Principal News
Lions Club Public Speaking Final
Last Sunday we had two students represent the Lockington Lions Club at the Regional Final held in Rochester.
Billy Lees was the Year 3/4 representative and he competed against four other finalists who had won their club finals. Billy delivered his speech on the topic of a place he would recommend for a holiday- he chose Alice Springs. He told the audience about all of the wonderful things to do when visiting there.
Davey Morgan was the Year 5/6 representative and he competed against four other
finalists. Davey delivered his speech on the topic of which famous person he would invite to dinner. Davey chose F1 driver, Lewis Hamilton. Davey also had to deliver a one minute impromptu speech which asked him to outline what he would do if he was given $1000 dollars to spend at his school or within the community.
Both Billy and Davey spoke with confidence, clarity and and expression in front of a crowd of about 70 people. They should be immensely proud of themselves and all of the hard work they have put in over the past few months preparing, practicing and delivering their speeches.
Congratulations to Billy who was declared the winner in his category and will now compete at the District final in Yarrawonga next weekend. We wish him all the best and know that he will represent Lockington Consolidated School, Lions Club and the Lions Clubs of this region with pride.
Wellbeing Afternoon
On Wednesday afternoon we held a Wellbeing Afternoon for our students. A huge thank you to Eliza Ayres who volunteered her time and expertise to join us and lead a group of students through some physical challenges.
Our teachers each took two groups for activities that included a Nature Scavenger Hunt, Fishing, Fitness Circuits, a Disco as well as some quieter pursuits such as mindful colouring, quizzes and biscuit decorating. This was a fantastic opportunity for students to select activities to try or that suited their disposition. It also gave teachers the chance to teach students that they normally would not have in their group/class.
Before the afternoon's activities commenced we had a special lunch of Twisty Potatoes.
Reports were that these were delicious. Profits from this event will be allocated towards a storage shed for our sandpit toys. A huge thank you to Taylah Gibbs who came in to cook our lunch- we really appreciated you giving up your time.
Community Clothing Rummage Event
The wonderful Tanya Mc Dermott from Lockington Neighbourhood House has been working with St Mary's Op Shop and together with our school has organised to hold a rummage style event. Families are welcome to come up to school and select any clothing that may be of use to them. We will also have some second hand uniforms available. All that we ask is a gold coin donation if you select any items (to go to the St Mary's Op Shop Charity). This event will be on Thursday August 27th and Friday August 28th (coincides with the Book Week Parade and Special Assembly). Families are welcome to come up anytime on either of these two days during regular school hours.
Parent/Carer Opinion Survey
Our school is conducting the annual Parent / Carer Opinion Survey offered by the Department of Education and is seeking your feedback. The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage and appreciate your participation.
Some of our families will have received a survey link and unique PIN so that they can participate in this year's survey (sent out on Monday). If you require a new link and PIN please contact the office and we can arrange this for you.
Our school will use the survey results to assist in identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies.
The Parent / Carer Opinion Survey will be open online from Monday 17 August to Friday 18 September 2026.
Book Week Celebrations
Don't forget that on this day we will hold our assembly at 9am. We will begin with a whole school parade and then move into our regular assembly. We invite parents/carers and friends to join us. Later that day all students will participate in a variety of book-themed activities led by the teachers.
Emergency Management
School preparations for the bushfire season
Each year, we undertake a range of activities to ensure the safety of our school and to prepare for bushfires and grassfires.
An important part of this process is communicating to parents what will happen when certain fire danger ratings are issued to help ensure the safety of students and staff.
Our school has been identified as being at risk of bushfire or grassfire and is a Category 4 school.
Our school will close on a day forecasted as Catastrophic fire danger rating in Northern Country, fire district.
Closure of the school due to a Catastrophic fire danger rating will be enacted when the Bureau of Meteorology forecast and related public safety messaging are confirmed. Due to uncertainties in the forecast, the timing of this confirmation may vary. Information regarding potential or confirmed Catastrophic fire danger days will be communicated to you by Xuno.
It is also important to be aware that:
- No one will be on site on days where the school is closed due to a forecast Catastrophic day.
- Out-of-school-hours care will also be cancelled on these days.
- All bus routes that travel through the Catastrophic area will be cancelled.
- School camps will be cancelled if a Catastrophic fire danger rating day is forecast for fire weather district in which the camp is located, or if the travel involves passing through areas that have Catastrophic fire danger.
As part of preparing our school for the fire season, we have updated and completed our Emergency Management Plan.
What can families and the school community do to help us prepare?
- Ensure we have your current contact details, including your mobile phone numbers.
- Keep in touch with us by reading our newsletters, checking our website by talking to your child’s teacher or any other member of the teaching staff about our emergency management plan.
- Make sure your family’s bushfire survival plan is up-to-date and includes alternative care arrangements if our school is closed due to Catastrophic fire danger. Further information can be found on the CFA’s website.
- Action your family’s bushfire survival plan if your own triggers are met. Our school community may be spread out across many areas and some families may be at higher risk than others. Your family’s safety is critical, so please let us know if you are actioning your bushfire survival plan and if your children will be absent on these days.
- If your child is old enough, talk to them about bushfires and your family’s bushfire survival plan.
Families are encouraged to action their Bushfire Survival Plan on Catastrophic fire danger rating days in their district. The safest option is to leave the night before or early on the morning of the Catastrophic day. On such days, children should never be left at home alone or in the care of older children.
You can find more information on emergencies, warnings and preparedness actions here:
- VicEmergency app – that can be downloaded on your android and iOS mobile devices
- VicEmergency Hotline (1800 226 226)
- Website https://emergency.vic.gov.au
- Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/vicemergency)
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/vicemergency)
- ABC local radio, Sky News and other emergency broadcasters
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the department’s policy?
The Department of Education annually assesses the fire risk of all schools and early childhood services with the support of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). They are allocated a category of risk (categories 0 to 6). Schools and services that are Categories 0-3 are published on the Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR). Schools at some risk of bushfire and grassfire are published on the Category 4 List.
The department’s Bushfire and Grassfire Preparedness Policy requires all schools and early childhood services on the BARR and the Category 4 List to close when a Catastrophic fire danger rating day is forecast in their fire weather district. All school bus routes which travel in or through a district with Catastrophic fire danger must also be cancelled.
The policy also requires that schools at the highest risk of bushfire (those in Categories 0, 1 and 2 of the Bushfire At-Risk Register) enact pre-emptive action plans based on the fire danger forecast for their Local Government Area (LGA).
Who issues fire danger forecasts?
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) provides public fire danger rating forecasts each day of the fire danger period using fire weather district areas. In Victoria, there are 9 fire weather districts, which are based on Local Government Area boundaries.
The department uses these forecasts when supporting schools to enact their pre-emptive bushfire actions plans.
That's all for this week, Lisa Duffy