Welcome to Moolap Primary School! It is my privilege to lead the Moolap PS community and I welcome you and your family to the school.

In choosing our school for your child’s education, you are entering into a most significant and valuable partnership. The importance of the partnership between home and school is reflected in both your child’s learning and their sense of belonging and connection to the school community. Starting school is a major transition in your child’s life and the start of a new journey for your family. Our aim is to make your child’s transition from kindergarten or other early childhood services to school as smooth and enjoyable as possible. From pre-transition activities to beginning the first few weeks in class, we hope that you find a valuable connection to the school and encourage you as a parent to keep informed, involved and engaged in all that primary school has to offer in order to support your child’s ongoing learning, social and emotional development.

Moolap PS has a long and proud history of serving students and families to the East of Geelong with a high-quality education in a safe, friendly and inclusive school environment. Our school has a distinct rural feel but is situated only 10 minutes from the Geelong CBD. We currently have an enrolment of 210 students in a mix of Year Prep, 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5 and 5-6 classrooms. Our students and staff embody the school values of Respect, Responsibility, Safety and Integrity in their daily school activity. Our school aims for all students to experience success and take an active role in their learning.

Our school community has four school values that underpin our daily activities: Respect, Responsibility, Integrity and Safety. These are agreed values that are explicitly taught to students and reinforced in all classrooms, learning spaces and around the yard. We believe that following the values in all that we do enables a safe and collaborative environment for all students and staff.

Our staff recognises that all students learn differently and are often at different stages of their learning journey. With the right supports, they can learn and grow to their potential. Students will often have a transition statement completed by their Kinder or childhood service provider and sent to us at school, though this sometimes can arrive quite late in Term 4. If you have any information that would assist us in supporting your child’s transition into school, please let us know.

Moolap Primary School prides itself on its country feel and links to the environment. Our school is situated in between farms and it is common for farm animals to live in the adjoining properties. We have lots of space for students to play and a range of active and passive areas for students to enjoy. At the beginning of the year we encourage Prep students to play out the front of the school. This is done on purpose: to provide a safe area close to their classrooms and office and for students to develop friendships with peers of the same age. The junior playground is specially designed for younger students. Our classrooms offer excellent facilities to support student learning, along with a range of resources for teachers to use with their class. To support 21st Century Learning, students have access to a range of technologies, including iPads, in their classroom. These are used to support and extend learning, though not often used every day during the Prep year. Students from Years 3 to 6 have a 1:1 iPad program. Our school has a modern and flexible STEM Centre that is also used for a range of activities such as team presentations and student meetings.

At MPS our students take part in several specialist subjects throughout the school week: Music/ Drama, Visual Arts, Health and PE, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and AUSLAN. There are a range of extra-curricular activities during break times for students to enjoy, such as Coding Club, iPad Club, Garden Club, Eco Club, Art and Music Clubs- something for everyone! Moolap PS places strong emphasis on student voice in every classroom. It has a Student Representative Council (SRC) who are actively engaged in school decision making and School and House Leaders who are involved in running assemblies and conducting events for students to enjoy.

As a school, we understand that students can learn to their potential when they feel safe and secure and where their wellbeing is supported. Our school has a range of programs and approaches that nurture student wellbeing, underpinned by the School Wide Positive Behaviours and Respectful Relationships approaches. We have a dedicated team of Wellbeing staff who offer individual and group supports to students as they navigate their way through school. With parent consent, we also refer students to our network staff (psychologists, speech therapists, social workers) where further support is required.

The Moolap Community group (MCG) is an active group of parents who are invested in supporting students and the school with a range of fundraising events and activities. New members are always welcome and there are lots of ways to get involved, including helping out in the canteen and our breakfast club.

I am more than happy to conduct a tour of the school for prospective parents so you can gain a real feel for our facilities, programs and engaging school environment. Tours begin at the end of February and are personalised to enable you to ask questions and take a closer look at the school and its facilities.

Nyatne (Thanks!)

Kind Regards,

Peter Knight
Principal