Principal's Address

Dear Deanside Families,

It has been wonderful to welcome the arrival of Spring, with some warmer and brighter days across our school. The change in season brings a renewed energy to our classrooms and playgrounds, with students making the most of the opportunity to spend more time outdoors and enjoy the sunshine.

The past fortnight has once again been a busy and productive one at Deanside Primary School, with our students continuing to demonstrate our school values of Respect, Responsibility, Excellence and Care in so many different ways.

Leading with Connection and Purpose

I recently had the opportunity to attend the 2026 Victorian Principals Association Conference at Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre, alongside more than 440 educational leaders. The theme, “Leading with Connection and Purpose,” provided valuable opportunities to reflect on leadership, wellbeing, trust, communication and building strong teams. Hearing from inspiring speakers, including Luke Darcy, Dr Justin Coulson and Paralympic medallist Jessica Gallagher, reinforced for me the importance of authentic relationships, psychological safety and a shared sense of purpose. These reflections will continue to inform my leadership at Deanside as we work together to create a positive environment where every student and staff member can thrive.

Parent/Carer Opinion Survey

I would like to take this opportunity to reinforce the communication recently shared via Compass regarding the 2026 Parent/Carer Opinion Survey. Your feedback is highly valued and provides us with an important opportunity to understand how our families perceive our school, including school climate, student behaviour and student engagement.  The survey takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and is open until Friday 18 September 2026. The feedback received helps us identify areas for improvement, inform professional learning and shape our school planning and improvement priorities. I strongly encourage all parents and carers to take the time to complete the survey. As our school continues to grow, your voice helps us understand what we are doing well and where we can continue to improve.

2027 Prep Enrolments

If you have a child who will turn 5 years of age by 30 April 2027 and you live within the Deanside Primary School zone - https://www.findmyschool.vic.gov.au/#school=1557801 , we encourage you to submit your enrolment application as soon as possible.

As a growing school, we are already planning for 2027, including recruiting teachers and determining class structures and staffing requirements. Having accurate enrolment information as early as possible helps us plan effectively and ensure we have the appropriate resources and facilities in place to support our students and families from the beginning of the school year.

If you know your child will be commencing Foundation at Deanside Primary School in 2027, we kindly ask that you don't wait until later in the year to complete their enrolment. Early enrolment makes a significant difference to our ability to plan confidently for the year ahead.

We look forward to welcoming our new Foundation students and their families to Deanside Primary School in 2027.

Mobile Phones and Smart Watches

A reminder to families of the Department of Education’s expectations regarding mobile phone use at school. At Deanside Primary School, all student mobile phones must be brought to the General Office and signed in at the beginning of each school day. Under no circumstances should mobile phones remain with students in their bags, pockets or classrooms during the school day.  Phones are securely stored at the office and returned to students at the end of the school day. This process ensures that mobile phones are not accessible to students during learning time, recess or lunch.  For students who wear smart watches, we also ask that these devices are not used for messaging, calls, recording or accessing other functions during the school day. Notifications should be disabled while students are at school.  We appreciate parents and carers reinforcing these expectations at home. These arrangements support students to remain focused on learning, positive relationships and active participation throughout the school day.

A message from Fire Rescue Victoria

As the school year continues, many students are using devices such as laptops, tablets, phones, e-bikes and e-scooters. Most of these devices contain lithium-ion batteries, which have become part of everyday life, but need to be used safely. 

Fire services are responding to an increasing number of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, often caused by incorrect charging or leaving devices unattended. That’s why fire safety at home is especially important during the school year. 

You can help reduce the risk by: 

• Only using the charger and battery designed for each device 
• Unplugging devices once fully charged 
• Never charging devices on soft surfaces like beds or couches 
• Not charging devices overnight, or when no one is home 
• Charging larger devices such as e-bikes and e-scooters away from living spaces and keeping them clear of exits 
• Regularly checking devices and stopping use if a battery looks damaged, swollen or overheats 

It’s also important to make sure smoke alarms are working and tested every month. Fire Rescue Victoria recommends installing smoke alarms in bedrooms, living rooms and near areas where devices are charged—because working smoke alarms save lives. 

For more tips on lithium-ion battery safety, visit: https://www.frv.vic.gov.au/battery-safety(opens in a new window)  

A few simple habits can help protect your home and your loved ones. 

Keeping contact details current 

School staff rely on the contact information recorded in Compass being accurate and up to date. When we can’t contact the first nominated contact, we will contact the additional contacts provided to the school.  We would appreciate families supporting the school by ensuring that relevant information is shared between parents and carers where appropriate. School staff will always act consistently with the Department of Education’s policy on such matters, details of which can be found here Decision Making Responsibilities for Students : Policy | VIC.GOV.AU | Policy and Advisory Library   

For routine first aid matters, Compass is used to record and communicate details of a student's visit to the First Aid room. Where a student experiences a more significant incident—for example, an injury involving the head, neck or back—the school will also phone the primary contact. This call will provide information about the incident, the treatment provided and any relevant recommendations or follow-up. School staff will always act consistently with department policy and mandatory First Aid guidelines: see https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/first-aid-students-and-staff/policy

Our priority is always to provide timely and appropriate communication and to support the wellbeing and safety of every child.  We greatly appreciate families working with us to ensure that communication can be provided effectively and that important information is shared between those responsible for the care of their child.

End of Term 3 – Important Reminder

It is hard to believe that Term 3 is quickly coming to an end! A reminder to all families that the final day of Term 3 is Friday 18 September.  School will conclude at 2:30pm on this day. Please ensure you have made the necessary arrangements for your child/children to be collected promptly at 2:30pm.

We appreciate your support in ensuring all students are collected safely and on time. We look forward to finishing the term positively and celebrating the wonderful learning and achievements of our students throughout Term 3.

Facilities Update

Over the coming months, the footprint and face of Deanside Primary School will change again as we prepare for further enrolment growth in 2027. As a growing school, we will continue to see changes to our facilities and grounds to ensure we can accommodate our increasing student population.  I will endeavour to keep our school community informed about upcoming building works and any changes that may impact our daily operations. Families should expect to see contractors, construction activity and changes to access around the school at various times over the coming months.  I will continue to liaise closely with the relevant contractors and companies to coordinate works wherever possible and minimise the impact on our school community, particularly around traffic flow, congestion and access during the busy morning and afternoon peak times.  We appreciate everyone's patience and understanding as we continue to develop our facilities to support the ongoing growth of Deanside Primary School.

Our school values remain central to everything we do. We encourage all members of our community to continue demonstrating Respect, Responsibility, Excellence and Care in all interactions and learning experiences.

Kind regards,

Stuart Telford

Principal