PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
Week 3, Term 4 Newsletter
We are really hitting our straps in Term Four now, and the past fortnight has been filled with plenty of highlights and moments to celebrate. Our middle school students have been off on camp, with our Year Three students (and their teachers!) experiencing their very first school camp. We officially opened our brand new playground alongside a very successful Trash and Treasure Market on Sunday morning. Our Year Six students celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation on Saturday evening, surrounded by their families and our school community. We also welcomed our 2027 Preps for their first orientation session, with our largest Prep intake in years taking their first steps into school life at St Agnes'. To top it all off, we celebrated our first Science Week, with a fantastic range of guest speakers and engaging Science and STEM activities across the school.
It's incredible to think that next week we will begin our two-week end-of-year assessment period. This is an important opportunity to assess the progress our students have made throughout the year and use this information to inform our end-of-year reports and future planning. Personally, I'm really looking forward to sitting down with our teachers and leadership team over the coming weeks to unpack the results and celebrate the growth and achievements of our students. An enormous amount of hard work has gone into this school year from our teachers, LSOs, students and families. It's always rewarding to see that hard work pay off and recognise just how far our students have come.
A reminder that Week Five will be a shorter week with the Melbourne Cup long weekend. Monday will be a pupil-free day, allowing our staff dedicated time for assessment and report writing. We thank our families for their understanding and hope everyone enjoys a wonderful long weekend.
Playground Opening
On Sunday, we had the pleasure of officially opening our brand new playground, surrounded by our school families, members of our P&F and Fete Committee, and many of the people who helped make this project possible.
The playground has already been an enormous hit with our students. Every recess, lunchtime and after-school period, it is filled with children enjoying the new equipment. It has certainly given our play area a beautiful facelift! It was terrific to have our local MP, Brad Rowswell, join us for the opening, along with our premium fete sponsors: Andrew from SecNet, Ray from KPA Lawyers and Nicole from Bendigo Community Bank Highett. We are incredibly grateful for their support of our school.
Very fittingly, it was Amy Anderson who had the honour of cutting the ribbon to officially open the playground. Amy has given an enormous amount of her time and energy to St Agnes' over the years, particularly through her involvement in fundraising and school events. Having Amy officially open the playground was a lovely way to recognise not only her contribution, but also the work of so many parents and families who have supported our school over many years.
Of course, fundraising and donations have played a huge role in making this possible. But just as importantly, it's the people who give up their time to help at a fete, run a sausage sizzle, organise a morning tea or simply come along to be part of our community.
Our children get to enjoy this playground every day, but I hope they also understand that it exists because of the generosity, hard work and community spirit of the people around them. Once again, a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to making this project a reality. It is something our students will enjoy for many years to come.
Trash and Treasure Market
Sunday was certainly a busy morning at St Agnes', as alongside our playground opening we hosted another very successful Trash and Treasure Market. The sun was shining, the weather was beautiful, and it was fantastic to see so many people from our local community come down to pick up a bargain, enjoy a coffee and sample a few BBQ delights prepared by our very own St Agnes' chefs!
It was wonderful to see so many of our current families supporting the event, and equally pleasing to see so many of our new families joining us in 2027 come down for a look and begin connecting with our school community.
One of my favourite parts of the morning was seeing so many of our students putting their entrepreneurial skills to the test by running their own stalls. It was fantastic to see their creativity, confidence and enthusiasm. One student-led stall even chose to donate a portion of its profits back to the school. What a wonderful gesture!
Events like these don't just happen without an enormous amount of work behind the scenes. A huge thank you to our P&F, led by Sarah Gardner-Bibby and Bree Walsh, for the incredible work they continue to do in bringing our school community together. In particular, I would like to acknowledge Kate Hulsman and Amy Anderson, who put so much time and effort into coordinating Sunday's market.
I'd also like to thank all of our parent volunteers who gave up their Sunday morning to help set up, run stalls, cook the BBQ and assist throughout the day. Your generosity with your time is something we never take for granted. As we've said many times before, one of the great strengths of St Agnes' is the willingness of our families to get involved. Whether it's volunteering for an hour, helping organise an event or simply coming along to support it, every contribution makes a difference.
Year One Novel Study: The Twits
This term, our Year One students have begun their second novel study, reading an old favourite of many of our staff, The Twits by Roald Dahl. The students have absolutely loved exploring this classic text, with many even borrowing their own copies from the library so they can read along at home. In fact, we've regularly been hearing bursts of laughter echoing down the corridors from the Year One classrooms as the children discover the latest ridiculous tricks Mr and Mrs Twit have been playing on one another. It's wonderful to see children enjoying a book so much.
Novel studies are an important part of our reading program at St Agnes', from Year One through to Year Six. They provide students with opportunities to engage deeply with quality literature, build their vocabulary, develop their comprehension skills and explore characters, themes and ideas in greater depth. Rather than reading short, disconnected texts, students have the opportunity to follow a story over an extended period, make predictions, discuss what they have read and develop a genuine love of reading.
It's particularly exciting to see our Year One students engaging with novels at such a young age. Through shared reading, rich classroom discussions and explicit teaching, our younger students are exposed to more sophisticated vocabulary, sentence structures and ideas than they might otherwise encounter in texts they can read independently. It's a wonderful way to build their language comprehension and lay the foundations for becoming confident, capable readers.
We even had the pleasure of watching 1M present their learning about The Twits at assembly this week! Mrs Murphy had been hard at work during break times, carefully preparing the script and, perhaps most importantly, checking whether some of Roald Dahl's more colourful vocabulary was quite appropriate for a primary school assembly! It was a fantastic presentation and a lovely way to engage our students with their reading.
Well done to Mrs Murphy, Mrs Hampson and Mrs Georgiou on the amazing job they do teaching our Year One students.
Prep Orientation
Last Wednesday was a particularly exciting day at St Agnes' as we welcomed our 2027 Preps for their first orientation session. With our largest Prep intake in memory, our playground felt especially full as 32 new families joined us for the first time! Our new students couldn't have been in better hands, greeted by our 2027 Prep teachers, Mrs Jude Barton and Ms Nadia Hobart, alongside Mrs Baker and our wonderful LSOs Bec, Maddi, Alisha and Brooke. They certainly had the A-team looking after them!
After a few early tears as parents said goodbye, we were so impressed with how quickly our new Preps settled, responded to their teachers and began making connections with their classmates. It was equally lovely to see so many parents stay for a tea and coffee in the hall, getting to know the families they will share the next seven years with. A wonderful start for our newest St Agnes' students, and we can't wait to welcome them back next week for their second session.
Confirmation
On Saturday evening, we had the pleasure of celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation with our Year Six students and their families. Our students were beautifully prepared by Mr Otto, Mrs Murdoch and Mrs Gorski, and approached both their preparation and the celebration itself with great respect and reverence.
It was also wonderful to see several of our Year Six students who were not being Confirmed attend the Mass and receive a special blessing from Father Alan. This is a lovely tradition at St Agnes' that ensures all our students feel included in these important moments of faith and community. A big thank you to Father Alan for his guidance and support of our Year Six students throughout their sacramental journey.
Division and Regional Athletics
Congratulations to the 23 students who represented St Agnes' at the Beachside Division Athletics Carnival a fortnight ago. It was fantastic to have so many students progress to this level of competition.
What was particularly pleasing was the number of positive reports we received from families about the way our students conducted themselves, both in their events and in supporting one another. It's always wonderful to hear such feedback. We also had some outstanding individual performances:
- Clover: 2nd in the Under 11 100m sprint.
- Henry: 1st in the Under 11 shot put and 2nd in the Under 11 100m sprint.
Gracelyn: 1st in both the Under 10 long jump and 200m sprint, setting competition records in both events!
These fantastic results saw all three students progress to the Regional Athletics Carnival, where they competed against some of the best young athletes in the region. Once again, they did an outstanding job representing St Agnes'.
Clover finished 5th in her heat of the 100m sprint, while Henry had another brilliant day, finishing 1st in shot put and 3rd in the 100m sprint. Gracelyn continued her fantastic form, placing 2nd in both the long jump and 200m sprint.
To have three students competing at this level, and achieving such impressive results, is something our whole school community can be incredibly proud of. Congratulations to Clover, Henry and Gracelyn on their wonderful achievements! Henry and Gracelyn will progress through to the state championships later in the term. Congratulations again to all our competitors, and a big thank you to Mr Kost for his work in supporting our students and providing these wonderful sporting opportunities.
Middle School Camps
This week, both of our middle school classes headed off on their annual camp adventures, with our Year Three students experiencing their very first school camp!
Our Year Threes headed to Melbourne Zoo on Tuesday afternoon, greeted by perfect weather for their overnight adventure. After dinner, they enjoyed a night walk through the quiet zoo, seeing the animals in a completely different setting before settling into their tents and sleeping bags. Another zoo tour the following morning rounded out a fantastic experience.
The students had a wonderful time, with many sharing that their favourite part was simply spending time with their friends. A big thank you to Maddi and Mr Otto for joining them and helping make their first camp so memorable.
Meanwhile, our Year Four students have been enjoying their adventures at Summit Camp and are due home later today. I was lucky enough to visit on Thursday and see the students throwing themselves into the different activities and challenges. Despite the beautiful weather, the mud run was a particular favourite, along with the many team-building activities. Thank you to Kristina and Mrs Baker for accompanying our students and supporting them throughout camp.
A special thank you also to Mrs Law and Miss Mair for their work preparing our students for these experiences. I lost count of the number of times I walked through Year Three and heard Miss Mair patiently answering questions about the size of the tents and just how safe everyone would be sleeping near the zoo animals!
With plenty of discussion in the media about the impact of the new EBA on school camps, I want to reassure families that we continue to place enormous value on these experiences. Camps provide opportunities for independence, resilience, friendship and personal growth that are difficult to replicate in the classroom. Despite the changes associated with the EBA, our camp program in 2027 will remain largely unchanged. The main difference will be our senior students heading off on their biennial Canberra Camp at the beginning of Term Two, something we are already looking forward to.
Science Week
Our first-ever Science Week at St Agnes' was a huge success, with students enjoying a fantastic range of Science and STEM activities throughout the week. One of my personal highlights was sitting in on presentations from our parent guest speakers. It was fascinating to hear about the different ways they use science in their careers to help others and make the world a better place. These sessions gave our students a wonderful insight into how science connects to the world beyond the classroom.
Friday's Science Immersion Day was another highlight, with students rotating through four hands-on investigations. From designing cyclone-proof houses to exploring life cycles, there was plenty of curiosity, problem-solving and excitement across the school.
Our older students also took on leadership roles, guiding younger students through Bee-Bot challenges to develop their early programming skills. We were also fortunate to have one of our talented parents, Andy Lyons, run a lunchtime 3D design and printing session.
A huge thank you to all our parent guest speakers and volunteers for so generously sharing their time and expertise. Thank you also to our teachers for the work that went into planning such an engaging week. It was a fantastic way to spark curiosity and a love of science, and we look forward to building on this learning throughout the remainder of the term.
Public Speaking and Debating
Over the past fortnight, our senior students have been taking part in public speaking and debating sessions led by Sandra. These sessions provide wonderful opportunities for our students to build their confidence, develop their communication skills, learn how to express their ideas clearly and practise speaking in front of an audience. These are such valuable life skills that will benefit our students well beyond their primary school years.
During their first two sessions, students have been preparing and delivering speeches about themselves, while learning some of the important skills involved in speaking confidently to an audience. We look forward to seeing their confidence and abilities continue to grow throughout the program.
One thing I particularly loved was Sandra coming down to the office after her sessions to share just how impressed she was with the behaviour, enthusiasm and engagement of our students. She commented on what a pleasure they were to work with. We absolutely love hearing feedback like this, and it's a wonderful reflection of our senior students and the way they represent St Agnes'.
Fete Committee: 2028
It's amazing to think that we've only just celebrated the fruits of our incredibly successful 2026 Fete, and already it's time to start thinking about 2028!
Once again, I'd like to thank our wonderful 2026 Fete Committee for the enormous amount of work they put into making this year's event such a success. The new playground is a pretty wonderful reminder of what all that hard work can achieve.
While formal planning for our 2028 Fete will begin early next year, I'm hoping to establish our new Fete Executive Committee before the end of this year to get the ball rolling.
We are looking for parents who might be interested in taking on one of the following roles:
- President
- Junior President
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Sponsorship Manager
If you're interested in getting involved in any of these roles, please get in touch with me by Friday 20th November. Our hope is to have the executive team in place before the end of the year, ready to begin planning for another fantastic fete. We'll then invite other parents to join the broader Fete Committee later this year and into early 2027.
Our fete is one of the great community events at St Agnes', and we'd love to see some familiar faces, along with some new ones, getting involved in making 2028 another wonderful success!
Program Support Group Meetings (PSGs)
It has been a significant week for our teachers, LSOs and Learning Diversity Leader, Mrs Melinda Phyland, as we conducted our Term Four Program Support Group (PSG) meetings. These meetings are an important opportunity for families and staff to reflect on student progress, celebrate achievements and work together to plan the next steps in each child's learning and development.
Thank you to our staff for the care, preparation and professionalism they bring to these conversations, and particularly to Mrs Phyland for her outstanding work coordinating and leading this important area of our school.
Walkathon
This coming Friday, 30 October, we will hold our annual St Agnes' Walkathon at Peterson Reserve. Our students will head down to the oval to begin their laps at approximately 9:30am, returning to school around 10:45am. The Walkathon is a wonderful opportunity for students to get active, have some fun with their friends and raise money for our school through sponsorships for each lap completed.
All parents and families are warmly invited to come along, cheer on the students and enjoy the morning. Once again, a huge thank you to our P&F for the work they put into organising these fantastic opportunities for our students. We are very fortunate to have such a supportive parent community!
After-school Extracurricular Activities
It has been fantastic to see our after-school programs so well supported and enjoyed by the students who have taken part. This term we have a Monday Auskick program beginning in Week Three running on the grounds.
We encourage as many families as possible to support these wonderful opportunities. Programs such as these provide students with valuable experiences, help develop new skills, encourage participation in physical activity in a supportive environment. The links to sign up to both programs are below:
Golf: https://events.humanitix.com/st-agnes-after-school-gameongolf-term-4-2026
Soccer: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1636501
Auskick:
- Prep and Year One Group: https://www.playhq.com/afl/register/e58895
- Year Two and Above Group: https://www.playhq.com/afl/register/374b20
As mentioned, Brad Crosher has kept our before-school Tennis program operating in Term Three. Please get in touch with Brad if you are interested in signing up for Term Four lessons. You can contact Brad via www.bgctennis.com or brad@bgctennis.com
For further information and how to book these programs please head over to the Extra Curricular page of this newsletter.
Upcoming Events
Art Show – Wednesday 25 November, 6:00pm–8:00pm
Our much-anticipated St Agnes' Art Show is just around the corner! It promises to be a great evening with a sausage sizzle for dinner for the children, a drink on arrival for the adults, finger food and, of course, two hours to admire some of the best primary school artwork in Melbourne! Tickets will come on sale after the Melbourne Cup long weekend. We can't wait to showcase the incredible creativity and talent of our students.
Staff Planning day for 2027- Monday November 30th- School Closure
A gentle reminder that the school will be closed for students on Monday November 30th while staff commence planning for 2027. Kelly Sports have opened up a special program for the day if you require it. Contact Natasha@kellysports.com.au or Paul on 0413 080 025 or head over to our Extra Curricular page to book via the QR code
Christmas Carols Evening – Wednesday 2 December, 6:00pm
One of our favourite evenings of the year is fast approaching! We invite all families to join us for our annual Christmas Carols Evening, with festivities kicking off at 6:00pm. Bring along a picnic rug, pack some dinner and settle in for a wonderful evening as our classes perform some of your favourite Christmas classics. It's always a lovely way to come together as a school community and celebrate the festive season. More details will be shared closer to the evening.
Thank you for another wonderful fortnight at St Agnes', particularly to all the families who volunteered their time and supported Sunday's Trash and Treasure Market. Your generosity and willingness to get involved continue to make our school such a special place.
This Friday the 30th, along with the Walkathon, is also Australian World Teachers Day. We look forward to celebrating our wonderful staff next week and thanking them for everything that they do!
We wish all our families a safe, relaxing and enjoyable extra-long Melbourne Cup weekend next week. We look forward to seeing everyone back at the gate on Monday!
Tom