Safety Responding and Reporting Obligations (including Mandatory Reporting) Policy and Procedure
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displaying PROTECT posters around the College
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updates in our College newsletter
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ensuring that child safety is a regular agenda item at College leadership meetings, staff meetings and College council meetings.
•
Policies are available to all families via our website http://www.thelakes.edu.au/policies -- reports.html
The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter SOCIAL SCENE
to book an individual tour of our Campus
The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter WHAT ’ S ON @ THE LAKES
Breakfast Club on Primary Campus Every Wednesday 8.15am - 8.45am (Except for the first week and last week of the term)
JUNE:
Secondary Campus Tour 10am Book Here
Tuesday 4th
Wednesday 5th
Rhythm Revival Rehearsals
SDDN: Rhythm Revival Buy tickets here
Thursday 6th
Monday 10th
Kings Birthday Public Holiday
Tuesday 11th
School Council Meeting
Tuesday 11th - Friday 14th
Year 5 Transition Week on Secondary Campus
Thursday 13th
Winter Woolies Day
Tuesday 11th - Monday 17th
Year 11 & 12 Exams
Primary Assembly 2.30pm in gym
Friday 15th
Tuesday 18th
GAT Testing
Wednesday 19th - Friday 21st
Year 10 Exams
Free Dress Day Money raised for Cancer Council
Thursday 20th
Year 6 Social Enterprise event
End of Term Assembly 11.30am in Primary gym
Friday 28th
Last day of Term 2 1.15pm dismissal
Book Now for Primary Tours on 9404 9000 for individual 2023 School Tours
Book Now for Secondary Tours on 9401 3919 for individual 2023 School Tours
The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter WHAT ’ S ON @ THE LAKES
The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter WHAT ’ S ON @ THE LAKES SRC EVENTS
The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD
ATTENDANCE - EVERY DAY COUNTS
BELONGINGS, AMBULANCE & INSURANCE
If you are aware that your child will not be attending school due to illness or other circumstances, please contact either office to ensure our attendance records are accurate.
Private property brought to school by students, staff or visitors is not insured and the Department of Education does not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage.
Ways of communicating absences include:
Parents and carers are reminded that the Department of Education does not provide personal accident insurance or ambulance cover for students. Parents and carers of students who do not have student accident insurance/ ambulance cover are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including the cost of ambulance attendance/transport and any other transport costs.
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Placing a future Absence Request through the Compass Education Portal;
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Calling the office;
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Sending an SMS on 0427 226 537
As required by the Department of Education, all schools must notify parents/carer informing that their child is absent. Please inform the office of absences before 10:00 am each morning.
CSEF (CAMPS, SPORTS & EXCURSIONS FUND) The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps, and sporting activities.
It is important that funding made available in 2024 supports students to participate in school trips, camps, and sporting activities this year rather than being held for future years. This funding can also be used in conjunction with any funding accrued from previous years. If you applied for CSEF through our school last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year, unless there has been a change in your family circumstances. If you would like to apply for the first time, please contact the Primary Campus office on 9404 9000 or Secondary Campus office on 9401 3919 and ask for an application form. You can also download the form, and find out more about the program and eligibility, on the Department of Education and Training ’ s Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund web page.
If you have a valid means - tested concession card, such as a Veterans Affairs Gold Card, Centrelink Health Care Card, or Pensioner Concession Card, or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible. There is also a special consideration category for asylum seeker and refugee families. Payment amounts this year are $150.00 for eligible primary school students and $250.00 for eligible secondary school students. Payments are made direct to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions, and sporting activities for the benefit of your child. Foundation and Year 7 government school students who are CSEF recipients are also eligible for a uniform voucher. Schools are required to make applications on behalf of parents, so please register your interest at the school.
Check with the school office if you are unsure, and please return completed forms to the school office as soon as possible.
Please call Karen on 9404 9000 to discuss further, if you have a service or upcoming event you would like to promote through our Newsletter.
PHOTOGRAPHING, RECORDING AND FILMING CONSENT
thelakes.edu.au/uploads/8/3/9/0/83901006/photographing_filming___recording_of_students_policy_2024.pdf
The Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Consent Form is provided by The Lakes South Morang College at enrolment. Recent Departmental changes to this policy mean that this now only has to be completed once during your child ’ s educational journey at The Lakes. As a component of our transition to Compass, all families across the College will be sent a message on Compass or contacted by a member of staff in regards to Permission to Publish for your child provided at enrolment. If at any time parents/carers wish to give or withdraw their consent, they can by contacting the College or completing the form below.
To update or make changes to your Photographing, Filming and Recording consent, please download and complete this form before returning to the front office.
CANTEEN ORDERS
Scan the code to setup an account and select The Lakes South Morang College. Orders need to be in by 9am on the day.
This year the school canteen is offering lunch orders through the Flexischools app.
Follow the steps below to setup an account and select The Lakes South Morang College.
The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD
THE LAKES COMMUNITY FEEDBACK
Your feedback is valued. Please use the following link to provide our College Council and Leadership Team with feedback to help make The Lakes a positive learning community for all.
We are always looking to build new or foster current connections within our community!
Please call Karen on 9404 9000 to discuss further, if you have a service or upcoming event you would like to promote through our Newsletter.
To thrive, children need a safe and supportive environment at school, at home and in the broader community; no exceptions. At The Lakes South Morang College, we believe meeting the physical and emotional needs of our students is paramount in laying the foundations for a fulfilling future. We pledge to provide an environment that has zero tolerance to child abuse and will strive to work in partnership with our parents and community members to keep our students safe every day, in every way.
The Lakes South Morang College Child Safety Statement
PRIMARY CAMPUS: Telephone: 9404 9000 275 Gordons Road South Morang 3752 SECONDARY CAMPUS: Telephone: 9401 3919 80 Jardier Terrace South Morang 3752 ABN 52 938 171 499 PO Box 207 South Morang 3752 lakes.south.morang.co@education.vic.gov.au
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