Principal's Report

End of Year School Self-Assessment

As we near the end of the year, one of the tasks for a school to perform is a self-evaluation in relation to our Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) targets and actions. The AIP targets are to be based upon Learning and Wellbeing – the two central components of the Framework for Improving Student Outcomes. In past newsletters the school’s leadership team have communicated the work we have been implementing in Learning and Wellbeing. I thought it would be helpful to summarise our achievements in one place.

What have we achieved in Numeracy this year?

Numeracy was identified as a 2024 priority for the school, based on our data and performance in this area. We have invested significant time, resources and professional development into the teaching of Numeracy, and this effort has led to improved results.

This year, we have implemented several key actions in our Numeracy program:

• Embedding the ‘Launch Explore Summarise’ teaching model, which provides a greater focus on problem solving. This has been achieved through professional learning led by a Maths consultant, lesson observations of colleagues, and by using updated planning templates. This model complements our existing explicit teaching approach.
• Preparing for Maths Curriculum 2.0. Teachers are getting ready for the full implementation of the new Maths Curriculum next year. This preparation has helped them understand the changes in teaching content and learning outcomes for Maths.
• Implementation of whole school Maths moderation tasks. We have introduced assessment tasks designed by the Maths School Improvement Team. These assessment tasks provide staff with additional data on student learning and help teachers develop their data analysis skills.

What have we achieved in Literacy this year?

You may be aware of the Department of Education’s mandated approach to teaching synthetic phonics for students in Foundation - Year 2 commences next year. This year, our Literacy Learning Specialist and Literacy School Improvement Team have been leading work in this area. Some of the Literacy actions that we have completed this year include:

• Explicit daily teaching of phonics in Foundation – Year 2. This includes explicit daily teaching of the 'Big Six’ in Literacy: oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension.
• A structured approach to the teaching of Spelling in Years 2 – 6, using Sound Waves as our resource.
• Additional decodable home readers and classroom library books, purchased using parent contributions to the library fund.
• Preparing for English Curriculum 2.0. Teachers will become familiar with the updated curriculum in 2025.
• Continued work on whole-school writing moderation tasks and how to best use student data.

What have we achieved in Wellbeing & Inclusion this year?

There has been significant activity in the Wellbeing and Inclusion space this year with the employment of three wellbeing leaders, the first year of School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS), and transitioning to Disability Inclusion. Some of the Wellbeing and Inclusion actions that we have completed this year include:

• Final draft of our SWPBS matrix which defines expected behaviours in different parts of the school. Lesson plans have been developed to support this resource.
• An Inclusion Outreach Coach is working once a week at the school, supporting teachers with making adjustments to optimise the wellbeing needs of our students.
• Application for additional funding for students with additional needs through Disability Inclusion.

What does the data tell us?

A summary of our School Performance Report, produced by the Department of Education indicates:

• Learning: FPS is in the ‘High’ performance group. This is based on NAPLAN results and learning growth.
• Wellbeing: FPS is in the ‘Medium’ performance group. This is based on Student Attitude to School Survey (Years 4 – 6) and attendance data.

What are our priorities for next year?

The following are the Learning and Wellbeing priorities for next year:

• Whilst we are pleased to see the improvement in Numeracy outcomes, we remain committed to continuing this upward trajectory. 
• Through analysis of data, the leadership team has identified strength and success in Reading. We also recognise that areas of Writing can be improved upon, in particular grammar and spelling and we are in the process of identifying actions to support this work, including our synthetics phonics approach, and a structured and consistent approach to teaching grammar.
• Our Wellbeing performance of ‘Medium’ indicates that this is an area for ongoing improvement, and we are excited to build on the success of SWPBS in 2025.

Year 4 Camp

Last week our intrepid Year 4 students experienced their first camp as they headed off to Mount Evelyn. I heard positive stories from staff (school staff and camp staff), parents and parent helpers about how our students approached everything that they did. I am always filled with pride when I hear about students participating in offsite camps, sports, excursions, concerts, and other events, demonstrating and embodying our school values.

A big thank you to the staff – Holly, Jade, Katie and Cathy, and to the parent helpers – Talia Papas, Nicholas Wandke, Thomas Hodson, Edwina Ryan, and Jennifer Clarke for your support and attendance.

Welcome – New Education Support Staff

We have a few new faces joining the FPS education support staff team. Our education support teams comprise integration aides and administration staff.

Integration Aides

Our integration aides play an vital role in the running of our school as we continually strive towards excellence in wellbeing and inclusion. We are fortunate to have such caring, patient and skilled staff at FPS; all our students benefit from their expertise. This term we welcome the following integration aides to our team, who are all working in a part-time capacity:

• Gabrielle De Jonge
• Callum McCracken
• Xuejing (Katherine) Meng
• Rebecca Svab

Office Administration

We welcome Kitty McDonald to our office administration team. Kitty is replacing Leisa Chambeyron who left FPS last term.

Eco Day–Funds Raised

Eco Day was held on Tuesday 12 November, with students and staff participating in activities with a sustainable focus – whilst wearing green and/or recycled clothing. 

Thank you to the many families who contributed a gold coin donation on the day. We are excited to announce that FPS has donated $494.40 to the Yarra Riverkeeper Association. Thank you!

Yard Redevelopment

You might have noticed some activity on the schoolyard last Wednesday, and observed some markings on the ground. After a significant delay, the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) gave us the green light to proceed with soil testing for the area of the proposed works. Once we have the ‘all clear’ on these results, we will commence the Design Development stage with the landscape architects – at this time we can share plans with the community.

2025 Grade Structures

Workforce planning, teacher allocations, and class lists are in the final stages of development. I will share teacher class allocations in the next newsletter, and students will find out their 2025 classes and teachers at our Meet Your Teacher session on Tuesday 17th December.

Below are the grade structures for 2025. We will be maintaining straight grades (meaning that there will be no composite grades) throughout the school. 

Like all organisations, schools must operate within their available budgets. Next year our class sizes will range from 21 – 26 students and we will continue to run our five specialist classes: French, Performing Arts, Physical Education, Science, Visual Arts; in addition to our Literacy Intervention program and the Tutor Learning Initiative. In 2025, the Student Excellence Program recommences – details of how this program will work and how students are selected will be communicated at the start of next year. 

Grade structures for 2025

Mango Fundraiser – 3 December Delivery 

It's been a busy season on the mango farm, with the fruit ripening much faster this year. Consequently, FPS will take delivery of the mango orders on Tuesday 3 December. If you ordered mangoes, you be emailed with further details about collection.

Here's a note from the mango farm about this year's crop:

Our crop this season has matured much earlier than we anticipated. Normally we are in the peak season towards the end of November/early December, however it is looking like there will be little to no fruit left on the trees come December. We have rescheduled deliveries in order to fulfill all orders placed. 

FPS End of Year Picnic – Friday 6 December

Grab your picnic blanket and basket – it’s time for our annual end of year picnic. This is a BYO event where families gather, eat and connect, before the final flurry of end-of-year events and celebrations. 

The picnic runs from 5:30 – 8pm on the school grounds and we have our fingers crossed for good weather.

Have a great rest of the week and I will see you around the grounds.

~ Paul Wallace, Principal