Dear all,
We have had a massive term here at Porties (again). There have been many positives across the team in all areas of academic, social, emotional, sports and creative pursuits. Our students are here to learn and we are here to make that happen.
The ‘Porties Family’ has again been challenged by the loss of one of our own and the devastating impact on one of our students. We have enveloped our people and supported them through wave after wave of sadness and grief. We have cried with each other and laughed with each other. We have come together in all of the best ways.
We have all heard the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child”. This term has highlighted that to me more than any other. Our Porties ‘village’ is something to be proud of and with the overwhelming majority of students and families, 98.6% in my calculations, work together, treat each other with respect and trust each other to get the important stuff done.
We all happily give up our time to support children, families and staff. However, I will not continue to tolerate abuse and disgraceful behaviours that target our children or our staff. Incidents of aggression and abusive language from parents has increased over the past 4 – 5 weeks which is intolerable considering the grieving that our school community has been going through. The behaviours have over shadowed the positives that we have seen this term.
I am committed to our school being a safe environment for learning and this safety extends to students, staff and our families. I remind those of you who believe that verbal aggression and abuse are appropriate when sending Class Dojo messages, emails or when meeting face to face, that my staff are protected by policies and procedures outlined by the Department for Education. I will not hesitate in seeking prohibition orders for individuals that continue to demonstrate these inappropriate and damaging behaviours.
We are one of many schools in the area and I know that we won’t meet the needs of everyone. I have said numerous times that it is in the best interest of your child to find a ‘right fit’ school for them if we are not meeting their needs.
We do our best when families work with us to find a solution and most of you do that for which we are hugely thankful for. We are grateful for the respect and trust we are shown when challenges arise.
We are truly surrounded by an incredible community at our school and reminding myself of that helps me and our team get through each day. The vast majority of our families and students demonstrate empathy, respect and kindness towards each other. The vast majority of you give what you can and do what you can to support your children, the school and our school community. The vast majority of you remember that we are only human and a balanced, fair discussion will solve more problems than a tirade of abuse. The vast majority of you are what makes this an incredibly special place that has a ‘vibe’ that can’t be explained easily.
I thank those of you, our vast majority, who have shown kindness, understanding and support to us, our students and to each other this term.
Please be safe these holidays,
Marie
