Harmony Week runs from 16 - 22 March 2026 and celebrates the diversity that makes our community strong. It's a time to recognise and embrace inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone, no matter their background. It is a time to celebrate that Australia is one of the most successful multicultural societies in the world. Harmony Week is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values.

We celebrated Harmony Day at Breakfast Club with orange pancakes and congee then, later in the day, our Scoresby Superstars session was making flowers illustrating what Harmony Day means to our students.

NAPLAN 2026

Congratulations to all of our Year 3 and Year 5 students for completing their NAPLAN tests for 2026. We started off with the statewide technical issues for our Year 5 Writing session but managed to navigate around this. We were able to log on 30 minutes later, so no major disruptions for us.

Other than that it has been a very smooth process at SPS, with staff well prepared each morning in the Science and Wellbeing rooms. We have a few children to catch up this week due to absences.

We are looking forward to receiving the results mid-year. A big thank you to Kellie Symons for coordinating NAPLAN this year, and to the Year 3-6 staff for their calm approach, as always.

Student Dress Code Policy Consultation

What you need to know

Scoresby Primary School School Council is reviewing its school student dress code and we want to know what you think.

Our student dress code sets the expectations of how our students present themselves to each other and the public. School uniforms can promote belonging, support student safety, and allow students to look and feel good at school. However, there are different views about how to make school dress codes affordable, inclusive and practical. This includes deciding if the school will have a student uniform and, if so, whether wearing it will be mandatory or optional.

Why are we consulting parents/carers?

School Council regularly reviews the Student Dress Code Policy to ensure that it follows the rules in the Department of Education’s Student Dress Code Policy. As part of this process, School Council is seeking input from parents/carers, teachers, students and other members of the school community. Your feedback helps ensure that our Student Dress Code Policy is affordable, reflective of the school community, and practical.

What can you expect from the consultation process?

Opportunity to have your say: You will be invited to share your views by survey using the following link https://forms.gle/f6NEiadxdZgHNRfLA
Clear time frames: You will be given from Friday 20th March until Friday 24 April to complete the survey and have your say.
Transparency: We will let you know how your feedback has been considered in the decision-making process.
Student voice: We will actively seek and consider student views alongside the views of parents, carers, staff and other members of the school community.

Topics for consultation

Parents/carers will be asked about the following aspects of the Student Dress Code Policy:

Purpose: the reason for having a student dress code OR the reason for not having a dress code.
Affordability: ways to keep the cost of uniforms at an accessible level for the school community.
Fairness: ensuring schools apply their Student Dress Code Policy in a way that is fair to all students.
Support for families: ensuring schools provide relevant uniform items to support families experiencing hardship.

Who makes the final decision?

School Council is responsible for setting and reviewing the school’s Student Dress Code Policy. School Council is also responsible for deciding on supply arrangements for the student uniform.
Feedback from you will assist the School Council in these tasks.
The Department of Education’s Student Dress Code Policy provides direction and guidance to school councils to help them develop and review their local student dress code.
If the Student Dress Code Policy is developed or updated, it will be communicated via the school’s website.

Raising concerns about student dress code policies and uniforms

If you have concerns about your school’s Student Dress Code Policy you can:

provide feedback through the school’s student dress code consultation process
raise concerns in accordance with the process set out in our school Complaints Policy.

Peace Poles – SRC Work With Rotary

We have been offered three Peace Poles by the Rowville/Lysterfield Rotary Club to be placed in our school.

Peace Poles serve as an international symbol of hope and peace. Installing Peace Poles in schools encourages young children to engage in conversations about peace, what it means to them, and how they can promote peace in their school and daily lives.

In 2021, to commemorate 100 years of Rotary, Peace Poles were introduced in Australia. This significant initiative has seen over 300 Peace Poles installed in schools, early learning centres, and public parks across the country, fostering a sense of peace and unity in our communities.

Each Peace Pole is made from a natural wood post and is sealed for longevity. Each side of the post has a plaque featuring the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in four languages. In our local community, two plaques are in English and Noongar, while the individual school chooses the other two.

We have chosen the front entrance at the bottom of our steps for our Peace Poles. SRC are gathering languages of those in our community and Sue will email Rowville Rotary Club with our language choices next week. Languages included will be: English, Afghan, Iranian/Persian, Indian, Samoan, Italian, Koorie, Chinese, Swedish, Spanish, Thai and German.

Rotary have also offered to help us out with other projects around the school.

SUE HARTLEY AND NICOLE RHEUMER

Scoresby Primary School Principals

Student Health & Wellbeing News