Principal's Report

Curriculum Day

Today, all of our staff took part in a full-day professional learning workshop focused on Trauma-Informed Practice. This training, facilitated by the Australia Childhood Foundation, deepened our understanding of how adverse experiences can impact a child’s learning, behaviour, and relationships, and, most importantly, how we as educators can respond in ways that promote safety, trust, and positive connections.

Throughout the day, we explored:

• The science behind trauma: understanding how stress and trauma can affect brain development, behaviour, and emotional regulation.
• Creating safe, supportive and predictable environments: strategies to ensure our classrooms have routines, and are inclusive and responsive to student needs.

• Strength-based approaches: focusing on student strengths and capacities rather than deficits, with relationships and connection being at the core.

   

The training reinforced that being trauma-informed is not about “blaming” students but about adapting our practice to meet them where they are, showing empathy, and ensuring they feel heard, valued, and safe. Staff left the day with a range of resources that will support the school to develop a consistent approach to apply in classrooms, which will include refining a shared understanding of supportive pedagogy. 

We know that when children feel safe and connected at school, they are better able to learn, and by embedding the key understanding and components of Trauma Informed Practice into our everyday teaching, we can make a lasting difference to all students, regardless of their personal histories. 

2025 Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey (starting next week)

Whittlesea Primary School is conducting the annual Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey offered by the Department of Education and is seeking your feedback. The survey is designed to help WPS gain an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage and appreciate your participation. Our school will use the survey results to identify areas for future improvement and professional development needs, and to inform school planning and improvement strategies. 

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open online from 

Monday 18 August to Friday 19 September 2025. All families are invited to participate in the survey.  I will provide a participation rate update via the Primary Post, our school newsletter, as the higher the rate of completion, the more information we can analyse to support targeting improvements across the school. The survey will be conducted online, takes only 15-20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. 

The survey is anonymous, with no parents, caregivers, guardians, or family names being identified in any part of the survey results. Once it opens next week, please call the office if you would like any more information or if you have any issues accessing the survey via the links once they are shared via a Compass post next week.

100% Attendance

Well done to Chris, Blake, Boston, and Mason on achieving 100% attendance for Semester One, 2025.

Jeans for Genes Day 

Thank you to everyone for donating to our day.

A fantastic effort for a great cause. 

Shade Sails - 'Up, & Away'

When driving past the school along Plenty Road and Plover Way, it's great to see our shade sails replaced. They look amazing and will ensure that we are ready for when the sun does shine as we head into Spring and Summer. With the warmer weather on its way, it is timely to remind everyone that we are a Sun Smart school and therefore Sun Smart hats are to be worn when outside. This period (September 1st to April 30th) coincides with the times when the UV index is typically higher, requiring sun protection.

Long Service Leave 

As shared earlier this week, I will be on long service leave from Friday, 22nd August to Friday, 29th of August. Ms Rae Gittos will be the Acting Principal during this time. I want to thank Ms Gittos, who I know will be well supported by Mr Matt Kirkright, along with the entire staff throughout this time. 

Enjoy your weekends

Kaylene