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Principal's Report

Dear Parents and Carers,

 

It has been another busy and productive few weeks at Whitehorse Primary School and I hope families enjoyed the long weekend. I would like to take this opportunity to share a few updates and reminders for our school community.

 

Getting to Know You Interviews

Thank you to the many families who participated in our recent Getting to Know You interviews held in late February. These meetings provide an important opportunity early in the year for teachers and families to connect, share insights about each child, and establish strong partnerships to support learning. It was a highlight seeing many current and new families across our school over the two evenings.

 

Understanding our students’ strengths, interests and goals helps our teachers tailor learning experiences and ensure every child feels known and supported. We appreciate the time families take to engage in these conversations. Our next parent teacher interviews will occur in early Term 3 following the release of Semester One Reports.

 

Specialist Expo

Whilst our Classroom Teachers held the interviews across the school, our Specialist Teachers have been busy planning the Specialist Expo to occur later in the year. The aim of the expo is to give students the opportunity to showcase their learning in areas such as Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education, STEM and Chinese.

 

We look forward to the expo later in the year and the fantastic experiences the Specialist Team has planned for our community.

 

NAPLAN in Schools

Students in Years 3 and 5 are currently participating in the NAPLAN assessments, which are conducted across schools in Australia. The testing window for schools runs across the next two weeks.

 

NAPLAN provides one source of information about student progress in literacy and numeracy, alongside the many assessments teachers use throughout the year. We encourage students to approach the assessments with a calm and positive mindset and simply do their best.

 

Further information about specific testing days will be communicated to relevant year levels.

 

School Council 2026

I would like to warmly welcome the members of our 2026 School Council and thank them for their willingness to support the governance and strategic direction of Whitehorse Primary School. Yesterday evening was the first meeting of our new council and I would like to acknowledge the following members of council:

 

  • Megan Goldenberg (DET representative)
  • Joy Terrenzani (DET representative)
  • Marcela Cotroneo (DET representative)
  • Hayley Ellis (Community)
  • Ben Dunstall (Parent)
  • Misty Vieira (Parent)
  • Coral O’Malley (Parent)
  • Simon Beardall (Parent)
  • Louise Liyanage (Parent)
  • Tim Price (Parent)

 

We also would like to acknowledge the following members who have completed their terms and provided a wonderful support to the school in Vikram Singh, Lisa Hume and Georgia Graham.

 

School Council plays an important role in areas such as policy development, financial oversight and supporting the long-term vision of the school. We value the partnership between families, staff and community members who contribute their time and expertise to this work.

 

Student Accident and Private Property Insurance

The Department of Education does not provide personal accident insurance or private property insurance for students.

Families are reminded that:

  • The Department does not cover medical costs resulting from accidents at school.
  • Personal items such as glasses, watches, musical instruments, laptops or bicycles are not covered for damage or loss.

Families may wish to consider private insurance arrangements to cover these circumstances. Further information is available on the Department of Education website.

 

Kiss and Go – Wakefield Drive

A reminder to families using the Kiss and Go zone on Wakefield Drive during drop-off and pick-up times.

To help keep traffic moving safely:

  • Please remain in your vehicle when using the Kiss and Go zone.
  • Move forward as far as possible to allow multiple cars to use the space.
  • Students should exit quickly from the passenger side where possible.
  • If you need additional time to assist your child, please park in a designated parking space instead.

Your cooperation helps ensure a safe and efficient environment for all members of our community.

 

Pending Industrial Action

You may be aware that the Australian Education Union has advised of potential industrial action across Victorian government schools currently planned for 24th March.

 

At this stage we are continuing normal school operations. If any action proceeds that impacts school arrangements, we will communicate directly with families as soon as possible.

 

Thank you for your understanding as we continue to prioritise the learning and wellbeing of our students.

 

Long Service Leave

Finally a reminder to families this will be my final newsletter for a little while as I commence some extended leave with the impending arrival of another child into the family early next week. In the interim, Megan Goldenberg will be Acting Principal for the remainder of term with a process currently underway to finalise Term 2. During this time Joy Terrenzani and Sara Hudson will also be back filling the Assistant Principal role with some time out of the classroom. Ailbhe Reid will be supporting the 1/2 team to facilitate this.

 

I look forward to returning to school at the start of Term 3 and seeing the continued growth of Whitehorse Primary School upon my return.

 

Kind regards,

 

Andrew Den Elzen