Principal's Blog

Good Afternoon Parents Students, Staff and Friends of Derinya,  

With us more than half way through the term, we are now in full swing. Classes have completed their ‘Off to a flying start’ unit where we have had a focus on student wellbeing, classroom agreements and routines.  

Year 6 Camp  

Our Year 6 camp to Kangaroobie was nothing short of extraordinary. Set amongst beautiful bushland here in Victoria, our students embraced every challenge with courage and enthusiasm. 

Across the week, we saw problem solving in action, from navigating team challenges to encouraging one another on activities that pushed comfort zones. More importantly, we saw friendships deepen. Students supported one another, laughed together, and built connections that will carry well beyond the classroom. 

Camp gives children something special that can’t always be taught inside four walls resilience, independence, teamwork and shared memories. The stories, the campfire moments, the muddy shoes and tired smiles, these are the experiences that stay with them for a lifetime. 

Thank you to our staff for their care and commitment in making camp such a rich and memorable experience. 

NAPLAN 

In the coming weeks, our Year 3 and Year 5 students will participate in NAPLAN testing. 

NAPLAN provides a snapshot of student progress in literacy and numeracy and helps inform our teaching and learning programs. Tests will be conducted on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of next week. If your child is absent catch up opportunities will be made available the following week.  

At our school, we value growth, effort and progress every day. If you have any questions about NAPLAN, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher. 

Fundraising 

The excitement is building for our upcoming Colour Run! 

We have already raised an incredible $39,000 towards our $50,000 target, an outstanding achievement by our community. This speaks volumes about the generosity, enthusiasm and spirit of our families. 

If you haven’t yet had a chance to contribute or share the fundraiser with friends and family, there is still time. Every dollar brings us closer to our goal and directly supports improvements and opportunities for our students. 

Let’s see if we can cross that finish line together! 

A reminder that this year we are looking at two major projects including our wellbeing lounge and much anticipated new playground.  

Baby announcement  

We are delighted to share the wonderful news that Mr James Neale and his family have welcomed a beautiful baby boy, Henry Neale, to their family. 

Mum, Dad, big brother Tommy and baby Henry are all doing well, and we know our community will join us in congratulating them on this very special new chapter. 

Student Voice Team

In student leadership news, I’m very pleased to announce our 2026 SVT representatives. Please join me in congratulating:

Grade 3

• Xavier G
• Georgia C
• Liam L
• Amity L

• Zara O

   

Grade 4

• Sadie D
• Otis S
• London E
• Timothy T
• Eddie M

• Hendrix M

   

Grade 5

• Penny T
• Finn T
• Ethan Z
• Hughie J

• Izayah K

   

Grade 6

• Arthur B
• Summer S
• Lola S
• Dylan F

• Galia E

   

We look forward to the leadership and enthusiasm these students will bring to their roles. SVT badges will be presented at tomorrow’s assembly.

School Council  

School council met for our AGM and first meeting for 2026 last night. Whilst membership has already been announced, office bearers and subcommittees have now been formed. I am please to share that the following roles have been finalised to include:

President – Mr Chris Costuna 

Vice President – Mrs Jessie Sharp 

Treasurer – Mrs Robyn White 

Secretary – Mr Cory Stevens  

DE Representatives (school based) – Nadine Pye, Stuart Charles, Cory Stevens, Tina Ramsay  

Parent Representatives – Chris Costuna, Jessie Sharp (DE parent), Robyn White (DE parent), Eleanor Simons, Jodie Houghton, Nadine Van Grootveld, Teresa Poulsom, Cyanna McLaren and Lynda Miller. 

Thank you for your ongoing partnership and support. It is through strong connection between school and home that our children truly thrive. 

Together, we continue to help every child learn, grow and create memories that last a lifetime. 

Warm regards, 

Nadine Pye on behalf of the Derinya Community