Out and about at Surfside

Tomorrow we celebrate the winter solstice which we see the shortest day of daylight hours. This means we will see more daylight in the coming months - woohoo!! Winter is definitely seeing cold mornings and we have had a large collection of students arriving well before the start of the school day. School is not supervised or classrooms open until 8.30am so please chat with your child about the time they are leaving to arrive at school. Below is an overview of our school opening times and a reminder that Camp Australia is available for before and after school care.

School Hours

Classes Start at 8:45am and Classes Finish at 3:15pm

Recess 10:45-11:20am and Lunch 1:15-2:15pm

Please ensure your child/children are at school prior to 8:45am. Students should not arrive before 8.30am and need to be collected by 3.30pm as this is when the school is supervised.

All students who arrive late must sign in at the office and take a late pass to the teacher.

Students leaving early must be signed out by a parent at the office. 

Reporting Time & Student Support Group Meetings

Our classes have been busy undertaking a variety of assessments in prearation for our upcoming reporting cycle. Reports will be released at the end of term 2 and Parent/teacher/student conferences will take place in week 2 of term 3. Student Support Group Meetings will be taking place over the next 2 weeks and eligible student families have received a booking form via compass. Please check in with Gill or Kellie if you are unable to access these bookings.

Surfside Primary School Review - Term 3

Term 3 will be an exciting time for Surfside Primary School as we participate in our school review. Schools participate in a review every 4 years and this will see the completion of our 2021-2024 Strategic Plan. The will be plenty to celebrate from that strategic plan and our upcoming review will allow us the opportunity to reflect and set future goals for our 2025-2028 Strategic Plan. We look forward to welcoming Robyn Blackie (Reviewer), Shelby Papadopolous (Senior Education Improvement Leader), Sabrina Lunn (School Council President) Challenge Partners and the Surfside leadership team to participate in data analysis and conversations, classroom observations, reflections and staff, student and community interviews. Our school review will take place on the following dates:

• Monday 4th August
• Monday 11th August
• Tuesday 12th August

Annual Report to School Community 2024

The Annual Report provides an opportunity to share Surfside's achievements and progress with the school community.

The Annual Report is presented in 2 parts:

• the performance summary, which details the school’s performance from the past year and trends over time. This is compiled by the Department of Education.
• the ‘About our school’ commentary, which is presented by the school and outlines the achievements of the school in the previous year.

The Annual Report is presented to and endorsed at a meeting of school council

Please take the opportunity to download and read the 2024 Surfside PS Annual Report to the School Community below:

The Performance Summary includes the following:

School Profile

• student enrolment information
• the school’s ‘Student Family Occupation and Education’ category
• a summary of parent responses in the Parent Opinion Survey, shown against the statewide average for Primary schools
• school staff responses in the area of School Climate in the School Staff Survey, shown against the statewide average for Primary schools

Learning

• English and Mathematics for Teacher Judgements against the curriculum
• English and Mathematics for National Literacy and Numeracy tests (NAPLAN).

Wellbeing

Student responses to two areas in the Student Attitudes to School Survey:

• Sense of Connectedness
• Management of Bullying

Engagement 

• Student attendance at school

Results are displayed for 2024 and the average of the last four years (where available). 

Some important dates as a reminder for the last 2 weeks of term 2

June

Mon 23rd-2nd Jul - Student Support Group Meetings (invitations sent)

Wed 25th -  SSV Division T-Ball Championships - Stead Park (Qualified Students)

Thu 26th -   Breakfast Club End of Term Celebration in the kitchen - 7.45am-8.30am

Fri 27th -     Assembly @ 2.30pm in the courtyard

Mon 30th - Project 25 (Bellarine SC) - selected year 4 & 5 students            

July

Fri 4th -       Last Day of Term 2 - 2.30pm Finish (Casual Dress gold coin donation)

                      Casual Dress - Pyjama or Oodie or something comfortable day!! 

                      End of Semester Reports Published

Last Day of Term 2

Our student leadership and student voice team recently met to discuss plans for the last day of term 2. As it is winter and comfort and warmth are important the students would like to participate in a 'Pyjama and Oodie Day'. Students will be able to attend school in pyjamas, an oodie or some comfy clothes. Students will need to wear suitable footwear to and from school and during recess and lunchtime. They may bring their uggs, crocs or slippers only to wear in the classroom. Students are reminded to bring a gold coin donation and fundraising efforts will go to a service in particular need during the winter months.

Book Week is coming...

Book week is only around the corner (week 5 of term 3 Monday 18th August-Friday 22nd August) and the theme for Book Week is 'Book an Adventure'. We will be conducting our 'Book Week parade on Friday 22nd August from 9.00am!'

The term 2 break provides an opportunity to get that outfit ready.

Children's Book Week turns 80 in 2025

Children’s Book Week is The CBCA’s key highlight national event of the year. This year’s celebration will run from Saturday 16 to Saturday 23 August.

The 2025 theme is Book an Adventure!

The feature artist for the year, Jess McGeachin, has brilliantly captured this adventurous spirit in his artwork, which features a whimsical map filled with imaginary characters. Jess’ illustration invites young readers to embark on fantastical journeys, inspiring them to travel through the worlds that books open up. As an award-winning Australian picture book illustrator, Jess’ work encourages children to imagine, explore, and create their own adventures.

2025 is also a milestone year for the CBCA as they celebrate 80 years of Children’s Book Week! For 8 decades, CBCA has been dedicated to inspiring young minds to journey through the countless worlds that books offer. Jess’ imaginative artwork reflects this mission perfectly, encouraging children to set off on adventures through time, lands, and imagination. The CBCA look forward to continuing this mission for the next 80 years and beyond!

Year 1 Science Incursion

Exploring the Microscopic World – Surfside & Bellarine Secondary Collaboration

Last week, our Year 1 students had an exciting opportunity to work alongside staff from Bellarine Secondary College as part of a special science partnership. Together, they explored the fascinating world of living things through the lens of real laboratory microscopes.

Working in small teams of three, our budding scientists learned how to use microscopes to investigate samples up close. With lots of curiosity and teamwork, they took turns looking carefully at what they saw before drawing and discussing their observations.

The room buzzed with enthusiasm as students made surprising discoveries and shared their findings with one another. It was wonderful to see such high levels of engagement and joy in learning, and we thank Bellarine Secondary for helping bring science to life in such a memorable way.

We look forward to more exciting partnerships like this in the future!

School Sport Victoria Division Netball Championships

On Thursday a collection of year 5 and 6 students participated in the SSV Division Mixed Netabll Championships. The crew did an amazing job and finished 3rd out of the 8 partipating schools. It was great to see their levels of respect, teamwork and support of others. A big thank you to Mrs Wolfe and their support crew!!

Indoor Soccor Club With Mr Florence

Indoor soccer club is every Wednesday morning and is run by Mr Florence. Students are all welcome to sign up and each week two teams face off. 

River Penhall from Year 4,  a member of the Chicken Wings said "I really enjoy indoor soccer club, my team worked really well as a team and we won!" 

Austin Nimmo also said "It's great because the teams are fair and Mr Florence is a good referee" 

Foundation Maths Afternoon

Our Foundation students recently enjoyed showcasing their skills with their special people during the Maths Afternoon. There were many celebrations and the enjoyment of participating in a range of hands on activities. A big thank you to all who were able to attend and a special shout out to our amazing staff for supporting and implementing the session.

School Council 2025 - June Meeting Overview

Our school council met on Tuesday to discuss standing items such as policies, finance and school related conversations. The following areas were also covered:

• BYOD Program for Years 3-6 - we will be conducting a survey prior to the next school council meeting for parents/carers, staff and studentds
• Canteen operations
• Grant opportunities 

School Council 2025 - August Meeting

Our school council look forward to our next meeting which will be held on Tuesday 19th August:

• Finance Meeting at 5.00pm
• Council Meeting at 5.30pm