Principal's Message

2026 School Theme - Coherence

Dear Westbreen PS Families, 

School Disco

Only two weeks until our annual school disco!

There will be two separate discos on the same day held in our Specialist Building:

• Foundations to Grade 2: 4:30pm – 5:30pm
• Grade 3 to Grade 6: 6:00pm – 7:30pm

Tickets will cost $12.50 each and must be purchased in advance to attend via Xuno! Tickets are available now! Paper tickets will then be distributed to families prior to the event. Check out the Parents and Friends Committee page for more details. 

Professional Learning Community Cycles of Inquiry

One way that we build the professional knowledge and skills of our teachers is by engaging in a cycle of inquiry using the FISO 2.0 Improvement cycle. The cycle depicts the improvement process that Victorian government schools use to implement strategies and actions to improve students’ learning and wellbeing outcomes. The cycle embodies global best-practice research on school improvement and teacher professional learning.

The stages of the improvement cycle include:

• Evaluate and diagnose education challenges and areas for improvement based on the learning and wellbeing needs of every student, using student data.
• Prioritise and set goals for improvement strategies and initiatives that have the greatest impact on student learning and wellbeing.
• Develop and plan improvement strategies and initiatives to ensure successful implementation.
• Implement and monitor selected improvement strategies and initiatives (based on the latest research and best practice) and track the impact these have on student learning and wellbeing, to adapt and respond accordingly.

This term, the teams have been conducting inquiry cycles in the area of Literacy based on the following topics: 

Foundation: Letter name knowledge and automatic recall

Year 1 and 2: Sentence Structure

Year 3-6: Implementing ARC Spelling Lessons

At the conclusion of their inquiry, teachers will present their results and findings to their colleagues so that all teachers benefit from their learning. 

National Reconciliation Week

This week, students have been engaging in a range of activities to celebrate National Reconciliation Week. Students in 4L answered the following questions about this important week for all Australians. Thanks to Mia, Melissa, Angie and Brooklyn for your thoughtful responses. 

Question 1. Why is celebrating NRW important? NRW is important because we respect our Aboriginal People who were here before us. 

Question 2. What does it mean to be all in? A call for all Australians to commit wholeheartedly to reconciliation everyday. It looks like everyone respecting Aboriginal culture.

Question 3. Why is reconciliation not just the responsibility of First Nations people? How can everyone be part of reconciliation? We can all be part of reconciliation and be responsible and listen to what Aboriginal people have to say. 

Question 4. Why is it important to learn from and listen to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples? It's important to know their rights and let them have a say. 

Question 5. What are some things we could do in the classroom or school community to show that we are all in for reconciliation?  We could acknowledge the land we are on is Aboriginal land, listen to First Nations people and look after the land by cleaning up our community. 

Westbreen Maths Olympiad

Maths Olympiad has officially started at WPS! Maths Olympiad is an extension program for selected students from Years 4-6 which involves working 5 very challenging maths problems each week for homework and then sharing working and solutions with one another.  It was amazing to see the strategies and thinking demonstrated by our students at their session last week. Here are some sample questions from the program to get you thinking. APSMO Sample Questions

School iPads

It has been great to see a range of classes using our new iPads for their learning. The Foundation students explored digital geoboards as part of a lesson on shapes and the Year 2 students used the iPads to complete online assessments. Classes can book the iPads to use throughout the week.  

Semester Reports

As mentioned earlier in the term, due to the recent AEU stop work actions, semester 1 reports will not include written comments from teachers. They will include ratings for effort, behaviour and achievement for each relevant learning subject. Three-way conferences are planned for week 5 in Term 3 which will give families an opportunity to discuss their child's progress in more detail. Our new progress reports will also be provided at the end of term 3. 

A reminder from Victoria Police about e-scooters and e-bikes. 

Yours in education, 

Megan Ganter

Acting Principal

The Victorian Government acknowledges Aboriginal Traditional Owners of Country throughout Victoria and pays respect to their cultures and Elders past, present and emerging.