Acting Principal's Report

Hello DPW Community,

Year 6 Graduation

Last night we had the absolute pleasure of celebrating our Year 6 Graduation, and what a fantastic evening it was! Our graduating students shone with confidence, pride and excitement as they marked the end of their primary school journey. 

I’d like to share a key message from my speech last night for the year 6 graduates:

Know this…you are ready. Ready to try new things, ready to make new friends, and ready to face challenges with courage. You will not always get everything right—and that’s okay. Growth comes from effort, not perfection.

A huge thank you to our Year 6 teachers, and other staff who gave their time to assist, for their hard work in preparing such a memorable event, and to our families for your ongoing support throughout the year. We are incredibly proud of every one of our graduates and cannot wait to see what they accomplish in in the future!

Friday, 19 December – Last Day of School

The final day of the 2025 school year is Friday, 19 December.

On this final day, we’ll be having a short assembly at 9:10am to announce the school leaders for 2026, including School Captains, House Captains and Specialist Captains. At the end of the day, we will farewell our Year 6 students with the traditional Guard of Honour—a heartfelt send-off as they walk through the school one last time.

Please note that school will finish early at 1:30 pm

Holiday work around the school

During the holidays there will be some work happening around the school. Apart from the usual deep cleaning of classrooms and the school, we will be having blinds installed into classrooms to reduce glare. 

CCTV Installation

At our most recent School Council meeting, Council approved the installation of CCTV cameras around the external areas of the school, along with one internal camera located at the office. This decision follows a number of recent security concerns, including unknown individuals accessing the school grounds after hours and the theft of our water meter.

The addition of CCTV is intended to help deter this kind of activity and support the school in providing information to Victoria Police if required. Our priority is always the safety and security of our students, staff, and school community.

We are aiming for installation to take place over this holiday period to minimise any disruption to learning.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school.

School Council 2026

From 2026, parents, carers and community members who would like to join the school council need a working with children (WWC) clearance to nominate. If you are considering nominating for school council, and don’t already have a WWC, I encourage you to apply for a volunteer WWC check as soon as possible. This will allow for processing times, which are estimated to be from 3 to 12 weeks. 

Please note that if you do not hold a WWC clearance, you will not be able to nominate for school council, so it is vital that you prepare in advance. Obtaining a WWC clearance is free for volunteers, and you can apply online at Service Victoria. 

When applying for your volunteer WWC check, please nominate the Department of Education as the organisation you are working for.

If you already hold an employee WWC clearance, you do not need to obtain a volunteer WWC clearance to nominate for school council.

Victorian Institute of Teaching-registered teachers and school students who are interested in joining school council are not required to obtain a WWC clearance. 

Current parents and community members of school council do not need to apply for a WWC check immediately. Current members only need a WWC clearance if their term ends and they wish to nominate or be co-opted again. 

For more information, refer to Ministerial Order 1280 (Constitution of Government School Councils) 2020.

Volunteering at DPW

To be eligible to volunteer at DPW you will need to complete our school volunteer induction session and hold a WWC. Dates for these induction sessions will be in the school newsletter early next year. 

Some ways that you can volunteer with us include assisting with:

• preparation and supervision of our breakfast club program
• supervision of students during excursions or special events
• preparation of whole school events
• listening to students read
• our specialist programs, such as Art, PE and the library
• working with small groups of students e.g. reading a story, playing learning games, publishing writing
• a lunchtime club e.g. gardening, art, sport, etc
• facilitating a lunchtime club around an interest or skill of your own

Kindest Regards,

Deanne Scott

Acting Principal