Principal's Message
2025 School Theme - Why Team, Why Team Westbreen
Dear Westbreen PS Families,
During my learning walks last week, I observed our Foundation students working on phonics in the morning, focusing on the letters 'd' and 'o.' Our Year 2 students were learning how to order numbers from smallest to largest, up to at least 1,000. Meanwhile, our Year 4 students started working on procedural text at the beginning of the week. Our Year 5/6 students began reading their novel, "Holes," as a class and unpacking its themes together.
Mother’s Stall and Raffle
I would like to extend a special thank you to the volunteers who supported our busy week three in the community. A heartfelt thank you goes to the volunteers who assisted with the Mother's Day raffle and stall. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Miss Kerry, Miss Jill, and the Westbreen Parent and Friends Community group for giving our students the opportunity to purchase gifts for their mothers or special individuals. Their efforts have brought big smiles to our students and their special person.
Mother's Day Stall and Raffle Volunteers
| Bonnie Churchill | Parent of Zoe |
| Norma Melhem | Parent of Jacob |
| Alison Lemoh-Preston | Parent of Raffy and Leon |
| Fariha Khaled | Parent of Norah, Marni and Mahmoud |
| Rhoda Khaled | Parent of Tannah and Ahmad |
| Ozlem Karacan | Parent of Elanur |
| Aysel Ilhan-Pasevic | Parent of Ahmet, Asiya, Davud and Meryem |
| Madeline Symeoy | Parent of Mackenzie |
| Zhu Lei | Parent of Hanya |
| Yuko Anderson | Parent of Evelyn and Cooper |
| Jess Burns | Parent of Ryatt |
| Russel Hunter | Parent of Charlie |
| Azra Aksoyoglu | Parent of Anisa |
| Megan Loft | Parent of James and Oliver |
Disco
A huge thank you to the volunteers who helped at the school disco! The night was a massive success for the entire school, with some impressive dance moves on the dancefloor. We almost had a student versus teachers dance-off, and I want to give a special mention to Ms. Williams and Ms. Maria, who were both ready to take on the challenge! Well done to everyone involved!
Disco Volunteers
| Alison Lemoh-Preston | Parent of Raffy and Leon |
| Mick Preston | Parent of Raffy and Leon |
| Chris Ritchie | Parent of Zoe |
| Bonnie Churchill | Parent of Zoe |
| Melissa Elcheikh-Ibrahim | Parent of Aria, Sophia and Eliza |
| Omar Elcheikh-Ibrahim | Parent of Aria, Sophia and Eliza |
| Sarika Rajah | Parent of Shaliya and Amerah |
| Sarah Faraj | Parent Eman & Ahmed |
| Tharaa Rajab | Parent of Emilia and Laila |
| Yuko Anderson | Parent of Evelyn and Cooper |
| Jono Anderson | Parent of Evelyn and Cooper |
| Fariha Khaled | Parent of Norah, Marni and Marni |
| Atika Tik | Parent of Ilena and Eliot |
| Rhoda Khaled | Parent of Tannah and Ahmad |
| Lucinda Tamburrino | Parent of Harry and Maddie |
| Sophie Churchill | Parent of Hunter |
| Andrew McGregor | Parent of Caspian |
| Charmaine Wymer | Parent of Charlie |
| Christine Katsikis | Parent of Alexa and Nicholas |
| Danya Robertson | Parent of Archie and Evie |
| Jasmine De Milliano | Parent of Luka, Darcy and Anouk |
Thank you to all the local community organisations that contributed to the raffle and disco; your support is amazing!
Education Week
During Week 4, we will celebrate the Education Week theme of 2025: Celebrating Cultures. All children deserve a place to learn and thrive in. This year’s theme Celebration of Cultures highlights the diversity of our communities and the importance of every child feeling safe and welcome at school.
Throughout Education Week, students, parents/carers, teachers, and school communities are encouraged to celebrate and share ideas to promote the wide range of cultures and cultural connections in Victorian schools.
Below are some suggested resources from the Department of Education to support Education Week.
First Nations
Victorian Government resources
Marrung, the name for the Murray Cypress tree in the Wemba Wemba language, is the strategy to ensure all Koorie students in Victoria achieve their learning aspirations. Marrung also helps connect schools and parents with Koorie education teams to support cultural inclusion and education guidance in their region. For more information, contact marrung@education.vic.gov.au.
The Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll recognises and celebrates the achievements of Aboriginal Victorians who have made a profound contribution to their community and wider Victoria.
Community resources:
Multiculturalism
The Shared Understanding podcasts and video series from the Centre for Multicultural Youth lets students hear from other students and young people with lived experience of the benefits of diversity at school and how to deal with racism and discrimination.
Multicultural Museums in Victoria explore different cultures from across the world, provide their unique perspectives and celebrate their contributions to our community. See the list of museums below:
Global Education
The Global Design Challenge facilitates science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) focused partnerships for primary and secondary school students with students across the globe, enhancing their critical and creative thinking skills and global competencies.
Open Day - Wednesday, 14 May
Westbreen Primary School is holding an Open Day tomorrow on Wednesday, May 14th as part of Education Week. We aim to showcase our classroom learning during this event. As someone who visits classrooms as part of my role, I feel very fortunate and privileged to experience this every day.
Please come to our school from 9:00am- 11:30pm.
- School Assembly- 9.10am- 9.40am
- Classroom Visits- 9:40am- 11:00am
- Morning Team for all guests- 11:00am- 11:30pm
Please Get in Your 2026 Foundation Enrolments!
Enrolments for Foundation (Prep) 2026 are now open. Parents are invited to complete their child's enrolment and drop the form off to the school office. To do so, please fill out the school enrolment form and provide proof of your child's date of birth as well as their immunization record. Once the enrolment process is complete, new students will be added to the register for 2026 classes.
For planning purposes, we kindly ask that parents finalise enrolments by the end of this term. If you have any questions or need clarification regarding the enrolment process, please contact Ms. Kerry Parfett, our Community & Enrolment Facilitator, at Kerry.parfett@education.vic.gov.au.
“Your School, Your Say”
Attitudes to School Survey (AtoSS) by the Years 4-6 students
What are the benefits?
Young people enjoy having a say! This survey has been running for nearly 20 years and helps schools plan programs and activities to improve your child's engagement with school, their wellbeing and their learning. The survey data also helps the Department of Education understand how to improve student learning.
What will my child be asked to do?
Your child will be invited to complete the survey online during class time using a purpose built secure online survey tool. We are not “testing” your child.
Please note:
- Students can choose if they want to take part, skip questions if they don’t want to answer, and can stop doing the survey at any time.
- There are different versions of the survey to let all students take part.
- The survey will take around 20-40 minutes to complete.
Our students will complete the survey on the following days:
- Monday, 19th of May- Years 5-6
- Monday, 2nd of June- Year 4
Their Care
Their Care is our before-and-after-care program at Westbreen Primary School. We would like to remind you that you can book this service in advance. This will help the organisation and guarantee adequate staffing ratios and food allocation for each session.
I hope all the mothers and special people of Westbreen PS relished a relaxing day with your loved ones on Sunday. Have a wonderful week of learning with every child feeling safe and welcome at Team Westbreen.
Justin Lania
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.
