Principal's Report

Welcome

Welcome to the first whole school newsletter for the 2026 school year!

I am delighted to have the privilege of joining the Syndal South Primary School community as Acting Principal.

I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting students, parents and the staff this week and have felt the very strong sense of community here at SSPS.  I have joined Syndal South Primary School this year after being the Acting Principal at Kingston Heath Primary School in Cheltenham for the past three years.  In my career I have also been fortunate to have five years as Principal of Balwyn North Primary School and Head of E.L.C and Primary at an international school in Bali, Indonesia. In the short amount of time that I have been here at Syndal South, I can already say that the sense of community and commitment to student excellence is second to none.  

If you have not yet had the chance to do so, please do come and introduce yourself at any of the upcoming community events or any time you are up at the school.

To all the new families joining our school, we extend a huge, warm welcome to the Syndal South Primary School community and we look forward to getting to know you and building a positive and trusting relationship. We also welcome back our returning families. We trust that you and your family had an enjoyable break and were able to spend quality time with loved ones. There are many opportunities in the coming weeks to meet teachers and other parents and get involved in our school community.  I encourage all parents to make the most of these opportunities as it is through strong home school partnerships that your child truly thrives.

New staff at SSPS:

We are delighted to welcome (and welcome back) new faces to Syndal South in 2026:

• Cindy Chiang – 2C Classroom Teacher

• Danielle Canavan – 3C Classroom Teacher

• Alex Wong – Education Support 

Some community events taking place this term:

• Parent Teacher Meet & Greets - Wednesday 11th February

• Welcome Picnic – Friday 20th February

We are delighted to have our new Gaga Pit almost ready for use.  This new gaga pit was made possible by a very generous parent donation made to the school. The students are eagerly awaiting the pit to be finished so that they can play there.  Final works should take place this week and it will be up and running by the end of next week.  I know that the school and students are very grateful for the donation, giving us another space to play.

Annual Privacy Reminder for our School Community

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ privacy policy and the Schools’ privacy collection notice.

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students policy Photographing Filming and Recording.pdf describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn. 

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ privacy policy: information for parents. This 

Sunscreen is an essential component of our school Sunsmart policy. Students are encouraged to keep a roll-on sunscreen in their bag so that they are able to re-apply throughout the day. The school also has pump packs of sunscreen available for students to use.  This must be applied by the student themselves.  Students with sensitivities to sunscreen products are strongly encouraged to supply their own sunscreen.  A reminder that hats are compulsory between September and March each year.  New hats can be purchased from the school office.

Online Safety

Keeping our students safe online is a shared responsibility between home and school.  At school, online activity is monitored and restricted to sites and programs/apps that have been deemed safe for student use.  Online activity outside of school can easily be less closely monitored and unfortunately, young people can become at risk quite quickly.  The teaching and learning program at Syndal South educates students from Foundation – Year 6 about online safety and age appropriate strategies for keeping yourself safe online.  Parents are encouraged to speak regularly with their children about their online behaviour.  The eSafety commission run excellent, free webinars for parents which we would encourage you to register for https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars

Annual Student Accident Insurance reminder for our school community

The Department (which includes our school) does not have personal accident insurance for students.

If a student is injured at school or while participating in a school activity (including offsite) and requires medical treatment, parents/carers are responsible for all of their child’s medical expenses. This includes transport costs such as ambulance costs (which may include an air ambulance if considered necessary).

Please also note the Department (which includes our school) does not have personal property insurance for staff and/or students.

Items of personal property that are lost, stolen or damaged at school or during school excursions are not the responsibility of Syndal South Primary School or the Department. Staff and students are reminded not to bring items of value to school or on school excursions.

Syndal South Primary School encourages parents/carers to consider obtaining their own accident insurance for students and property of value that may be brought to school.

Supervision of Students

Please also be aware that supervision of students, by school staff occurs during playtimes every day and from 8:50 – 9:00am each morning and 3:30 – 3:45pm each afternoon.  Parents and carers are asked to actively supervise children if they are on school grounds outside of these times.

Katelyn Joyce

Acting Principal