March 16th, 2026 Huon

This week’s Superhero Award is presented to Huon who demonstrates the value of Persistence, along with the learning dispositions of Adventurous and Curious. Huon gives his best and is willing to have a go.

When learning gets hard, he asks questions and keeps working towards understanding. He regularly puts his hand up to have a crack at answering questions, showing grit. Sometimes ideas come so quickly that they are hard to express at first, but once Huon's thoughts are gathered, there is always a thoughtful response to share.

Huon shows a genuine sense of wonder and a desire to discover. During our exploration of War Horse, he has asked insightful questions, made meaningful connections and offered well-considered predictions supported by evidence. His teacher describes him as one of the most engaged Grade 6 students they have seen during a class novel study.

Huon also brings great character to our classroom. His stories make everyone laugh, whether it is about a musical organ, a pregnant horse, or campers ‘at the back of the block’. These funny, unexpected tales make our classroom feel more personal, lively and full of joy.

For demonstrating persistence through challenge, and curiosity and adventure in learning, this week’s Superhero Award proudly goes to Studio 11’s, Huon McKenna.

Classroom Awards

Congratulations to the following student for receiving a classroom award: Studio 3, Emily, Ella, Shae, Jack, Alex, Finn, Leo, Lenni, Lena, Fletcher, Frankie,

Canteen News

We are very proud to share that our school canteen has been recognised by Vic Kids Eat Well.

Our canteen was recently featured in a case study titled “Kyneton Primary School’s small shifts for big impact in the canteen,” which highlights how simple, practical changes can promote healthier food choices and create a positive food culture within our school.

We encourage families to take a look at the feature and celebrate this fantastic achievement with us: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18PUmuRomB/

To Celebrate this achievement the Canteen has launched our “Celebrating Culture Through Food at KPS". KPS is proud of our diverse and inclusive community, and we’re excited to introduce a new canteen initiative celebrating cultures through food.

Once a month, the canteen will feature a special menu item inspired by a different culture — whether a hot lunch, cold lunch or snack — giving students the opportunity to enjoy flavours from around the world.

We’d love to involve our KPS families. If you have a recipe that reflects your cultural background (or one close to your heart), please share it with our Canteen Manager, Sarah Lockhart. Even better, if you’re available to volunteer help to prepare the dish alongside Sarah in the school canteen, we would warmly welcome your help. (All items must be prepared onsite in line with food safety requirements.)

To suggest a recipe or volunteer, please contact Sarah Sarah.Lockhart2@education.vic.gov.au

We look forward to bringing our community together through food and shared experiences.

We would like to give a very special shout out to our incredible canteen manager, Sarah Lockhart. Sarah is truly amazing—her dedication, passion, and commitment to providing healthy, exciting food options for our students shines through every day. She goes above and beyond to make our canteen a welcoming and positive space, and her efforts do not go unnoticed.

KPS is incredibly lucky to have Sarah as part of our team. Thank you for everything you do!

Year 1 and 2 News

Welcome to Mobok! Our building is named after a totem of the Taungurung People. We began our inquiry unit focusing on communities and place so learning about Mobok was a great start. The Mobok is also known as a Mopoke or Southern Boobook owl. We enjoyed creating a welcoming display – full of facts, information and many wonderful owls! Did you know that there are 11 species of owls in Australia? The Mopoke is the smallest of them. We learnt about how important totems are and how the Taungurung people look after them.

Please come to Mobok and enjoy our display.

Sports News

Loddon Mallee Regional Swimming Championships

Congratulations to Year 5 student June, who travelled to Swan Hill on Tuesday 10th March to swim in the Loddon Mallee Regional Swimming Championships. Swimming in the under 11 girls, June came third in backstroke. An amazing effort, congratulations June!

Flexischools App update

The Flexischools app for ordering Subway lunches of a Monday has been updated to include your child's studio.

Please assign your child/ren to a class so it places them in that studio each order going forward.

P & F Welcome BBQ - tomorrow Friday 20th March

We warmly invite all KPS families to join us for our Welcome BBQ this Friday 20 March from 5:00pm – 7:00pm.

The BBQ will be held outside the GP Room and is a great opportunity to connect with other families and enjoy a relaxed evening together as a school community.

A BBQ will be provided, or families are welcome to bring their own food if they prefer.

Please RSVP here https://forms.gle/sS53TtALb8LP44cS7 so we can plan for the evening.

We hope to see you there!

Working Bee Success

Sunday's working bee was a resounding success and the school grounds look amazing. Many of the garden beds have been thoroughly weeded, timber pergolas have been stained, and the children can now enjoy our new outdoor classroom and play space (see attached images).

The outdoor classroom has been a long-term project of the Parents and Friend’s group. Inspired by designs the children completed, the materials were funded by the Rotary Club and timber platforms constructed by the Kyneton Men’s Shed. We are grateful to both organisations for their support. Yesterday our school community banded together to install the platforms and mulch the space. Later in the year we will plant the space out with plants propagated by the children in the Sustainability Group and donations from other sources. It is wonderful that so many community connections are fostered by this project to transform an underutilised space.

A huge thankyou to everyone who participated yesterday. Special thanks go out to:

1. Ben and Julie for providing the amazing Lebanese inspired lunch.

2. Adrian for using his excavator to dig the holes and preparation ahead of the big day.

3. Caryn for coordinating all stake holders, purchasing materials and her determination to drive this project forward.

Enjoy our new outdoor space and spruced up school grounds.

Duncan Cocking

Working Bee Coordinator

More Parents and Friends News

All Kids Can! Parent Support group

Parents and carers are warmly invited to join ‘All Kids Can!’

The All Kids Can! Parent Support Group is a friendly and inclusive group for parents and carers of KPS kids with disability / neurodiversity. All are welcome to connect with other parents and promote the inclusion and celebration of our kids. The group has an active WhatsApp chat and holds occasional catch ups.

You are welcome to contact Molly Peterson via email at kpsakc@gmail.com if you would like to find out more or join.

Hot Cross Bun Fundraiser

We are running a delicious Hot Cross Bun fundraiser through Bakers Delight, and we’d love your support!

Stock up for Easter while helping raise funds for our school community.

Cost: $10 per pack

Options: Traditional, Chocolate Chip and Apple and Cinnamon

How to order: Place your order via the Qkr! app

Orders close: Tuesday, March 24th 2026 at 3:30pm

Every purchase makes a difference—thank you for supporting our P&F!

Chess Club

We are pleased to share that Chess Club will be resuming at KPS this semester. Chess Club provides a wonderful social learning environment where students participate in group lessons, interactive games, and team-based activities.

We currently have seven places available for students in Years 3–6 who would like to join. Sessions will run during lunchtime across 12 weeks in Semester 1, beginning Friday the 20th of March.

Chess Club is led by a local, experienced, external coach, Tim Davis, who has been running a highly successful program with our students throughout 2025. The cost of the program is $7 per session, paid directly to Tim.

Please see the attached flyer for further details. To secure a place for your child, please contact Tim via email countrychesscoach@gmail.com

Looking forward to seeing some new and familiar faces in this Semester's Chess Club.

Kind Regards,

Jacqueline Dickie

Volunteer Induction Information

We welcome and value volunteers at KPS. Part of the process of becoming a volunteer is completing an induction with us.

If you wish to volunteer your time for any reason please complete the below induction pack prior to your first visit.

This information is also available on Compass in the School Documents section

Music News

Instrumental Music Program

Our instrumental music program at KPS offers an excellent opportunity for students in Years 2–6 to learn from highly experienced teachers.

Students can choose from a variety of instruments, including guitar, violin, ukulele, voice, keyboard, trumpet, clarinet, and flute.

Spots are available for all instruments, though guitar and keyboard placements tend to fill up quickly. Please refer to the below information letter sent via Compass for details. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at polly.christie@education.vic.gov.au.

Kind regards

Miss Polly

2026 Parent Payments

Thank you to the families who have paid the $150 Parent Payment for 2026.

These funds are used for:

Curriculum Contributions – items and activities that students use, or participate in, to access the Curriculum
Other Contributions – for non-curriculum items and activities such as memberships, subscriptions to programs and affiliations.
Extra Curricular Items – the Kyneton Primary School Yearbook

If you would like to pay for these please use one of the following methods -

Compass portal
EFT - at the office or by phone
Cash - at the office
Direct Bank Transfer - BSB 063-000 Account No 14033609 - use your child’s name as the reference
BPay - contact the school office for your personalised identification details
Centrepay - use of this method is available to recipients of Centrelink payments

Please do not hesitate to contact the office for more information or for any other query you may have.

Full Parent Payment information is attached below:

Medical Information and Medication Requirements

If your child requires medication at school, a medication authority form needs to be completed and medication to be brought to the office to be stored safely. A first aid officer will be assigned to administer the medication. Students should not carry medication in their school bags.

Please inform the office if there are any changes to your child’s medical needs so the appropriate paperwork can be completed and procedures put in place to care for your child

Uniform Ordering

Uniform can be purchased in-store from Lowes in Lansell Square in Kangaroo Flat. Orders can also be placed online at www.lowes.com.au. Please see the pricelist below

Students Arriving Late

Students arriving late to school should come to the office, accompanied by an adult, and sign in either on the Compass Kiosk or in the late book. They will then be issued a late pass to take to class and their arrival at school will be updated on the roll. This will avoid parents/guardians receiving notification that their child is not at school when they have arrived late.

Early Collection of Students from School

We understand that there are many reasons why you might need to collect students from school early, however, we ask that you please keep these to a minimum where possible.

Our school PA system works by buildings so when an announcement is made it will be heard throughout the whole building and the closest relocatable classroom. These announcements are very disruptive especially when some days announcements are being made on numerous occasions within short periods. These disruptions have an impact on student learning.

We ask for your assistance with some strategies to assist with this matter:

Email the teacher and the office early in the day with the time you will be collecting your child/ren so we can, hopefully, have them waiting at the office for you.
When possible, collect your child just before recess (11 – 11:40am) or lunchtime (1:40 – 2:20pm) rather than during the middle of class times.
Announcements for collecting children will not be made during class time. If you need to collect your child during class time please come to the office to sign your child/ren out as an early departure and then go to the classroom to collect them.

We understand there can be emergency situations, however, we hope you will give your support and enable all children to receive as much learning as possible.

School Gates and Opening Times

Our school gates open at 8:45am each day with classes commencing at 9am. School grounds can be accessed via the Edgecombe St pedestrian gate, the kindergarten ramp and the back gate at the bottom of our basketball courts. Please DO NOT use the staff car park or stairs to access the school.

Accessing Compass

Compass is our main way of communicating with our families. It is important that parents access the Parental Portal in Compass at https://kynetonps.vic.jdlf.com.au

Using our parent portal will enable you to –

View up-to-date class and school attendance information
Approve or enter upcoming or past absences for your son/daughter
Update your registered email and mobile number (used for SMS alters)
Access information regarding upcoming events and news
Access your child’s Semester Reports
Book your Parent/Student/Teacher conferences

We encourage families to download the Compass App and to enable notification to ensure you receive all communications.

Please click on the “Welcome to Compass” booklets for further assistance or contact the office.

Carpark Safety

We would like to address some important safety concerns regarding carpark use, and we kindly ask for your cooperation.

Kindergarten Carpark

Please do not park in the kindergarten carpark. This carpark is reserved exclusively for kindergarten families. If you have both kindergarten and school-aged children and need to park there, please ensure you use the ramp to access the school grounds.

Please also note that the large gate at the end of the kindergarten car park and the school is locked and should not be used to access the school — children should not be lifted over the gate under any circumstances.

School Carpark

The school carpark has vehicles moving in and out throughout the day. For safety reasons, we ask that pedestrians do not use the stairs near the flag poles and then walk through the carpark as a shortcut. The designated ramp or steps are to be used when entering or exiting the school.

Thank you for your support in helping keep all members of our school and kindergarten community safe.

Upcoming Events

Term 1 2026

March

April