Executive Principal's Report

Term 3 continues to fly past at light-speed. August may have arrived, but the recent run of cold, wet weather has been a firm reminder that spring is still further away than the calendar has us believe.

Welcome Back, Somers Campers

We were over the moon to welcome our Somers Camp students back to school today. Well, almost all of them.

While there were certainly some tired eyes, each student returned with a smile as they recalled their nine days away. During their time at camp, they built connections with students from Richmond West and other schools, challenged themselves in ways they may not have imagined, and developed the independence that comes from spending an extended period away from home.

All reports indicate that our students did an exceptional job representing themselves and our school community. They embraced new experiences, navigated unfamiliar routines, strengthened their confidence and resilience, worked cooperatively with others and, quite possibly, developed a renewed appreciation for their own beds.

We are very proud of the way they approached the experience and look forward to hearing more of their stories once they have caught up on approximately nine days of sleep.

Parent–Teacher-Student Conferences

Last Wednesday, as part of our modified school day, we welcomed families and students into the school for individual meetings with their teachers. Staff who teach across two classes also held additional interviews on Friday to ensure every family had the opportunity to meet.

Overwhelmingly, it was a positive experience for both families and staff. Having dedicated time to sit down, reflect on what each child has achieved and discuss where their learning is heading next is invaluable. It allows for conversations that simply cannot be squeezed into the thirty seconds available at drop-off or pick-up.

Thank you to our teachers for the preparation involved and for putting in an incredibly long day, particularly those who worked through back-to-back interviews from beginning to end.

A special thank you also goes to Rachel and our Education Support staff team, who helped direct families, confirm meeting times, coordinate interpreters and keep the whole operation moving on schedule. No small task when half the school is trying to locate the correct room at once.

Our Health Discovery Unit

We are now four weeks into the term, which also means we are four weeks into our new approach to sequencing parts of the curriculum at Richmond West Primary School.

In case you were not aware, each year level is working within a common overarching theme this term. It is similar to the way we previously approached inquiry units, but with an important adjustment: we wanted the approach to fit Richmond West Primary School, rather than making Richmond West Primary School fit an approach. We should celebrate our uniqueness, not overcomplicate it.

Across all year levels, the learning is age-appropriate and connected, where meaningful, to literacy, numeracy and specialist subjects. The aim is not simply to complete activities, but to help students understand, apply and talk about what they are learning.

Prep to Year 2 students are learning about healthy choices, feelings, trusted people, personal boundaries and appropriate help-seeking strategues.

Years 3 and 4 are developing a stronger understanding of physical development, privacy, rights, respectful behaviour, assertive communication and strategies for responding when boundaries are crossed.

Years 5 and 6 are exploring physical, social and emotional changes, along with consent, peer influence, respectful relationships and help-seeking.

This term, we have also strengthened our collaborative team-planning model. Curriculum leaders now lead these sessions with teams. The most rewarding part for me has been seeing how our teachers engage deeply with the curriculum and bridge the gap between what students are expected to learn and how we can teach that content effectively at Richmond West.

There is rarely one perfect way to do this work. Our central question has instead been: How do we engage students deeply with the curriculum and its content, rather than simply asking them to complete work?

It remains a work in progress, but I am incredibly proud of what has been achieved so far. Behind the scenes, we are already beginning to shape Term 4 and will share the next whole-school theme once we have hammered it into something suitably presentable.

Support and Resources for Families

Conversations about bodies, boundaries and safety can sometimes raise questions for children and families. Parents and carers are encouraged to contact their child’s teacher or our school wellbeing team if they would like further information or support.

Useful resources include the Raising Children Network, which provides evidence-based guidance for families, and the Victorian Department of Education’s resources for talking with children about relationships, sexuality, consent and body safety.

For additional support:

• Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800, free and confidential support for young people aged 5 to 25, available 24/7.
• 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732, counselling and support relating to family violence, sexual assault and abuse, available 24/7.
• Safe Steps: 1800 015 188, Victorian family violence crisis support, available 24/7.

• Nurse-on-Call: 1300 60 60 24, health advice from a registered nurse, available 24/7. 

   

In an emergency or where someone is in immediate danger, please call 000.

Staff Car Park Gate

We have experienced several technical issues with our gates over the past week. Our internal sliding gate has now been repaired, and attention is turning to the staff car park gate.

We are currently exploring options to improve the gate’s reliability, operation and security. Any future changes may affect how the car park is accessed, so families and other regular users will be advised before new arrangements are introduced. For now, there is no change to the current access arrangements where the gate is closed manually in the afternoons. 

NAPLAN 2026

Staff met this week to examine our 2026 NAPLAN results, identify areas of strength and determine where further investigation and improvement are needed. As always, NAPLAN provides one piece of evidence about student learning. It is most useful when considered alongside classroom work, teacher judgement, other assessments, attendance and wellbeing information.

Our focus is not on adding more initiatives, but ensuring that the right work is being done consistently and well.

For this newsletter, we wante to highlight some very encouraging results across both year levels in Literacy and we'll share our Numeracy data next fortnight. 

Year 3

• 61% of students achieved within the Strong or Exceeding proficiency levels in Reading.
• 76% of students achieved within the Strong or Exceeding proficiency levels in Writing.

Year 5

• 83% of students achieved within the Strong or Exceeding proficiency levels in Reading, above similar schools and the wider network.
• 89% of students achieved within the Strong or Exceeding proficiency levels in Writing, also above similar schools and the wider network.
• 87% of students demonstrated medium or high growth in Reading between Years 3 and 5.
• 86% of students demonstrated medium or high growth in Writing between Years 3 and 5.

The results give us plenty to celebrate. A clear majority of our Year 3 students are already achieving within the Strong or Exceeding levels, while the Year 5 results show particularly strong achievement and, most importantly, growth as students move through the school.

The data also helps us identify where we can strengthen consistency and continue building on the practices that are having the greatest impact. In other words, not more things, just the right things done well.

That's week 4 is almost done and dusted - see you in the morning for assembly.

Until next time,

Trevor.