Principal

Aaron Cox

Principal

We have reached the midpoint of Term 3 and it is fair to say this is shaping up to be one of the most significant terms in the fifty-year history of our school. There is a great deal to share with you in this edition — a milestone anniversary to celebrate, national recognition to be proud of, important work beginning around relationships and connection, and some practical matters that require the support of every family.

Thank you, as always, for the partnership you extend to us. It is what allows our staff to focus on what matters most: the learning, safety and wellbeing of your children.

Fifty Years of Kingswood Primary School

In 1976, Kingswood Primary School opened its doors for the first time. Five decades later, thousands of children have walked through our gates, and generations of families have made this school part of their story. This term we will celebrate that milestone properly, under the theme "50 years of learning, belonging and growing".

Our celebration week will run from Saturday 12th September through to Friday 18th September, and it will be a genuine whole-school and whole-community event. The week will include an assembly welcoming back our former principals, the unveiling of a new mural, the sealing of a time capsule, a whole-school drone photograph, an evening choir concert, and an Australiana dress-up day with sports and a sausage sizzle to close the week. Full details of the program, including times and what your child will need on each day, will be provided to families closer to the date.

A great deal of work is already underway behind the scenes, driven by a wonderful group of staff, parent volunteers and School Council members. We are very grateful for the time they are giving to make this milestone memorable.

Open Morning – Saturday 12th September, 9:00am to 12:00pm

Our celebrations begin with an Open Morning at school on Saturday 12th September from 9:00am to 12:00pm. This is an opportunity for former students, former staff, past families and the wider Dingley Village community to walk the grounds, view historical displays and photographs, share memories and reconnect with the school.

This is where we need your help. Fifty years of Kingswood students are now spread across Melbourne, across Australia and across the world, and many of them will not know this is happening unless someone tells them. If you have a connection to a past student — a neighbour, a relative, a colleague, a friend, a former classmate — please pass on the invitation. Share it on your local community pages, in your family group chats, and with anyone you know who once wore the Kingswood uniform. Everyone is welcome, and there is no need to register.

If your family has photographs, newsletters, uniforms, sporting trophies or memorabilia from any era of the school's history, we would love to hear from you. Please contact the office and we will arrange for items to be photographed or displayed and returned safely.

Australian Education Awards 2026

On Friday 7 August, Kingswood Primary School was represented at the Australian Education Awards in Sydney as a national finalist in two categories: Primary School of the Year (Government) and Primary School Teacher of the Year (Government), for which our own Leanne Taylor was a finalist.

We did not take home an award on the night, and I want to be very clear with our community that this does not diminish the achievement in any way. These are national awards. To be shortlisted in two separate categories, from a field that includes every government primary school in the country, is an extraordinary acknowledgement of the quality of teaching and learning that happens here every single day. It is recognition of our staff, of our students, and of a school community that has held together and moved forward with real strength.

Leanne's recognition as a finalist for Primary School Teacher of the Year is thoroughly deserved. Those of you whose children have been in her care will not be surprised in the slightest. Congratulations Leanne, and thank you to Megan Franklyn, Sharon Lomas and Kara Bogicevic, who attended the ceremony alongside us and who each contribute so much to this school.

This is something our whole community should feel genuinely proud of.

New CCTV System Across the School

As part of our ongoing response to the incident our community experienced, and with the support of government grant funding, we have now completed the installation of a new high-quality CCTV system across the school site. The system comprises 44 cameras and provides broad coverage of our grounds, entry points and shared spaces.

This is a significant upgrade and one that strengthens the safety of our students, staff and visitors. A separate communication has been sent to families earlier this week setting out where the cameras are located, how footage is stored and managed, who can access it, and answers to the questions we anticipate families may have. If you have a question that is not covered in that communication, please contact the office directly and we will respond.

Relationship-based Education – Working with John Hendry OAM

On Tuesday 11 August, and with the backing of a $5,000 grant from Parents Victoria, we began a partnership with John Hendry OAM, one of Australia's most respected practitioners in relationship-based education. John's work is built on a simple premise: that learning, wellbeing and behaviour all rest on the quality of the relationships that surround a child.

For our staff, this work begins with professional learning focused on how relationships are intentionally built, how they are maintained day to day, and — just as importantly — how they are repaired when something goes wrong. It gives our team a shared language and a consistent approach across every classroom and every yard duty.

For our students, the impact will be felt in the way conversations happen at school. The emphasis shifts towards connection before correction, towards restoring relationships after conflict rather than simply applying a consequence, and towards helping children develop the skills to manage difficulty with others. Over time, this shows up as a calmer, more predictable and more respectful school.

For our parent community, sessions with John will be offered in the near future, and we will publish dates as soon as they are confirmed. These sessions are designed for families and are well worth attending — the approach works best when the language children hear at school is the same language they hear at home. We will let you know as soon as bookings open.

Thank You – Principal's Day

I want to acknowledge the way our community marked Principal's Day this month. The messages, cards, drawings, kind words at the gate and small gestures from students and families were genuinely humbling, and they were noticed.

On behalf of myself, Megan Franklyn, Sharon Lomas and Brad Stringer, thank you. Leading a school is a privilege, and it is made considerably easier by a community that takes the time to say so. We are very grateful.

Traffic and Safety at the Front of the School

I need to raise a matter that concerns me, and I would ask every family to read this section carefully.

We have a Kiss and Go zone at the front of the school. It is designed to keep traffic moving and to allow children to enter and exit vehicles safely on the footpath side. Please use it as intended — pull in, allow your child to get out on the kerbside, and move on.

The bus zone is not available for parking or waiting at any time. Vehicles stopping in the bus zone will incur a fine issued by the City of Kingston when council officers are present. Only a few weeks ago, a number of our families were fined. I want to be direct with our community: where a fine has been issued for a safety reason, the school fully supports it. We will not be advocating on behalf of drivers who have parked unsafely outside our school.

There are three further behaviours we need to stop seeing. Please do not perform three-point turns in the road in front of the school. Please do not cross the road with your child anywhere other than at the supervised crossing. And please do not allow children to get out of the car on the street side, into moving traffic.

I understand mornings are rushed and that parking near the school is genuinely difficult. But the margin for error here is very small. It would take one moment of impatience and one child stepping out from between two parked cars for this community to face something none of us could undo. I would much rather write this section of the newsletter now than write a very different one later.

Thank you to the many families who already do the right thing every day, and who model it for others. Your patience keeps our children safe.

There is a lot happening at Kingswood this term, and much of it is worth celebrating. Fifty years is a rare milestone, and it is one that belongs to every family who has been part of this school — including yours. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on Saturday 12th September, and to welcoming back the generations of Kingswood students who came before us.

As always, if there is anything you would like to discuss, please contact the office and we will find a time to talk.