Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been a wonderful start to the term at Whitehorse Primary School, with so many opportunities already to connect, celebrate and support our students.

Welcome Back BBQ

Thank you to the many families who joined us for our Welcome Back BBQ on Friday afternoon. It was fantastic to see so many new and long time families at Whitehorse, on our oval, as part of our first whole event of the year. Events like this are an important part of our school and could not happen with our the fantastic support of our Whitehorse Family Network.

Our students really benefit when they see the adults in their lives working together, and the sense of belonging at the BBQ was a great reflection of our community spirit.

Supporting Student Wellbeing – Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader (MHWL)

Last week, Megan Goldenberg (Assistant Principal) Megan Cousins (MHWL) and I spent time at a conference as part of our school’s transition to incorporate the MHWL role within our school. It was a great opportunity to sit and reflect on the current successes and future challenges that exist in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our students.

At Whitehorse Primary School, student wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do. Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader (MHWL) will play a key role in further strengthening our whole-school approach to wellbeing.

The MHWL will work alongside staff to:

Build teacher capacity to support student mental health
Provide guidance around early identification of wellbeing concerns
Strengthen referral pathways and support processes
Promote proactive wellbeing initiatives across the school

This role ensures we are not only responding to concerns but also building preventative practices that support every child to feel safe, connected and ready to learn. If you ever have concerns about your child’s wellbeing, please reach out to your classroom teacher as a first point of contact. Throughout the year we will continue to provide communication to families around our Wellbeing approaches and supports for students and families.

Rotary Sandwiches – Community in Action

We are incredibly grateful to our local Rotary Club for their continued support of our school through the Rotary sandwich program. This initiative ensures that students who may need a little extra support have access to sandwiches during the school day.

Programs like this quietly make a big difference. They reflect the strength of our broader Whitehorse community and the shared commitment to ensuring every child is cared for and ready to engage in learning. We sincerely thank Rotary Club Box Hill for their generosity and partnership.

District Swimming – Pride in Participation

Congratulations to the students who represented Whitehorse Primary School at the District Swimming Carnival. Competing at this level requires dedication, resilience and courage. For many of our students this was their first time representing our school in a competitive environment and we are incredibly proud of their efforts and how they represented our school. I would like to thank Mrs Avery for her support and organisation and we also thank families for supporting students in preparing for and attending the event.

Parking at Whitehorse

A reminder to families that there is no onsite parking for families at school as our carpark is utilised by not only school staff but Seedlings staff and our Maternal Child Health staff. There is a pickup/drop off zone on Wakefield Drive which families can access or alternatively there are a number of side streets off Junction road families can use and cross safely past the crossing supervisor at the front of our school.

The Smile Squad free school dental program is coming to our school

The Smile Squad team from healthAbility are coming to our school from 24 March.

Smile Squad is the Victorian Government free school dental program. This means ALL students can get a free dental check-up, preventive services, and treatment at school.

How to access free dental care

We need your consent before we can provide services. Consent is usually provided by a parent or guardian.

Sign up to Smile Squad at: https://bit.ly/smilesquadvic

OR use the below QR code:

Please complete and submit the consent form by Friday 20 March, 2026. The electronic consent form can be translated into more than 100 languages, and the paper form is currently available in 30 languages.

Smile Squad oral health packs

All children deserve a healthy smile, and the Smile Squad free school dental program is working hard to help make sure this happens.

Your child(ren) will soon receive a free oral health pack to bring home. The pack contains a toothbrush, full sized toothpaste, and an oral health brochure. Please take the time to read the brochure. It’s full of helpful hints and tips to help your whole family eat well, drink well and clean well – for life.

Standard strength toothpaste

Smile Squad provides standard strength fluoride toothpaste that is generally used by ages six and over, unless recommended by a dental or trained health professional.

If your child is under six, please talk to a dental or trained health professional to find out if your child might benefit from using this toothpaste. You can also choose to put the toothpaste away until they turn six or give it to someone else in your family to use.

Do I need to attend my child’s appointment?

No, you do not need to attend your child’s appointment. You can attend if you would like to, and you can take your child to the community dental clinic if you prefer.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support of Whitehorse Primary School. It is through our collective effort that we continue to create a learning environment where every child can thrive.

Kind regards,

Andrew Den Elzen

Whitehorse Community