Principal News

A Message from James Hodgens

Dear Lockington school community,

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for making me feel so welcome over the last 11 years. I have accepted the substantive principal position at Strathfieldsaye Primary School so my time at LCS has officially come to an end.

Lockington is unique in so many ways, it is everything that a country school should be. During my 5 years as principal, I gave it everything I had, through floods, code red school closures and through the Covid pandemic. There were challenging times, but we never let it slow us down and I am so thankful, that despite these hurdles, the relentless support from the school staff and the wider community allowed me to continue to learn and grow as a leader.

For me and my family though, it is time to say goodbye. I am sad to leave but I know that you are in the very capable hands of Lisa Duffy and she has inherited the most wonderful staff you could possibly get.

Finally, to the Lockington Consolidated School students, I am so incredibly proud of you, there simply aren’t any other kids like Locky kids.

I’m sure our paths will cross again,

James Hodgens

News from the Acting Principal

I am confident that I speak for all staff, students and their families as well as the wider community in saying a huge thank you to James Hodgens for his leadership and dedication to the Lockington Consolidated School Community over the past eleven years ( five of those as a much loved and respected Principal). As James mentioned above, he has led the school through some very challenging times, as well as working with the amazing staff to ensure that the students were always provided with the best educational opportunities possible. We wish James every success in his now role as the Principal of Strathfieldsaye Primary School and know that they are so very fortunate to have him lead their school.

New Playground

As many of you already know, our wonderful Parents and Friends Club raised money for an upgrade to our 3/4 playground. I am pleased to share with you the news that it will be installed on May 1st. The plans look amazing and I am sure the students will have many years of fun using this fantastic structure which includes monkey bars, a loop climber, a net scramble, a scaling wall, slide, obstacle bridge and a track slide (flying fox).

Attendance - Every Day Counts

At Lockington Consolidated School, we believe that consistent attendance is critical for supporting our students' academic, social and emotional growth. Below are some tips and reminders regarding attendance.

Attendance Matters

Arriving to school on time and daily attendance are crucial to student success. Research has shown that even small amounts of absence can have a significant impact on a child's learning and development.

Children who attend school consistently are more likely to:

Stay on track academically, avoiding gaps in their learning.
Develop strong social connections and peer relationships.
Build resilience and a positive attitude towards learning.
Achieve better health and employment outcomes later in life.

Illness

We acknowledge that there are occasions where children are unwell and

unable to attend school for a period of time. Parents and carers are asked to please inform the school of the absence details on XUNO through the app.

Family Holidays

We understand the value of family holidays, however, we strongly encourage families to schedule these breaks during school holidays rather than during term time. For holiday absences please email the principal (lockington.cs@education.vic.gov.au) to obtain written approval and also inform your child's teacher to support your child's learning.

NAPLAN

Our Year 3 and 5 students are scheduled to participate in NAPLAN testing beginning March 13th. The schedule of testing is below:

Wednesday March 13th - Writing Test

Thursday March 14th - Reading Test and Conventions of Language Test

Friday March 15th - Numeracy Test

As our testing is scheduled to begin in the morning sessions, please ensure your child is at school on time and ready to begin.

A reminder that further information about NAPLAN testing can be found at https://www.nap.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/naplan-information-brochure-for-parents-and-carers.pdf

Student Broadband Initiative

The School Student Broadband Initiative offers eligible families with school-aged students free NBN broadband internet at home. The initiative was due to end on 31 December 2025 but has been extended.

Families and carers who haven’t been assessed and may be eligible for the initiative to contact the NBN’s National Referral Centre for an assessment. If they are eligible, they will be sent a voucher to access free home internet until Friday 30 June 2028. However, this voucher must be activated before the 30,000 cap is reached.

For more information, refer to:

School Council

Our March meeting is on March 18th at 6pm and will be held at the school. This meeting is an open meeting and can be attended by interested parties. At this meeting we will officially welcome our 2025 School Council members and our new office bearers will be elected. The 2024 Annual Report will be presented and once endorsed a copy of this report will be made available via our school website.

That's all for this week, Lisa Duffy.