News and Appreciations

ANZAC Day Assembly

This year, students from 4LT had a unique opportunity to respectfully and thoughtfully present their assembly item as an ANZAC Day commemoration. The class was keen, receptive, and well prepared by their teachers, Lauren and Towela. Following the presentation, we all stood for The Last Post and observed a minute’s silence. Experiences such as this help provide opportunities for this generation of students to also appreciate the importance of understanding history and respecting the sacrifices of our former citizens and forebears.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Caitlin Wilkinson and her partner, Hamish, who are the proud new parents of Riley Owen Taylor, born last Friday. He arrived a few weeks early and is now doing well.

Student Achievement

Well done to Cody in 2EP for an outstanding improvement in handwriting. Accompanied by his very excited teacher, Ella, he proudly shared his work with me in the office last week. Congratulations, Cody!

Parents’ Association

Our Parents’ Association will hold their next meeting online tonight at 7:15pm via Teams. You can join using this link: FWPSPAMeeting

Parent representatives are also planning their second Mother’s and Special Person’s Day gift-wrapping session tomorrow in the Bilby Meeting Room from 12:30pm. There is also a need for volunteers to assist with the running of the stall next Friday. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

VolunteerSignup - Mother's & Special Person's Day Stall 2026 signup sheet

Prep 2027 Information Session and Tour

Karri and Liz, superbly supported by our Year 6 captains, hosted our first information session and tour for prospective 2027 Prep families on Monday. They were pleased with the high level of interest and enjoyed showcasing our fantastic new facilities.

As always, the stars of the show are our current Prep students, along with their teachers and specialist staff, who do an amazing job of seamlessly welcoming large groups of adults and preschoolers into their learning spaces.

This year, Karri has adjusted the tour dates to better meet the needs of working families. Our next tour will be held in a fortnight on Friday 15 May 2026, from 9:30am to 11:15am. Current parents and carers with a child starting Prep next year are also encouraged to attend. Book online at: Prep 2027 Information Session & Tour

First Aid Training

To maintain compliance and ensure we are well prepared in the event of an emergency, we require a large proportion of staff to be trained as Level 2 First Aiders. Today, your child may have had a CRT, as 10 staff members were released from their usual duties to complete a full day of training in the Dingo Gallery space.

Coming Up Tomorrow

Assembly

Our assembly will be held at 2:50pm, and we ask attendees to be seated beforehand. This week, our assembly item will feature 3TM, who are looking forward to bringing the Roald Dahl classic Matilda to life. This will be followed by any relevant reports and of course this week's Pupil of the Week Awards.

Winter Interschool Sport Competition

Our senior students always look forward to representing our school in the annual interschool sports competition. The winter season begins tomorrow.

All Grade 6 students are participating, having chosen to join our T-ball, soccer, AFL, or netball teams. While not every student will play each week, all members of the cohort will have the opportunity to represent the school throughout the season.

The competition begins with a home game against Footscray North Primary School. Selected teams will play straight after lunch, between 12:15pm and 1:30pm. This week, AFL and netball will be held at FWPS and soccer and tee ball will be held at Johnson Reserve.

Due to time constraints, sports reports from each round will be shared at the following week’s assembly.

Coming Up Next Week

Mother’s and Special Person’s Day Stall next Friday 8th May

Thanks to the many families who have paid the $10 fee via Compass Events. If you have not yet done so please attend to this by the close off time next Wednesday. Students will have the opportunity to attend the stall with their class during the day. Please look out for the Compass link, enabling families to pay for their child’s participation.

Best regards,

Brendan

Repeated Messages

Family Voluntary Contributions

Thank you to the continued contributions via Compass. We would appreciate this trend continuing to ensure that we can afford the curriculum programs we have in place.

While the principle of a “free education” remains, the politicisation of parent contributions has had a significant impact on government schools. FWPS used to receive parent payments from approximately 95% of families. This figure now typically sits between 65% and 70%.

Although we have worked hard to keep contributions low and ensure value for money, receiving approximately 25% less revenue has a very real effect on our ability to provide the quality and range of resources we believe are necessary. In recent years, we have introduced programs such as Spelling Mastery, the Explicit Maths Program, and Inform and Empower. Each of these programs carries a per-student cost. When family contributions are not received, we must find funding elsewhere.

As I write this, I am very conscious that a number of families are experiencing financial hardship. Contributions may be made as a part payment rather than in full. If you are in a position to do so, please support the school by contributing to the best of your capacity.

Photographing, Filming and Recording Students

Our annual reminder that if you wish to adjust your current level of permission for photographing, filming or recording of your child please contact the office. Note the Policy page on our school website for more information:

https://www.fwps.vic.edu.au/page/222/Policies-and-Child-Safe-Standards

Annual Privacy Reminder

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ privacy policy and the Schools’ privacy collection notice.

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students policy , available on the Policies page on our website, https://www.fwps.vic.edu.au/page/222/Policies-and-Child-Safe-Standards, describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn.

We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use the Google Suite (G Suite Information for Parents & Guardians) safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education, please contact the school.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ privacy policy: information for parents. This information is also available in eleven community languages: Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Gujarati, Mandarin, Somali, Sudanese, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese.

Camps, Sports and Excursion Fund Applications for Families

Please also make sure you look at the flyer in the newsletter regarding Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund applications for 2026. Applications close in June and are a great help for families. This year the amount has been increased to $400 per child. If you are eligible - DON’T MISS OUT!

From the Office Team