Assistant Principal

A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Valkstone Community!

A tremendous thank you to the wonderful families of Grade 1 and Grade 6 who generously dedicated their time to support the Valkstone Working Bee on Sunday 2nd March. Your hard work and enthusiasm were instrumental in maintaining our school environment, ensuring it remains beautiful and welcoming for all of our students and visitors.

We were especially inspired to see our staff members leading the way. Special recognition goes to Mr. Ware, who diligently tackled the weeds in our garden beds, and to Mrs. Kidd, whose ongoing commitment to our frog pond continues to make a significant difference. Your dedication truly embodies the spirit of our school community.

Our gratitude extends to the parents who prepared food for our hardworking volunteers. Your thoughtfulness in keeping everyone nourished and energised throughout the day added a warm, communal touch to the event. These acts of kindness transform a working bee from a mere task into a meaningful community experience.

The success of the Working Bee is a powerful testament to the incredible spirit that defines Valkstone Primary School. Each contribution, regardless of its size, plays a crucial role in creating a vibrant, well-maintained learning environment where our students can thrive and grow.

Thank you once again for your unwavering support — our school truly wouldn't be the same without you!

Warmly, 

Grant Rounsley

On behalf of Valkstone Primary School

Lunch  Clubs

VPS Lunch Clubs have started! 

Our students have enjoyed playing board games, colouring and making bracelets with loom bands. 

Thank you to our Grade 6 Wellbeing Leaders for organising the clubs and to our teachers for volunteering their lunch time to supervise!

Berry Street Educational Model

At the beginning of the school year, all teachers at Valkstone did one day of Professional Learning with Berry Street Educational Model. The BSEM helps teachers gain new perspectives, strategies and skills to build safer, healthier and more engaging classrooms for all students. The whole day’s focus was on Body: how to help your students to regulate their stress response, de-escalate in school and classroom contexts and provide strategies for increased focus.

We have loved watching our teachers embrace these new strategies in the classroom. In particular, starting the day with Circle Time to ensure a consistent, predictable routine at the start of each day. We encourage you to ask your child about Circle Time and what is looks like in their classroom!

Throughout the term we will be exploring more BSEM strategies including: Brain Breaks, setting class expectations, and identifying different emotions. Our unit will finish with lessons about being ‘Ready to Learn’: How do we know if we are ready to learn? How do we become ready to learn? Students will then create their own Ready to Learn Plan, which will help them identify potential causes of stress and create a plan with strategies they can use when they feel stressed or anxious.

Lianne Kelly

Wellbeing

Learning Specialist