Principal's Report

National test of AusAlert

We’ve been advised that a national test of AusAlert will happen across Australia on Monday 27 July at 2 pm.

AusAlert is a new, national emergency warning system. It sends warning messages to compatible mobile devices during emergencies, to keep people informed so they can act quickly. The Australian Government plans to launch AusAlert in October 2026.

On Monday 27 July at 2 pm, all compatible mobile devices will receive a Critical Alert. Compatible mobile devices include phones, tablets, smart watches, safety watches and some vehicle devices. These will vibrate and make a loud, siren-like warning sound for about 10 seconds. This will happen even if they are on silent or do not disturb. The message will clearly state that it is a test. No action is required from the test.

To minimise disruption, student phones and smart devices should always be switched off and stored securely with their class teacher for the school day.

You may also wish to let your child know that if they see or hear the alert, school staff will support them. You can learn more at AusAlert: children and teens. Information is also available in other languages.

Wacky Wednesdays – Supporting Positive School Attendance

Regular school attendance is essential for every student's learning, wellbeing and sense of belonging. Every day at school provides valuable opportunities for students to build on their learning, strengthen friendships and participate in the many experiences that make school enjoyable.

In response to feedback from our Parent Attendance Survey, student voice and conversations with our wider school community, we are excited to introduce Wacky Wednesdays throughout August. This initiative has been designed to add an element of fun to the school week while reinforcing the importance of attending school every day.

There will be three separate themed Wednesdays during August:

Wear an oodie or hoodie – 5th August
Wear crazy socks – 12th August
Wear pyjamas or a onesie – 19th August

We encourage all students to get involved and enjoy these special events. Thank you for your ongoing support in ensuring your child attends school every day they are well enough to do so. Working together, we can help every student make the most of their learning opportunities and continue to thrive at school.

School Tours and Enrolments for 2027

We are very keen to know what our sibling enrolments are likely to be for 2027 so we encourage you to enrol your child as soon as possible. This will assist greatly with our forward planning! Applications for enrolments are now done online. For more information, please read about how to enrol your child in Foundation at vic.gov.au/enrolling-foundation-prep.

*Make sure to submit your enrolment application by Friday 31 July 2026.

Book Week

To help with your forward planning we have two exciting events coming up where we would love to see families and extended families attend.

Monday 24th August from 8.50am – 11.20am will be Grandparents morning. We encourage students to bring along their grandparents to school to join in some fun activities around the school, in the classroom and visit the Book Fair.
Wednesday 26th August 9.00am – 10.00am will be our annual book parade. Students are encouraged to dress up as their favorite book character. Families are invited to come along a watch our parade in the stadium.

Staffing Update

Performing Arts is currently on hold as Mr Flynn has taken some extended personal leave. Trying to find trained music teachers just for casual day work is hard enough, but trying to find one for an extended period even harder. It is for this reason, that we have done a pivot and taken up a Science specialist class at the start of this term. We welcome Mrs Claire Coburn who is working across most year levels teaching Science.

Late arrivals

Ideally we would like all students at school on time. However from time to time we know students come late. If students arrive at school after the 8.50am bell has rung, then they are expected to be signed in by a parent at the office. On Monday we had 32 students all arrive after the bell and walk into the office with no parent or carer. It is not the office staff’s responsibility to sign students in or out. We know that things happen in the morning to cause delays, and some of these things are out of your control. We still want students at school – and as the saying says…..'better late never'. So, if you find yourself running late, just find a park when you get here and come to the office to sign the kids in, the students will then make their way to their classroom.

COMPASS

Moving forward, we now have all activities, events, excursions and incursions on Compass. This is the place to go to make payments and give consent. We know it has been difficult navigating a new platform, but we hope with practice and support from our office staff that parents will find it user friendly and easy to use. QKR will remain open until the end of the year, as voluntary school contributions are still open and we welcome these at any time throughout the year.

Car Parking at Church

St Thomas Church have advised us that both LPS and EMC families can no longer use their carpark as a drop off / pick up meeting point. This is due to the church having an increased need to use the car park for their own events and that the shallow base of gravel is not designed to manage the amount of traffic from school parents. We know parking is a difficulty, especially at drop off and pickup times. I will be discussing with our school council options we can pursue to help with this.

Have a wonderful fortnight,

Mrs Pepper