Dear Parents and Carers,

As we wrap up the final week of Term 3, it is a great opportunity to acknowledge the community that exists within Whitehorse Primary School. I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the parents who have supported a number of events across our school such as Camps, Sports Days, Freezer Angels, Excursions and volunteering in the kitchen and classroom. The support our families give to our students is a real highlight of our school and something the staff at Whitehorse are grateful for.

Grade 3/4 Camp

Last Tuesday I was able to spend the day down at Philip Island with our Grade 3/4 students. The students showed great resilience attempting a range of challenging activities and then challenging the adults on camp to take on the Giant Swing. Our students also showed respect during meal times even offering to help the kitchen staff with their duties above and beyond the normal camp expectations. Thank you to Grade 3/4 team, Ms Cousins, Mrs Goldenberg, Steve, Coral, Simon and our pre service teachers for your assistance and support.

Footy Day

This Friday, Mitcham Football Club will be supporting our school with our Footy Day activities. We are looking forward to a great day where students can practice some skills and have fun on our oval. Thank you to Kristy for supporting this event again in 2025!

Whole School Production

Our students have been busy working on their performances throughout this term ahead of our production on Tuesday 21 October at The Round. We are hoping to provide a link to ticket sales in the very near future so families can start booking their tickets. We are looking forward to a great event in early Term 4.

Colour Run

Today students have taken home information in relation to our Colour Run which will be held on 17 October . We are raising money to support the installation of a junior basketball hoop and Gaga Pit within the school. Students will also have the opportunity to slime the teachers at our first assembly next term and on the day. Further information will be shared with families via Compass this afternoon.

Parent Opinion Survey

We are currently inviting families to complete the 2025 Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey. Your feedback is incredibly valuable in helping us continue to grow and improve as a school. If you haven’t yet had a chance, we encourage you to take a few minutes to complete the survey. Students have been made aware of a special reward once their parents have completed the survey!

Early Finish Friday (2:30pm)

A reminder that Friday 19 September is the final day of Term 3. Students will be dismissed at 2:30pm. Please ensure your child is collected at this time or is enrolled in the Camp Australia Out of School Hours Care program.

Classes for 2026

Early next term we will commence the process for creating classes for 2026. I hope the following information will help families understand how we design classes, and the processes and thinking that go into making classes; it’s complex and takes a lot of time.

What can parents request?

That their child might be with (or not with) another student based on their education needs, or if there may have been a past incident or negative history with another student.

Parents may request something like, having your child separated from a good friend to help them focus or have the opportunity to make new friends.

Who do I send my request to?

Email to Andrew: andrew.denelzen@education.vic.gov.au

No later than 5pm Friday October 10th, 2025. Please note: late requests may not be able to be actioned.

Student Friend Requests

While we seek to have students with at least one ‘friend’ request, we can’t always promise this. We have found that mixing classes up and providing the opportunity for new friends is a great way to broaden friendships and build resilience.

How do we make classes for 2026?

We start by asking students to identify ‘friends’ they might like to have in their class for the next year. When we say ‘friend’, we mean someone who they would work well with, not always their best friend. Students have ample time and opportunity to be with their best friend outside of school and during breaks. Importantly we don’t guarantee all ‘friend’ requests, usually students will get one or two of their ‘friend’ requests. This process is not always exact as students can frequently between friendship groups and what they write early in Term 4 may not reflect their friendships later in the term.

Sometimes not getting requests upsets students and their families. Invariably, however, we find that students meet new friends (in their year level) that they wouldn’t have met if we hadn’t encouraged mixing students across their years at school. This is a deliberate strategy that supports students building their friendship groups across the years.

Who makes the class?

Classroom teaching staff and specialist teachers all contribute to making a class. The Principal Class Team will review all classes before they are published.

What factors do we consider when we make a class?

When we make a class, we consider things like academic capabilities / friendships / students’ behaviour. We also ensure that grades have an even spread of gender as best as we can – we do not stream grades.

I trust this explains how we do this process; this is consistent with most schools.

Are you leaving WPS in 2026?

We ask that you let us know if you are moving or have enrolled in another school in 2026. We require this information as soon as possible to establish structures for the start of the new school year.

If your child is currently in Foundation to Year 5 and will not be at Whitehorse PS in 2026, please notify the school office in writing or email me as soon as possible.

Thank you once again for another fantastic term. I hope all our families enjoy a safe and restful break over the next two weeks.

I look forward to seeing everyone refreshed and ready for an exciting Term 4!

Kind regards,

Andrew Den Elzen

Whitehorse Whisperer

We actively support the development of the whole child by delivering life-long learning skills including relevant academic, social and emotional skills.

Issue 14 · 17 Sep 2025

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