Message From the Principal

We have had two fun filled weeks for the return of Term 3! 

Minister of Education’s Visit to Dinjerra

On Friday 1st August, Dinjerra students had a visit from the Hon Ben Carroll Education Minister and Deputy Premier of Victoria and Labor MP for Laverton, Sarah Connolly. Ben and Sarah met with our Year 3 to 6 Junior School Councillors to discuss Leadership and all things 'Education'. Then the Year Prep students were visited, where Ben filmed a special 100 Days of School message to Prep students around Victoria. The students enjoyed having Ben and Sarah visit! 

Student Led Conferences

Thank you to the families who attended the important Student Led Conferences in Week 1. This was a great opportunity for students to share their learning journey with their families and teachers, including how students have progressed through their individual learning goals. Reflecting on learning ensures that learners know how they learn best, what works well and what doesn’t. This metacognition supports students in being successful in their future learning. Year 5/6C students and P-6 families wanting to book for LOTE Spanish interviews will have a separate day to make up these appointments. 

Sports Carnival Athletics Day 

We had an extraordinary day on Wednesday 30th for our first offsite Sports Carnival Athletics Day. All students and staff boarded buses to Aberfeldie athletics track for the day. The Prep to 2 students participated in some fun tabloid sporting events, whilst the Year 3 to 6 students participated in their Athletics events. I was so proud of all of our students. I saw great encouragement, sportmanship, determination and grit from our students, as they pushed themselves physically and mentally. This is true for our staff too, who ran some staff races to conclude the day! Students collected house points for placings and they also collected bonus points for showing our school values. 

We have four house teams:

Congratulations to Goolagong - Green House for winning the House Cup for 2025! 

Lots of thank yous are needed to run such a successful day. Thanks to Cam Beatty, Karlee Griffiths and Deb Domas for organising the event, to all of our teachers and Education Support Staff for supporting our students on the day. Thank you to Bryan, Rachel and Meena from Kelly Club for joining us and supervising groups of students. Once again, Julie-ann, Nathan Semiano’s mum, continued the tradition of baking the Sports Carnival Cookies (which were delicious, by the way). Janet Anouk Palmer’s mum and Hygellig photographer, captured the moments of joy in an array of photos. 

The biggest thank you goes out to former Physical Education teacher, Deb Domas, who is on her Long Service Leave, for thinking of every possible factor to ensure the students had a perfect day! 

Chloe Minh Thao Nguyen - Champion

Congratulations to Chloe Minh Thao Nguyen, who was recognised for her Mathematics skills and dedication to her Mathletics tasks. Chloe was presented with an award and a cup, to recognise her as the Number 1 Australian World Maths Day Champion! 

This is an incredible achievement. Keep it up Chloe! *All Dinjerra students have Mathletics or MathSeeds accounts. If you do not have your login details, please see your classroom teacher. 

Anti Bullying - Stand Up Project 

On Tuesday 29th July, our 5/6 students participated in an incursion from the Stand Up Project (SUP), which is an upstander and anti-bullying program. We now have a team of Year 5/6  students who are trained as SUP Student Leaders. Our leaders are planning an information session workshop, for our families, our staff, and for our 3/4 classes, which will be a great opportunity for our school to develop whole school language and practices around anti-bullying and being an upstander. 

The Family Stand Up Project Information Session will be held in Week 6 on Tuesday 26th August from 3:45-4:45pm. All families are encouraged to attend. 

Thank you to Tom Penberthy, Dinjerra’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader, for organising the Stand Up Project for Dinjerra. For more information on the Stand Up Project, please visit https://www.thestandupproject.com/ 

Staffing News - Verity Dester

As you know, Verity Dester is Dinjerra’s 1/2DR’s Classroom Teacher on Mondays and Tuesdays.  Verity has recently applied for, and is the successful applicant, for a Term 3 teaching position at Virtual Schools Victoria (VSV). VSV is a virtual school that provides online intervention to students in government schools in Victoria. The position is for a fixed term for the remainder of Term 3. This position is something that Verity has been thinking about for awhile. 

Verity will be beginning at VSV on Monday 4th August, and will return to Dinjerra PS for the beginning of Term 4.I wish to congratulate Verity and wish her all the best for the Term 3 position with VSV. In terms of Verity’s replacement in the 1/2DR classroom, we have organised the following:

• On Monday 4th August, we have organised a causal relief teacher to teach the 1/2DR students. 
• Marta Rodrigues will be at school on Tuesday 5th August as the 1/2DR classroom teacher. 
• We have contacted our casual relief teacher agencies and hope to have a replacement teacher organised swiftly. 
• Marta Rodrigues will continue the classroom teacher role on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. 
• We will keep the families of 1/2DR informed of the process, and communicate the news of the new teacher as soon as possible so that the 1/2DR students have a smooth transition. 

1/2M Classroom Teacher - Nearly There! 

We are just putting the finishing touches on our recruitment process for the replacement teacher in Year 1/2M. Stay tuned! 

Mark Catterson - Acting Principal of    Carlton PS

Mark is currently away from Dinjerra, in an acting principal role at Carlton PS. I wish Mark all the best in this leadership opportunity, and look forward to Mark's return soon.

School Review - Parent Forum

We have organised two Parent Forums for our upcoming school review. Our reviewer, Trish Hyland, would like to meet with parents and carers, to hear your feedback on how the school is going. She is facilitating 2 forums on Monday 11th August:

Parent Forum 1- 9:00am

Parent Forum 2 - 3:00pm

Your feedback is vital for our school, so it would be appreciated if you could attend one of these sessions to share your experiences of Dinjerra. No RSVP is needed. 

 Parent Payments - Thank you

Thank you to the families who have been able to pay their Voluntary Parent Payments already. This has allowed us to provide necessary materials, resources and subscriptions for our students. Whilst the payments are voluntary, the payments make a big difference to the functioning of our school. If you are able to make payment, please do so via Compass, or contact the office. Payment plans are also available. 

If you would like further details of the parent payments and the policy, please visit our website link: DPS Parent Payment page. 

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