Welcome Back

Welcome back to our students, staff, and community! I hope the summer break proved to be restorative and restful and that you managed to share time with those you love.

It has been wonderful to see familiar faces reconnect and new friendships forming as everyone shares their holiday experiences. Our students have settled in beautifully and are already embracing the excitement of a new year of learning.

I want to express my sincere gratitude to our school community and staff for bringing such positivity and enthusiasm into 2025. Whilst we have had some staffing changes, our children have adapted well to their new learning environments and are quickly building strong social connections. This is a testament to the extensive preparation by our teachers that went into planning for this week, and for the strong connections they are already establishing with the children across the school.

Earlier this week, our staff participated in a whole day of professional learning to start the year. Throughout the day, we explored our student data and pedagogical practices. The afternoon was spent with the team from Real Schools who have been supporting us in developing our Restorative Practices framework. It was a wonderful way to kick of the year and build a collective understanding of our 2025 focus areas and reconnect after the summer break.

Personally, in addition to spending time with my beautiful family over the break, I was fortunate enough to have been offered the opportunity to participate in a one week Principal’s Conference in Sydney in mid-January. The Conference, delivered by the Harvard Graduate School of Education, was an amazing chance to learn from world leaders in their fields as we were led through an inspiring, challenging and thought-provoking program. Learning with such a committed and passionate group of school leaders does wonders for both the mind and the soul.

So, for 2025, as always, I am incredibly proud of our students, staff, and families, and I feel truly privileged to lead such a vibrant, child-centred community. Here’s to another fantastic year of learning and growth together!

Changes to the FNPS Newsletter

Please note that moving forward, our Newsletter will be released to the community on a Monday afternoon, rather than a Friday. This is to support the workload of our front office staff who often have many balls up in the air on a Friday afternoon and we feel this is one way to ease the pressure a little.

Altering the release day of the newsletter will also allow us to include information shared at the Friday afternoon assembly and provide an up-to-date snapshot of the week ahead. To that end, the next newsletter will be released on Monday 10th February and, as always, you will receive a Compass notification advising you when it is published.

Staffing News

Our 2025 staffing profile is as follows:

Leadership Team:

Principal: Tania Sorbello

Assistant Principal: Erin Bennetts

Leading Teacher – Disability and Inclusion – Jake Mutimer

Learning Specialist – Curriculum Leader – Joe Dykes

Wellbeing – Shared between Erin and Jake

Communications

With the start of a new year and some changes in our staffing and leadership teams, we’d like to take this opportunity to share a communications diagram to help guide you on who to contact for any queries. We hope this provides a clear and helpful pathway for addressing any ideas, questions, or concerns you may have.

Upcoming Events/Reminders

Parent / Carer -Teacher Meet and Greet

Our Parent / Carer - Teacher Meet and Greet afternoon is scheduled to be held on Wednesday 19th February 2025 from 1:20pm – 5:50pm. These 10 minute appointments will be an opportunity for you to meet your child’s teacher and share any relevant and important information about her learning preferences. Appointments will open for bookings early next week. Keep an eye out on Compass for when times are released.

Students will finish at 12:45pm on this day so, if required, please contact TheirCare for supervision for the afternoon.

Welcome Picnic

Our annual Welcome Picnic is scheduled to go ahead on Friday 21st February from 3:30pm – 6:30pm. Bring along a picnic blanket and some nibbles for a great evening of reconnecting with friends old and new.

Bikes and Scooters in the Yard

A reminder to families that, for safety reasons, bikes and scooters must be walked while on school grounds.

Farewell Tui

This week, our collective hearts broke as we learned of the passing of Tui Hicks-Toelupe, a beloved mother, wife, friend, and cherished member of the FNPS family. Tui’s presence in our community was one of warmth, kindness, and unwavering support. Her love for her children, her dedication to our school, and her generosity of spirit touched so many lives.

Tui was more than just a parent at our school—she was a friend to many, a guiding hand, and a source of positivity and encouragement. Whether it was a warm smile at morning drop-off, a helping hand at school events, or a kind word to those in need, Tui had a way of making everyone feel valued and included. Her positivity and compassion left a lasting impact, and her absence will be deeply felt.

Above all, Tui was a devoted mother, always putting her children first, ensuring they felt loved, supported, and encouraged in all they did. The values she instilled will continue to live on through her children, a lasting testament to the incredible person she was.

As we say goodbye, let us carry forward the kindness, generosity, and love that Tui so effortlessly shared. Let us hold her family in our hearts and surround them with the same support that Tui so often gave to others. Though Tui is no longer with us in person, her spirit will always remain a part of our school community.

Rest in peace, Tui. You will be dearly missed but never forgotten.

Until next time, go gently,

Tania

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