Principal's Update

New School Excellence Plan (2025-2028)

As you are aware, in 2024 Dundas Public School participated in the external validation process which public schools complete every 4 years. This process requires the school to provide an evidence bank that shows how the school is performing against the school excellence framework.  

At the end of 2024, parents and carers were invited to complete either an online or paper survey to give much sought feedback. This feedback from the parent community, together with the information gathered during the external validation process, has guided the school as to what the next school plan should focus on.  

The 2025-2028 school excellence plan for Dundas Public School will have two strategic direction areas. They are: 

1. Student growth and attainment-our goal here is to ‘Embed consistency in the delivery of 'The Dundas Way' in mathematics lessons, through evidence-based research and practice including daily reviews and explicit teaching. Student achievement is tracked through the triangulation of data, including assessments, observations and CTJ (consistency of teacher judgement meetings).’  

2. Strengthening student agency and voice- our goal here is to ‘Strengthen student agency, student voice and our partnership with the DPS parent community by actively seeking feedback on and refining Dundas PS student behaviour and award systems, student learning goals, personalised learning pathways and student leadership, resulting in increased engagement and collaboration’.  

We are excited to see our new school excellence plan represented in this mural created by a graphic designer, Cassandre Collins. This will be on display in the school office from next Monday.  

The Dundas PS honour roll boards will be moved to the school hall and displayed proudly in the place where we celebrate our students for their academic, sporting and leadership accomplishments.  

From the Parent survey in Term 4 2024, 100% of parents and carers said that our school vision is still relevant today and agreed to keeping it for the next 4-year school plan. Our school vision has also been represented in a visual display which can be seen below.  

Our school vision is: 

‘Dundas Public School partners with parents and the wider community to provide a quality education that values the future of all students. We will do this by: 

-having high expectations for academic excellence – Dundas Public School will create a learning culture where students strive for learning excellence and are confident, creative and critical thinkers. 

-valuing the future – Dundas Public School will create a future focused and innovative learning environment giving students the skills and attitudes to enable them to live effectively as lifelong learners, engaging in a dynamic and changing world 

-encouraging values and wellbeing – Dundas Public School will teach students to be culturally inclusive, resilient citizens by valuing respect, responsibility and learning success 

-building partnerships - Dundas Public School will ensure that parents and caregivers, students and teachers all play a valuable role in building our school and community.’ 

School behaviour expectations

 From the Parent survey in Term 4 2024, 100% of parents and carers said that our school behaviour expectations are still relevant today and agreed to keeping it for the next 4-year school plan. The new behaviour expectations mural will be on display outside the DPS staff room where all community stakeholders can see it. 

Our weekly focus on the behaviour expectations at different places around our school continues. 

Next week in week 10 we will be focusing on behaviour expectations at the student toilets and bubblers.  

In week 11, students will be revising the behaviour expectations while on the field and the deck. 

Staff professional learning focus in Semester 1

Staff have been focusing on the theme ‘Explicit Teaching’ which is one quality teaching practice that is known to support school improvement and enhance the learning outcomes of our students. Explicit teaching practices involve teachers clearly showing students what to do and how to do it, rather than having students discover that information themselves. Students who experience explicit teaching practices make greater learning gains than students who do not experience these practices.  

The poster below reminds teachers of the importance of explicit teaching strategies that should be embedded in our teaching practice every day. Explicit teaching strategies include: 

• using effective questioning 

• checking for understanding 

• using effective feedback 

• gradual release of responsibility 

• sharing learning intentions and success criteria  

• connecting learning 

• chunking and sequencing learning 

Planning week next week

Where possible, schools should provide 5 hours of additional curriculum release time for teachers each term to focus on curriculum reform to help them effectively implement new syllabuses. At Dundas Public School we provide this additional release by collapsing RFF timetables and organising a day of planning time for each teacher.  

Next week, week 10, is the Term 1 planning week for DPS teachers. Class programs will continue while teachers have this additional curriculum planning time. Planning days will be: 

• Stage 3 teachers on Monday 31st March 
• Stage 2 teachers on Tuesday 1st April 
• Stage 1 teachers on Wednesday 2nd April 
• Kindy teachers on Thursday 3rd April.   

Term 2 Staff Development Days

Students will return to Dundas Public School for Term 2 on Wednesday 30th April. Information on the NSW DET additional staff development days this year was shared with the school community in the Term 4 week 6 newsletter.  

Harmony Day

On Wednesday, staff and students celebrated our cultural diversity and respect where everyone belongs. The ongoing theme of Harmony Week is ‘everyone belongs’. Harmony Week is a time of cultural respect for all. By participating in Harmony Week activities, we can learn and understand how all Australians equally belong to this nation and enrich it. 

Orange is the colour chosen to represent Harmony Week. Traditionally, orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations. It also relates to the freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect. Australians can choose to wear something orange during Harmony Week to show their support for cultural diversity and an inclusive Australia. 

Thank you to Mrs Taouk and Ms Zadro for organising the 2025 Harmony Day this year. We all wanted to thank Melissa from the DPS P&C canteen for supporting Harmony Day by including some fun, orange treats. Our DPS Facebook page shared some lovely photos from Harmony Day this year. Worth a look.  

P&C Uniform orders 

P&C Uniform shop volunteers are wanting to remind our parent community that they do not need to line up on Tuesday morning to collect uniform orders placed on Flexischools. Once orders are filled, the volunteers deliver the orders to the school office where they are collected by the child’s teacher and passed on to your child to bring home.  

'Meet the Teacher' week feedback

Next week, I will be opening up both a parent survey and a teacher survey asking for feedback from our first ‘Meet the Teacher’ meetings. I am hoping to get lots of feedback from both groups which will help DPS determine whether the meet the teacher learning goal meetings should continue in future years. 

Updating the DPS website

All events and excursions organised for 2025 will be added to the ‘Events’ page on the DPS school website. More dates will continue to be added throughout the year. 

The ‘Events’ page can be accessed here.  

 2025 Voluntary contribution (previous content)

This week, Dundas Public School parents and carers received information about the 2025 voluntary school contribution of $51 per student.  

Since then, the school has received some queries from families asking about the learning resources contribution that has been accepted in the past.  

The NSW Department of Education has implemented a new policy regarding voluntary contributions from families, which affects how schools can request financial support for learning resources.  

Under this new directive, schools are no longer permitted to ask for financial contributions specifically aimed at covering the costs of learning resources. 

Approaching staff when there is a concern (previous content)

As a vital part of our school community, your partnership in fostering a positive learning environment is greatly appreciated. I would like to take a moment to remind everyone of the importance of respectful behaviour towards our dedicated school staff, especially during challenging times. 

When issues arise, it is natural to feel concerned or frustrated. However, it is essential to communicate these feelings respectfully. Our staff members are here to support your children and work through any difficulties that may occur. By engaging in constructive dialogue, we can find solutions that benefit our students and maintain a harmonious school environment. 

Additionally, I would like to highlight the role of our Community Charter, which emphasises the values of respect, integrity, and collaboration. This charter serves as a guiding principle for our interactions within the school community. Upholding these values not only enhances our school culture but also sets a positive example for our students. 

At Dundas Public School, there is a code of conduct for parents and visitors that is on our school website. A link to the page can be found here. 

Parents and visitors are expected to:                   

• treat all persons associated with the school with respect and courtesy 
• make appointments in advance of expecting to obtain an interview 
• allow staff to supervise and manage students without interference 
• never approach students in the school with a view to making allegations against or threatening students 
• discuss issues or concerns about the school, staff or students through the correct procedures (as outlined below) 
• follow school procedures governing entry and behaviour on school grounds. 
• use language that is always appropriate in the presence of students, staff or visitors. 

In those cases, where people wishing to express concerns do so in an offensive, aggressive, threatening or violent manner, the principal (or nominee) has the legal authority to: 

• terminate any phone conversation or meeting 
• direct the person to immediately leave the school grounds 
• call the Police to remove the person should he/she refuse 
• withdraw permission (by letter) for the person to enter the grounds without the Principal's permission and/or subsequently limit that person's contact with school staff. 
• seek further legal avenues. 

Your cooperation is sought in maintaining an effective, safe and happy school.