Dear Parents/Carers,

As we approach the end of Term, there have been many highlights at Whitehorse Primary School over the last few weeks which you will find throughout the newsletter. I’d like to start by acknowledging the many parent helpers and the positive impact they have on the students and events across the school. Thank you to all the parents and grandparents who give up their time to support a number of activities, including; Inter-school Sport, Kitchen/Garden, Reading in the classroom, attending excursion walks and being part of our Whitehorse Family Network. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Timetable changes Term 3

Families please be aware there will be some upcoming changes to our specialist teaching staff in Term 3 as Ms Chin has recently commenced her family leave. As a result we can announce that Mr Merriweather and Ms Deng will take on the role of Performing Arts in Semester 2. Both Mr Merriweather and Ms Deng have experience in the Performing Arts classroom and as current members of our Specialist Team, will be able to continue the program students have been exposed to throughout the year.

To support these changes, all Specialist classes will run for the same amount of time (50 minutes) across all year levels. Previously student specialist times would run for between 45mins and 60mins depending on the Year level and subject. This will also lead to minor changes to our recess and lunch times, with recess starting at 10:40am til 11:10am and lunch commencing at 12:50 til 1:50pm. The amount of time students have for recess and lunch will remain the same with recess brought forward by 20 mins and lunch brought forward by 10 mins. I encourage any families to reach out if they have any questions or would like further clarification.

We would like to also acknowledge Ms Chin for her efforts this year and wish her and her family all the best as they welcome a newborn into their world in the near future!

Museum in Motion

On Tuesday, our Year 5/6s presented their learnings about Australian History as a “Museum in Motion”. It was great to see the quality of work on display and the effort the students went to make this an interactive and enjoyable experience. Thank you to all the parents who came and visited and engaged with the students and the Year 5/6 teachers for their coordination and support. The students were able to demonstrate key understandings around significant Australian Historical figures and events that they had explored throughout the term.

Maths Association of Victoria Games Day

Today we had some of our Year 5/6 students head off to Box Hill High School to compete in the MAV Games Day. The students had a great time engaging in a range of mathematical challenges that required them to apply problem solving and reasoning skills. Thank you to Mrs Keating for attending with the students.

Junior School Council

Last week, two of our Year 6 JSC reps meet with me to share the ideas that had come from the JSC on ways to continue to improve our great school. These suggestions ranged from a mini basketball hoop and soccer goals to looking at opening up a student canteen and having more sports equipment available for students to use at recess and lunch. It was great to hear from students about their perspectives and provide some information to the JSC on how we can work towards achieving some of these recommendations moving forward.

Regional Cross Country

On Thursday 14th of June we had two students Alice and Justin represent the school in Regional Cross Country in Yarra Glen having finished in the top 10 in District Cross Country. Despite the challenging weather conditions, both Alice and Justin gave their personal best on the day with Alice finishing 62nd and Justin 67th. We congratulate them both on their efforts and for representing our school.

Student Reporting

A reminder that student reports for Semester 1 will be released today via Compass. The reports will provide families with feedback regarding their child’s progress against the Victorian Curriculum in all key learning areas.

Parents/carers and students will also be provided the opportunity to book in with their child’s teachers for an Interview in early Term 3 (Tuesday 23rd and Wednesday 24th of July). Bookings will be made for these via Compass and will open early next term.

Foundation 2025

A reminder to families that enrolments for 2025 are required to be submitted by July 26th. I encourage families to visit our website to see more information about the digital enrolment process for 2025 or reach out to our school office for support. I’d also like to remind families to book in for our second Storytime session also being held on Friday 26th of July at 9:30am. Families will begin to receive confirmation of enrolments from Monday 29th of July.

Shout out to staff

Recently at school we have been talking as a staff about the importance of celebrating the "small" successes that happen each and every day across the school and the collaborative nature of our staff. I would like to also take some time to acknowledge the work that our staff put into their roles at Whitehorse Primary School. When you walk through the school you will consistently see students on task and teachers actively involved in giving feedback to students. This doesn't happen by accident, this occurs through the preparation, planning and commitment to growth that our staff demonstrate each and every day. I would like to acknowedge the staff for their dedication to the students and families at our school.

Happy holidays

On behalf of all the staff at Whitehorse, we would like to wish all students and families a wonderful holiday. It has been a fantastic Term 2 and we look forward to seeing parents at our end of term assembly at 2pm on Friday with students being dismissed at 2:30pm.

We encourage the community to use our facilities during the holiday break, as it is great seeing children and families being active and playing outdoors; however, if you see anyone acting suspiciously or inappropriately around the school grounds, please contact the Forest Hill Police Station on (03) 8847 3600 or contact 000.

Kind regards,

Andrew Den Elzen

Principal Awards