Principal Report

Hello NLPS families,

We are now into the second half of Term 1! Can you believe it's March already? It was great to see so many of you at our Open Afternoon last week - we hope you enjoyed the opportunity to visit your child/ren’s 2026 classrooms and see some of the learning they are proud of so far.

Did you know that we have over 550 students this year and close to 400 households here at NLPS? It’s wonderful to be able to offer events like this for those who can attend. Thank you to our wonderful Parents Club and their volunteers for organising the second-hand uniform stall and the always-popular Bake Sale. These types of events help ensure our school retains its strong community feel.

Curriculum Day - Staff Culture Focus

Indigenous man and high school principal, Mark Corrie, from Strength Based Approach joined us last Friday to guide us through a slow but thorough process examining our staff culture. As we mention in our NLPS Acknowledgement of Country, there has been living and learning on this beautiful country for many thousands of years - and with that comes differences of opinion, some stress, even conflict, as well as laughter and love. NLPS is no exception, particularly after 18 months of DET-mandated changes.

Mark introduced us to the Engoori process, developed by mob up north, as a way to learn more about each other and come together with a clear vision of who we want to be as a collective staff. From knowing, to doing, to being, we began developing a cultural action plan for ourselves. It gave us space to reflect at a personal level, as colleagues, and as parts of a system that doesn’t always get it right.

Our school culture is special and relies on a strong, supportive, reflective, and professional staff culture. It was valuable to shine a light on this important area as we begin a new school year and a new School Strategic Plan. Thank you for your support in caring for your children on this day so we could undertake this work.

2026 School Council Dates

I wrote a page about our new School Council in last fortnight’s newsletter, detailing our members for this year. Our first meeting will be held in the Meeting Room on Tuesday, 10th March, from 6:30 - 8:00pm. At this meeting, we will elect the various office bearers and subcommittee chairs. Further communication regarding these appointments will follow, and I encourage you to become familiar with the representatives and consider getting involved in subcommittee meetings.

School Council meetings are open to everybody, so please feel free to attend.

Dates for 2026 (all meetings commence at 6:30pm):

Tuesday 10th March
Monday 30th March
Monday 18th May (online via Webex)
Monday 22nd June (online via Webex)
Monday 10th August (online via Webex)
Monday 14th September (online via Webex)
Monday 19th October
Monday 23rd November

Make it Right Room

At Newport Lakes, as always, we are committed to supporting all students in both their learning and social-emotional growth. To further this commitment, and in response to feedback from staff and students, we have introduced the ‘Make it Right’ Room. Open during the first half of lunch times, the room provides a supportive environment for students to finish learning tasks and reflect on their choices.

The ‘Make it Right’ Room is part of our suite of student and classroom management strategies and aligns with our Restorative Practices approach. This space and time allows students to finish learning tasks they may have been too distracted to complete during class time, or it provides them with an opportunity to reflect on their behavioural impact as part of ‘fixing the problem’ (and essentially repairing the relationships that were affected) in a restorative discussion - e.g. they may write an apology letter to the person harmed, or create a list of things they could do differently next time, or draw a poster to remind others of our school values. The room runs for only for the first half of lunch, so students still get to stretch, play, and socialise with peers after they ‘fix the problem’. Students are not writing lines, sitting silently or being yelled at or shamed - they are supported by a teacher in the room to complete the tasks that have been set by their classroom or specialist teacher. These types of tasks have previously been done in separate classrooms during breaks/eating time or in the office, but the ‘Make it Right’ room allows for students to have a set space and for teacher guidance to be offered in a more consistent manner.

Rest assured that time in this room to complete unfinished learning is only set after the student has been given multiple reminders and other interventions in class. The 'Make It Right' room provides a positive, supportive space for students to take responsibility, complete their work, or reflect on their choices before returning to their peers, ready to learn and enjoy the rest of their lunch break.

Yard Safety

Yard Supervision Before and After School

A reminder that staff are on duty from 8:45am before school and until 3:30pm after school. If you would like to arrive early and supervise your child/ren in the playground before 8:45am, you are very welcome to come through the office and head out to the main yard area.

If you are waiting in the southern area of the school yard (around the football oval and soccer pitch), please be mindful of flying balls, as this is the designated kicking area. There is no kicking on the basketball court or downball courts, and no running or ball games on the asphalted areas.

Coffee Cart Wednesdays

Our wonderful dispenser of caffeine and cocoa, Patrick, sets up his van near the stage every Wednesday morning from around 8:15am and serves until just after 9:00am. NLPS staff members keep him busy as many of us run on coffee, but parents and carers are also very welcome to purchase a drink.

Please note that this service is for adults only. When it was previously open to students, we found there were too many to serve and safety concerns arose with hot drinks on the playground and in classrooms. However, if you are in the yard early with your child, you are welcome to supervise them while they sit quietly and enjoy their drink.

No Riding or Scooting in the Yard

As you may have noticed, the school yard can get very busy before and after school. To reduce the risk of injury to students, staff, parents/carers, and younger siblings, we ask that all students and family members dismount their bikes or scooters in the school yard and walk or push them through instead.

This has been an expectation for some time at NLPS, so this serves as a reminder for many. Given the busyness of the Elizabeth Street pathway, especially after school, you may also wish to encourage your child to dismount there until the path clears.

Have a wonderful fortnight and may your footy team start with a ‘W’!

Carly Bannon

NLPS Principal