Just like that, the holidays are over. No more listening to the new Propagandhi record on repeat or enjoying breakfast for dinner. Instead, we’re back to packing lunchboxes and sorting school uniforms each morning. But what a joy it has been to welcome students back into classrooms, full of energy and excitement - asking for more maths, more writing, and for Rhenny, our legendary gardener and maintenance wizard, to bring back his Akubra hat.

It’s been a wonderful first week at Newlands. A special shoutout to our Student Representative Council, who led this week’s staff Professional Learning session. They did a fantastic job facilitating discussions and offering thoughtful feedback on ways we can keep improving our school.

NAPLAN Results Are In! While we already knew Newlands kids are the coolest and kindest around (the system almost shut down from our brilliance), the official results are now here. Compared to other schools in our network, we’ve outperformed the average in all ten assessed areas. When compared with similar schools, we’re ahead in seven of those ten. Congratulations to our incredible teaching team for their hard work and commitment. These results also continue to reinforce what we know to be true: bilingual education supports success across all learning areas.

The percentages below reflect students achieving in the strong and exceeding bands:

Grade 3

Domain	Newlands	Yarra/Darebin Network	Similar Schools
Reading	89%	78% (+11)	83% (+6)
Writing	85%	83% (+2)	89% (-4)
Spelling	82%	68% (+14)	73% (+9)
Numeracy	89%	74% (+15)	81% (+8)
Grammar	77%	65% (+12)	72% (+5)

Grade 5

Domain	Newlands	Yarra/Darebin Network	Similar Schools
Reading	84%	81% (+3)	88% (-4)
Writing	90%	76% (+14)	83% (+7)
Spelling	73%	72% (+1)	77% (-4)
Numeracy	86%	74% (+12)	83% (+3)
Grammar	88%	71% (+17)	80% (+8)

NAIDOC Week

This week, all classes engaged in rich learning to celebrate NAIDOC Week, building on the work done in Term 2. Foundation and Year 1/2 students have been exploring First Nations stories, the 3/4s have used daily circle time prompts, and the 5/6s are advocating for a new native garden. These experiences deepen our understanding of First Nations stories, celebrations, and histories.

Branding Committee Update

A big thank you to Kate, Tim and Claire for giving up their time to listen to presentations from three design and branding firms. Each group shared exciting ideas on how they would collaborate with our community to refresh our school’s branding. We look forward to announcing the selected partner and sharing the journey ahead with you all.

2026 Foundation Places Offered

It’s been a big week of phone calls - over 85 families have now been contacted with offers to join us in 2026. The enthusiasm from both current and new families has been fantastic. Transition sessions begin in three weeks. A huge thanks to Sophia, Luisa, Jess and Graeme for making all those calls.

From the Classrooms

Foundation

I walked into Foundation just in time to meet Washy the dogs. Katherine was leading the class in a discussion about what Washy might be doing or thinking. Every student had a theory, and nearly all demanded Washy be allowed to visit school.

What would you tell a future Foundation student about Newlands?

Eric: School is fun and you get to learn a lot
Clyde: You get new things and play with friends
Izzah: I love when the teacher reads us different stories
Ngua: Everything
Billie: You get to make lots of new things
Katherine: I get to read lots of new stories to the students

Year 1/2

In Kylee’s Maths Collective, students explored maps and coordinates. James impressed me with how easily he could locate animals using the x and y axes, and was buzzing about the upcoming Healesville Sanctuary excursion in Week 4.

What did you miss most during the holidays that made you excited to return?

Henk: Playing with my friends
Violet: Borrowing books from the school library
Max: Running around at school
River: Specialist day
Remington: Telling Luke about Luke Skywalker and the Death Star
Wallace: My friends
Tomi: Maths, because I love it
Zarin: My friends
Sunny: Kylee and Rob (and wrote them a letter!)
June: Everything

Year 3/4

I joined Mala during Spanish, where students gave each other directions using a map. all in Spanish. She’s looking forward to school camp and making sure she and Yaz stay dry while kayaking.

What are you most excited for at school camp?

Mala: All the activities—and not tipping the kayak
Quinn: Archery
Elsie: Hanging with friends without a break
Isla: Being up all night with friends (teachers, take note)
Tilly: The flying fox
Indigo: The zipline across the lake
Zayde: Canoeing
Bracken: Cabin time with friends
Olivia: Eating all the food
Ramona: Kayaking again, even though she and Matilda got stuck last time
Gioti: The giant swing
Owen: Night activities

Year 5/6

Sorry team, I ran out of time - but I’ll be visiting next week, I promise!

100 Days of School – Foundation Celebration

Next Friday, our Foundation students will be dressing up as 100-year-olds to celebrate their first major milestone. Expect a slow-moving parade at 9.00 am, as walking sticks and nap breaks may be required. It’s always a special day, and the Foundation team has some surprises up their sleeve.

Noche de Salsa de Español

Our very first Spanish Salsa Night is next Friday! Thank you to the Spanish Subcommittee for organising what’s shaping up to be a noche excelente. No need to RSVP—just turn up in your best dancing shoes.

Fantasy Football is Back

It’s that time of year again—Newlands Fantasy Football is about to kick off. If you’d like to join in the fun, email the school or speak to Luke. The draft takes place on August 29.

And yes, Newlands will remain a school free from all Beef Wellingtons.

Have a fantastic weekend,

Luke

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