Principal's Message

Please take the time to read each page of our newsletter, as we provide you with information updates across our school. 

2025 - Foundation Enrolment Information 

Enrolment applications are due by Friday 26th July 2024

If you have siblings of current students who haven't enrolled, we ask that you submit your applications by the above date.

ACTION NOW REQUIRED FROM FAMILIES

This year all schools across Outer Eastern Melbourne (including our school) are using an online system for new enrolments to Victorian government schools called VicStudents.   VicStudents is available for students who are enrolling in a Victorian Government School for the first time. This includes Foundation (Prep) enrolments for 2025. 

VicStudents has been assessed by the Department of Education to a high degree of security in line with the Victorian Protective Data Security Standards and is compliant with ISO 27001, the leading international standard for information security. 

To commence an online enrolment: Visit https://students.educationapps.vic.gov.au/s/ to create an account and complete the online application form. Please ensure that all documents required are attached to the application. 

2023 Annual Report to the School Community

Our 2023 Annual Report to the School Community is now available to be viewed publicly. 

Each year, during the month of April, schools are required to produce an Annual Report which is endorsed by School Council. A randomization of schools are then selected to have the contents of their Annual Report checked for quality assurance and accuracy of data sets. We are pleased to announce that following a quality assurance audit, our Annual Report has been approved for publishing with no amendments. 

Please refer to the attachment below: 

You will note from the above Annual Report, that our school has continued to perform strongly in Literacy. Within Writing (NAPLAN Year 3 and Year 5) our school was the #1 achieving school across Victoria in comparison to like school cohorts. This is an outstanding achievement for our school!

It is also pleasing to note when comparing associated Literacy data sets, that schools across our network have also improved their NAPLAN results; which is a direct result of the professional learning we have been leading for our network.  

As a Principal, it is extremely rewarding to know that through our experiences we are also able to positively influence local network schools. 

Our school leadership have noted that what we are doing in Literacy is having a positive impact upon student learning and engagement across all year levels. Therefore, we are applying the same approach of professional learning to the Numeracy curriculum. When schools shift their focus from one curriculum area to another (for example from English to Math) we often see a drop-off of academic achievement within the areas which the school is not focussing upon... however, this is a situation in which we are acutely aware of not becoming a statistic. 

In response to the above notion of keeping an 'equal' focus upon Math and English academic achievement (of course amongst other specialist areas) we have developed a strong and robust professional learning calendar for our staff in the second-half of 2023, which will continue throughout 2024 and 2025. References to some snippets of professional learning appear on the Curriculum- Teaching and Learning page of this newsletter. 

NAPLAN 2024 Preliminary Data

Whilst 2024 individual NAPLAN data is not yet available to parents/carers (this is published in early Term Three), schools have recently gained access to preliminary unmoderated results. 

As a school, it is rare that we bring our NAPLAN results to the attention of our community, however in response to the publication of our 2023 Annual Report it is worth noting preliminary 2024 achievement and growth in Math: 

• Year Three- 84% of students in strong or exceeding (2023 state mean comparative of 67%). Of this, 28% of students were in the exceeding band
• Year Five- 81% of students in strong or exceeding (2023 state mean comparative of 68%). Of this, 16% of students were in the exceeding band.  

In addition to the above Math data, 2024 preliminary data across all areas of Literacy is equal to or stronger than 2023 achievement. When direct comparison of students in the 'exceeding' band is made, 2024 results show improvement in all areas. 

Whilst 2024 like school cohort data is not yet available, we look forward with interest to measuring the impact of high-level professional learning upon outcomes. 

It is important to note that NAPLAN results should not be the reason to be part of a school community. However, it is one of the only statistical measures on which school achievement and success is widely measured by all levels of government and the media. Therefore, we must provide some acknowledgement of impact.  

Our school is more than just NAPLAN and academic achievement. At our school, we aim to create an environment in which everyone belongs. We want our students to bounce out of bed in the morning, excited about coming to school, and feeling like they belong to something special. 

In response to our school once again providing an environment in which 'everyone belongs' please refer to the open letter below which was recently authored by our School Council President. 

National Aerobics Championships- Outstanding Achievements and Results

The students of Upwey South Primary School continue to amaze and inspire us every term. From their learning achievements in the classroom, to their sporting and artistic endeavors, to their community awareness and cultural inclusion... we truly are lucky to be part of such an amazing school community. 

A particular achievement which we would like to acknowledge in our final newsletter is our school aerobics team. 

As part of our Year Three-Year Six electives programming, we offer a variety of subject areas for our students. One of these electives is 'Sport Aerobics'. This year, our team is made up of students from Year Four- Year Six, who have competed on the FISAF National Circuit this year. Earlier this year, our team won a silver medal at the Regional Championships, which qualified them for the State Championships- which were held last week in Melbourne. At the State Championships, our team won a bronze medal in their division, qualifying them for the National Championship Invitational Tournament to be held on the Gold Coast, QLD at the end of August. 

Winning a state level bronze medal is an amazing achievement! Considering that our team was competing against older students from a number of well known independent schools and private club affiliations, we are so proud of the confidence and self-belief shown by our team. 

We can't wait to hear about your endeavors on the Gold Coast!

Term Three Compass Calendar

Please note that all Term Three dates are now published in our Compass Calendar. 

We encourage you to refer to these dates in advance. 

We have many exciting events ahead of us, including but not limited to our school production, National Aerobic Championships, year level excursions, Regional Robotics Championships, Divisional sport tournaments, localised casual wear and themed dress days, John Monash Science School Enrichment, Victorian High Abilities Programming, ICAS examinations, Year Three-Four camp, Auslan Week, Book Week, Community electives, Victorian State Schools Spectacular, school assemblies, and our Parents Association events.

The above events and more are listed in our calendar, hence we encourage you to note events in advance. 

In Term Three we are also excited for the next instalment of our 3MDR Fresh Air Youth Radio! Our sound engineering and DJing students have been hard at work conducting interviews and editing content for our Term Three programming: 

 Communicating with the Principal

We look forward to partnering with you in 2024, and welcome your input: 

Damien Kitch (Principal)  damien.kitch@education.vic.gov.au