Principal's Address

WEEK 2 | TERM 2

PRINCIPAL'S AWARD

Dear Deanside Community,

Welcome back to Term 2. We hope all students and families enjoyed a restful and refreshing break and were able to take advantage of the beautiful autumn weather. It has been wonderful to see students return to school settled, positive and ready to learn. With Easter now behind us, we look forward to a productive and engaging term filled with learning opportunities and continued growth.

Enrolments, Classes, Staffing and Recruitment

Deanside Primary School—and the broader community—continues to grow at a rapid pace. With new homes being occupied daily and ongoing development across the suburb, we are experiencing a steady increase in enrolments, alongside a high volume of enquiries from families seeking to join our school.

We are always pleased to welcome new students and families and to see them quickly embrace our school culture and values. As enrolments continue to rise, we will regularly review and adjust class structures to ensure we remain aligned with Department of Education guidelines. This includes maintaining an average of no more than 26 students per class across Prep to Grade 6, and an average of 21 students in Prep to Grade 2 classrooms.

Given the dynamic nature of enrolments—particularly with families moving into the area at different times—it is not always possible to predict where growth will occur. As such, we will continue to monitor numbers closely and keep families informed of any changes required to ensure the best possible learning environment for all students.

We have seen consistent growth in our Grade 5 cohort this year, resulting in class sizes exceeding our preferred limits. To address this, we have undertaken a recruitment process and are pleased to advise that Ruzica Bosnjak has been provisionally appointed to join our team, pending completion of transfer processes.

This appointment enables us to move from three to four Grade 5 classes. As with all class restructures, this process will be carefully planned and implemented, with a strong focus on balancing academic, social and wellbeing needs of students. We understand that class changes can bring uncertainty, and we will ensure this transition is managed thoughtfully and communicated clearly.

We thank our school community for your continued understanding and support as we respond to the growth of our school.

AEU Half-Day Stop Work

As families are aware, staff who are members of the Australian Education Union (AEU) have been engaged in ongoing negotiations with the state government and the Department of Education regarding improved pay and working conditions.

Despite sustained discussions and previous industrial action, including a full-day statewide stop work last term, an agreement has not yet been reached. As a result, further industrial action has been scheduled in the form of rolling half-day stop works across regions.

Deanside Primary School will be affected on Wednesday 27th May, when AEU members will participate in a half-day stop work.

We acknowledge that this may cause inconvenience for families and appreciate your understanding. Staff participation reflects a strong commitment to improving conditions across public education, which ultimately supports better outcomes for students.

We will continue to communicate any relevant updates as they arise.

School Gates

Our school gates open at 8:45am each morning and again at 3:20pm for dismissal. Recently, we have observed an increase in students arriving well before gates are opened.

Please note that supervision is not provided prior to 8:45am. If you require your child to be at school earlier due to work or other commitments, we strongly encourage you to access our Before School Care program to ensure students are supervised safely.

Punctuality Matters

Students arriving after 9:00am are required to enter via the Main Office and collect a late pass before proceeding to class.

We have recently seen instances where students enter through the gates after 9:00am without signing in, which results in them being marked absent and triggers automated absence notifications to families. This creates unnecessary confusion for both families and office staff.

To support smooth daily operations, we ask that all students arrive between 8:45am and 9:00am. By 9:00am, classes are underway, specialist programs may have commenced, and important learning time has already begun.

Developing strong habits around punctuality is an important life skill, and your support in reinforcing this at home is greatly appreciated.

Reminder: Student Accident Insurance / Ambulance Cover

As per Department of Education guidelines, the school does not provide personal accident insurance for students.

This means that parents and carers are responsible for any medical costs associated with injuries sustained at school, including ambulance attendance or transport.

Families may wish to consider private student accident insurance through providers such as www.studentcover.com.au. In addition, we strongly recommend that all families ensure they have current ambulance cover.

School Council

A reminder that our next School Council meeting will be held on Thursday 7th May at 4:00pm.

2026 School Council

We are pleased to acknowledge our School Council members for 2026:

• Stuart Telford (Principal) 
• Susan Borg (President) 
• Syed Taqvi (Vice President) 
• Emma Moore 
• Harleen Kaur 
• Karen Costabile 
• Majid Ghiasee 
• Kerri-Anne Popczyk (Department of Education) 
• Bianca Gavin (Department of Education) 

We thank all members for their ongoing commitment and contribution to the governance and strategic direction of our school.

2027 Prep Enrolments

Prep enrolments are now open, and we are already receiving strong interest from prospective families for 2027.

To enrol, families are required to provide:

• Proof of residence within the school zone 
• Proof of age (birth certificate or passport) 
• Immunisation certificate 

School tours will be conducted throughout Terms 2 and 3 for interested families. Bookings are essential and can be made via the school office on 8080 5444.

If you know families who may be interested in joining our school community, we encourage you to share this information with them.

School Values

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

Kind regards,

Stuart Telford

Principal