Four Major Events in One Newsletter!

There has been so much happening in the school in the past fortnight with four major events. I will try my best to summarise all the wonderful things that have been happening at this special school of ours – each event could be a whole newsletter in itself.

Year 1 & 2 Concerts

The fortnightly action started a couple of weeks ago with our Year 1 and 2 concerts, ‘A Symphony of Songs’. This was a lovely evening of performing arts where our students reflected the Book Week theme by performing dance, music and drama to tell the story of a range of books.

The highlight for me was the number of students playing musical instruments. The inspiration for the concerts came from Olivia’s (performing arts teacher) knowledge of ‘Orff’ – a play-based method of music education for children. Instead of starting with formal reading or theory, this method teaches music the way children naturally learn language: through active participation, play, and exploration. Each piece had students playing a range of instruments; for many it was the first piece that they have played.

Traditionally we have stated that we hold three concerts a year. The reality is that we hold six concerts a year, with each year level getting its own opportunity to perform. This is an incredible opportunity that is provided to our students – having the experience of performing in the bright lights on stage gives them confidence, risk-taking opportunities, and experiences that will remain with them.

Thank you as always to the people that made this happen:

The students who performed with panache.
The audience who brought the theatre atmosphere to life.
The staff who supported during daytime rehearsals, plus on the night.
Keri for supporting Olivia with the event.
Olivia for bringing the ideas to life so effectively.

Our Book Week Parade

Hot on the heels of the Year 1 and 2 concert was the Book Week parade. This was just one element of our Book Week celebrations, which included theatre performances, book launch attendance, and cross-age activities.

The Book Week parade brings high numbers of visitors through our gates, and this year was another year full of colour, energy and vibrancy. The students embraced the opportunity to dress as a book character from their preferred world of books, creating a collage of real-life literature to our own school grounds.

We are grateful to Rebecca Creswick and Naomi Reynolds for coordinating this event.

School Review

Last week it was our school review that took centre stage. I will send a separate communication that details some of the findings from this process later in the term.

I am always proud of our school, and this process gave us all further reason to celebrate our achievements and successes. The panel watched 17 lessons, and met with students, staff, and parents as part of the fieldwork process. The panel were particularly struck by the improvements in routines and outcomes during 2026, recognising everyone’s efforts to provide students with the optimal conditions for learning and wellbeing growth.

One of the main themes that came out of the review is how the school has ensured that learning remains at the centre of all that we do, evidenced by our updated school vision below.

Our vision is for students to embrace all learning opportunities enabling them to thrive both at school and beyond. Guided by our values of Excellence, Creativity, Community and Respect, we create an environment where students feel safe, valued, value others, and contribute with a sense of purpose.

It was a very rewarding two days, which was concluded by drafting our Key Improvement Strategies to align with our wellbeing and learning goals. Once finalised, these will be shared with the community.

Art For All Weekend

What an incredible three days of Art For All we have shared as a community. This year marked the 29th anniversary of the event, and it always delivers! The aim of all our school events is to bring people together, and create a sense of belonging – we know that feeling part of a community has a positive impact on our mental health. Everyone that I talked with on Sunday was enjoying the day and the occasion, and I am grateful for everything our volunteers have created.

Art For All opened on Friday night for the ‘serious’ buyers to view the gallery.

Saturday night was Gala Night. By all accounts, it was a wonderful evening, with our Year 6 students attending to guests with great care. There was a warm sense of togetherness throughout the night, and a poignant and memorable speech from Shaun Tan.

Sunday was Family Day. The weather could not have been scripted any better as our community came together to enjoy a day filled with art, food, entertainment, fun and excitement. There was something for everyone, from the ArtZone activities to the makers' market, from the entertainment stage to the rides, and from the delicious food offerings to the gallery. It was simply brilliant!

We should never lose sight of just how unique FPS is in hosting this event year after year. It is becoming increasingly challenging for schools to run events of this scale, given the many demands on families. Yet our parent community continues to rise to the occasion, generously giving their time, energy and expertise to put on a day to remember.

There are so many people to thank.

To every parent and staff member who volunteered on the day.
To every parent who was involved in the planning process, working tirelessly behind the scenes.
To the Year 5&6 students who created the Makers' Market.
To Marjie for coordinating the artwork and being the conduit between the school and Art For All committee.
To Rachael Hough for, once again, overseeing the whole event, giving attention to all the moving parts.
To Phuong Phan for her involvement in the preparations and being the conduit between school council and Art For All committee.
To everyone that attended and helped make such a special experience.

At our end of term assembly we will announce how much was raised, and add the amount to our running total for the yard redevelopment.

Art Trail Winners

A huge congratulations to the following students – Tess, Toby and Harry – who completed the Art Trail over the weekend.

Their names were drawn out of a hat of hundreds of entries. The winners receive a gift voucher to Papa Gelato!

District Athletics

Last week we had 43 students attend the district athletics carnival in Coburg. FPS students represented our school wonderfully well – on and off the track. We have 27 students who have qualified for next week’s division athletics, across a range of track and field events. Well done to everyone who participated last week, and good luck to those who have progressed to the next stage.

Parent Feedback – Opinion Survey

Information about the Parent/Carer Opinion Survey was recently sent out via Compass. We encourage all families to take part, as your feedback helps guide our planning and improvement efforts. The more responses we receive, the more meaningful the insights will be.

The survey is available online until Friday 18 September 2026. Please see the Compass newsfeed item published on 17 August for the survey link and further details.

The Last Two Weeks of Term

In the calendar we have:

Year 1 & 2 Learn to Swim Program: 31st August – 10th September. Students successfully had their first lesson yesterday.
Year 5 Camp: 2nd – 5th September. We wish our Year 5 students a wonderful time away.
Fathers' Day & Special Persons' Breakfast: Friday 11th September (details to follow shortly).
Hoop Time Basketball Tournaments: Grades 5&6 –16 September; Grades 3&4 –17 September.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our school.

Paul Wallace

Principal

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