From the Principal
August, 20 2026
5/6 Urban Camp
This week, our Year 5/6 students participated in our first Urban Camp, and what a wonderful experience it was! We were fortunate with the weather, which allowed students to make the most of a busy itinerary visiting locations across Melbourne, including the Shrine of Remembrance, Old Melbourne Gaol, Parliament House, Melbourne Zoo, Victoria Market and the Eureka Skydeck.
Urban Camp is a significant logistical challenge, with staff coordinating buses, venues, activities and student groups across multiple locations. I would like to commend our 5/6 team for their hard work and commitment in making the camp such a success.
A special thank you to Mrs Bullen, Mr Grecea, Mrs Meiszies, Ms Grigg and Mr Moore for their dedication and support of our students. We also appreciate Mr DiGennaro, Mr Sprague, Mr Ward and Mr Murray giving their time to support the camp, along with our pre-service teachers, Theo and Rose.
Camps provide students with wonderful opportunities to step outside their comfort zones, build independence, connect with others, make new friendships and experience new things. It was fantastic to see our students embracing these opportunities and making the most of their Urban Camp experience.
As with any new camp, we will review the experience and identify ways we can continue to improve the organisation and logistics for future camps.
Shelter In Place- Arts Centre Compliance Works
As a BARR-3 school, we are required to have a compliant Shelter in Place (SIP) available on extreme fire-danger days. This provides a designated safe location for students and staff should the school come under ember attack or a bushfire be in close proximity. If a compliant SIP is not available, the school would need to relocate to another school in the local Manningham area.
The VSBA has assessed our current SIP building and identified a number of works required to meet the compliance requirements, including shutters and other minor building modifications.
The assessment also requires the 10-metre perimeter around the SIP building to be clear of combustible materials, including trees, vegetation, timber playground equipment and shade structures. As a result, changes will be required to the existing playgrounds and shade in this area.
We recognise that change to our established outdoor spaces is significant. These compliance requirements have been determined by the VSBA and the required changes will proceed. While the requirements themselves are not negotiable, we have been working with the VSBA to advocate for the best possible outcome for our students and school environment within these requirements.
The VSBA has agreed to provide a new playground outside the 10-metre zone, including a new shade sail. We will share the design when it has been approved in the coming weeks.
We do not yet have confirmed dates, but we will keep our community updated throughout the process and share the new playground design once it has been confirmed.
Mr Tanner (School Council President) and I are very happy to speak with any members of our community who would like further information or clarification about the requirements or the planned works.
BOOK Week
Next week is Book Week, and we look forward to celebrating some treasured annual traditions.
Instead of Assembly on Monday, we will hold our Book Character Parade in the Gym just after 9:00am.
Our Book Fair is also underway, with students viewing books and creating wish lists. Students can purchase books in the Library on Tuesday afternoon. The Book Fair is always a wonderful event, with funds raised helping us purchase new books for our school.
Parent/ Carer Opinion Survey
You are invited to participate in the annual Parent / Carer Opinion Survey. Your opinions are important to us, and your feedback will assist our school in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of the school climate, student behavior, and student engagement. The survey will be conducted online and only takes 20 minutes to complete. A Compass post will be sent next week with login details and survey link
Bronwyn Garrity
Principal
Visit the Assistant Principal page to read about Resilience Building.
Please visit our From the Classroom page to learn more about what has been happening in Foundation.
Please visit our SRC page to read about the next fundraising event a Food Drive for CareNET.
KEY DATES
Term 3, Week 7 2026
Mon 24: Book Parade (9am)
Tues 25: Book Fair: 3:40 - 4:30pm
Wed 26: Yr 5 Norwood SC Production