Principal's Report

Welcome Back to Term 3

We hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable holiday break and is feeling refreshed for the exciting term ahead. Term 3 promises to be a busy and exciting one, with many opportunities for students to participate in a range of academic, sporting, and whole-school activities. Please refer to "What's on @ Whittlesea Primary School," which is also attached to this Compass post. We encourage all students to approach the term with enthusiasm, curiosity, and a positive attitude. We extend a warm welcome to any new students and families joining our school community this term. We look forward to getting to know you and helping you feel at home. As I personally reach the 2.5-year mark of my tenure as the school Principal, I would like to thank our families for your continued support and partnership. 

Today our Foundation students celebrated Milo's Birthday. The celebration is a key milestone in our Little Learners Love Literacy program, as our students have now officially learned all the letters and sounds of the alphabet. The combination of the fun characters (and party guests) and structured literacy creates a meaningful and enjoyable learning environment that supports both social and literacy development. Thank you to all families for supporting the party this morning. Keep an eye on our socials, as we will be sharing the day for all to enjoy very soon. 

Industrial Action ... 

Like many families, I was a little taken aback by the 'surprise' stop-work action. As communicated, union members were only made aware of the upcoming 'strike' day through an evening text message and then through widespread media coverage.

Whilst I acknowledge the inconvenience of this action, we will continue to do our best in communicating any information as quickly as we can, which we expect will be early next week. Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

Enabling Learning & Cultural Responsiveness

On our Curriclum Day to start the term, we focused on part of the 'Enabling Learning' component of the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0. Cultural responsiveness means creating an inclusive learning environment where every student feels respected, valued, and supported. Teachers recognise and incorporate students' diverse cultures, identities, languages, and experiences into their teaching while maintaining high expectations for all learners.

We had the privilege of Mr Scott Darlow presenting as our guest speaker. He demonstrated this 'responsiveness' through his personal stories, music, and experiences as an Aboriginal educator. He challenged stereotypes about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, encouraged honest conversations about identity and history, and highlighted the importance of understanding each person's story rather than making assumptions. His presentation reinforced that culturally responsive teaching goes beyond including Aboriginal (First Nations) content in the curriculum; rather, it involves building respectful relationships, valuing students' identities, and creating a classroom where all learners feel safe, included, and empowered to succeed. His key 'messages' are that we all just need to be kind, 'lean into' what brings us together, and make everyone always feel welcome. 

A huge thank you to Ms Rae Gittos, Mr Matt Kirkright, Ms Hope Cummins, Ms Mikayla Colombo and Ms Fiona Dandie, who all worked diligently throughout their holiday break to prepare a range of presentations for this day.  Overall, it was a very positive day with wonderful professional learning outcomes. 

Reflection Hub Launches

As mentioned in a previous Primary Post, we are launching the Reflection Hub next week. This structured approach helps students reflect on learning behaviours that will support productive learning time in the classroom. The Reflection Hub is not a 'punishment'. It provides students with an opportunity to pause, reflect on their actions, understand the impact on others' learning, and develop strategies for improvement (a reset). Students may attend the Reflection Hub when they are not engaging in learning despite support and redirection.  Reflection takes place at the start of break times to ensure learning time is protected. Students then return from break to class with a clear plan. Classroom Teachers then support a positive transition back into learning. Families are informed through Compass, and staff will monitor this data to ensure appropriate individualised support is in place. This approach helps build student responsibility, self-regulation and a positive learning environment for all. 

Please note: Any student who attends the reflection hub will receive an SMS to their families. 

Enjoy your weekends

Kaylene