Out and about at Surfside

Term 3 Wrap Up...Happy Holidays

It has been a busy and exciting term 3 with many highlights in and out of the classroom and it has been fantastic to reflect each fortnight on what our school community has been able to achieve, participate in and learn from. We are thankful to all staff, students and Surfside community members who contribute so much each and every day. Our staff have been proud of the opportunities offered to our students and these opportunities provide them with the best path toward success. We want to wish our students, staff, families and wider community a happy, restful and safe break and we hope that everyone can have a chance to rest, regenerate and prepare for an engaging and action term 4.

Term 4 will see some major events taking place at the school with our Fresh Food Fair and Art Show. These are two wonderful events that promote and celebrate the wonderful programs we have at Surfside as well as building community connection. We look forward to the build up, the preparation and celebrating and showcasing our awesome school community. We would love you to jump on board and help out with some of our sessions and days that will be coming up - whether it is the working bee, cook ups, day set up and pack up and everything else in between - every hand helps to make a difference.

I will be absent for the first 2 weeks of term 4 on Long Service Leave and look forward to hitting the ground running in week 3 with the Foundation 2027 transition program and many exciting events following. Mrs Lynda Patterson will take on the role of Acting Principal during my absence and I am sure you will all support the amazing work she does and will continue to do.

We wish Mr Finlay Florence all the best tomorrow as he celebrates his wedding with Amy. With beautiful weather forecast we know it will be an amazing day for Fin and Amy.

End of Term Assembly

What an entertaining performance from our School Band and Academy this afternoon. We must give a massive shout out to all involved and especially Mr Morzinek and Mr Asher who put in so much time and effort with the crew. Surfside was absolutely ROCKING!

Staff vs Students Netball Challenge

To celebrate our sporting and footy colours day on the last day of term our year 6 students challenged the staff to a netball challenge. Unfortunately the staff were required to rest Ms Jones and Mrs O'Malley as they prepare for tomorrow's A Grade BFNL Grand Final vs Geelong Amateurs - all the best Grubbers! However, the staff did not have a weak link in the chain as they moved the ball up the court with grace and intent to score at will. Mr Florence was quoted as saying - "We scored so many goals and I only teach Year 3 so I lost count". The students always put up an inspired effort but there is always next term.

2027 Planning & Preparation Well Under Way

As we come to the end of term 3 and enter spring we know that with all of the excitement that term 4 brings - Junior Swimming, Fresh Food Fair, Art Show, Junior Sports Day and everything else in between that 2026 will be a distant memory. 

As a school we have started considerable planning for 2027 and look forward to starting our 2027 Foundation transition sessions early next term. We hope to confirm our Foundation team for 2027 prior to transition beginning. 

We are planning class numbers and composition based on our known enrolments for 2027 so it would be great to know if you won't be with us in 2027. If you are relocating could you please notifiy the office administration team on 5256 1411. We plan to update you throughout term 4 regarding our 2027 planning. 

Hit the ground running in term 4!! 

Check the Dates for your Diary page for what is happening next term but here is a little snapshot of early term 4:

Term 4

October

Tue 6th-Fri 16th - F-2 Swimming - BASC

Tue 6th -   SSV Division Tennis

Thu 8th -   No Breakfast Club

                     SSV Division Volleyball

Mon 12th - Year 5 Excursion - EarthEd - Ballarat - Change Detectives (2 classes)

Tue 13th -  Year 5 Excursion - EarthEd - Ballarat - Change Detectives (2 classes)

Thu 15th -  Breakfast Club @ 7.45am in the kitchen 

Fri 16th -    Assembly @ 2.30pm - courtyard

                      Royal Geelong Show Band Performance

Term 4 is just around the corner

Here are some things to plan for or be aware of as we enter term 4 and the festive season:

• Hats for Term 4 - Sun Protection Policy  hats are mandatory for term 4 for all students to participate in outdoor activities and be outdoors during recess and lunch. If you need to order a hat for term 4 this can be done via DCS Uniforms - https://www.dcsuniforms.com.au/collections/surfside-primary-school

   

• 2026 Fresh Food Fair - Friday 6th November - keep an eye on upcoming newsletters regarding information for the Fresh Food Fair and it starts with a special page in this newsletter. 

• 2026 Surfside Art Show - Tuesday 24th November - students have been busy preparing for our upcoming Art Show and we look forward to welcoming our school community to celebrate our Art program. More information will be released during early term 4. 

Hats Compulsory for Term 4 & DCS Uniforms

Term 1 and term 4 are the terms that hats are compulsory for all students to be outside at recess, lunch, PE lessons and outdoor activites. This is supported by the Surfside and Department of Education Sun Smart policy. UV levels increase significantly during these terms and it is an important aspect around keeping our students safe. Students are required to wear a broad brimmed hat (caps are not ok). Students will be given a grace period in week 1 of term 4 but all students will be required to wear hats from week 2 or they will be required to be undercover during play periods and outdoor activities. 

Hats can be ordered from DCS UNIFORMS - CLICK LINK TO ORDER HATS HERE

F-2 Swimming Program 

Our Swimming and Water Safety Program will be held in Term 4 over 2 weeks beginning Tuesday 6th October, for students in Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2. Surfside Primary is able to reduce the cost for families with a subsidy from the Department of Education's Positive Start Initiative'. All families who have paid at the start of the year only need to give consent through their Parent Compass. Families who have yet to pay can do this via compass and give consent. Call our office if you have any questions.

Preparation is the key to allow for a successful 2 weeks:

• Have all clothing and swimming items labelled
• Students should wear their swimming costume underneath their school clothes
• Have an extra bag with swimming items (towell, change of underwear, goggles, etc)
• Students are not allowed to get changed in shower or toilet cubicles as these need to be available for the general public
• A hooded towel is great for students 
• Over the holidays it might help to do a couple of trips to the BASC pool to help your child with the routines and familiarise themselves with the area if they are feeling a little anxious or don't regularly do lessons.

Below are some social stories that staff have prepared to support our junior students so please feel free to download, print off and use to support your child if required:

Wonder Schools Music Showcase - Geelong Performing Arts Centre

On the 15th of September the School Band caught a bus to Geelong Performing Arts Centre, we were all excited and for many of us it was the first time. When we arrived we went to the green room and then went to the side of the stage as we were performing third. Then it was upon us the red curtain went down and the previous group exited. We walked out and got prepared behind our instruments. Up it went again and then we played. The lights were blinding and you could hardly see past the first row, some of us might have had some nerves but they evaporated quickly and we soon got into the vibe. The drums were dominating, and extremely loud and our ears were ringing for quite some time afterward. It was over like that, and after so much practice and effort into something so little it felt like a loss but we soon learnt that it is very rewarding in the end. Then we watched a few performances from Hamilian Heights, Geelong junior college choir and a drum line. Then we collected all our gear and we jumped back into the bus and were off. 

A massive thanks to Mr Morzinek for supporting us and organising everything - with still some gigs to come and another big thanks to Mr Asher for stepping in at practice when Mr Morzinek couldn’t make it. 

 Leo, Lucy, Indi and Xander

Food Scrap Friday Update

Total food scraps saved so far in 2026 from landfill and composted in our magnificent school garden this year to date total 3,084kg. 

The total for 2025 was 4,558kg, our largest ever total. Therefore we will need a big push in term 4 to beat last year’s total scraps. 

Total food scraps collected since inception of the program in 2021 is a MASSIVE 16,293kg. 

We will be collecting scraps each Friday of the school holidays in the garden between 9 and 9.30am. 

A huge thank you to the Food Scrap Friday volunteer team and all of our community members for bring their food scraps week in week out.

Fresh Food Fair Sponsorship

We are busy in the planning and preparing for the 2026 Fresh Food Fair and we would love to welcome our local family businesses to support our amazing school community. Please jump on board and support the 2026 Fresh Food Fair and Surfside PS community. Check out the Fresh Food Fair 2026 page for more info:

2027 Enrolments

Enrolments for 2027 have officialy closed but if you fulfil one of the following criteria enrolments can still be completed at the administration office:

Prior to completing an enrolment application for Surfside Primary School, it is important to note that all enrolments are confined to the following two criteria:

1. Students for whom the school is the designated neighbourhood school.

2. Students with a sibling at the same permanent address who are attending the school at the same time.

To correctly identify if Surfside Primary School is your designated neighbourhood school, please use this link:  www.findmyschool.vic.gov.au

Please check in with the administration office if you have any questions - 5256 1411.

School Council 2026 - September Meeting

Our school council recently met to discuss matters including our building program, 2027 planning, finance, school based data review, community event planning and much more.

School Council 2026 - October Meeting

Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday 20th October

• Finance Meeting - 5.00pm
• School Council Meeting - 5.30pm