Principal Report

Good afternoon parents and carers,

We have hit the last month of (official) Melbourne winter and we enter into Guling according to our local seasons, where the weather begins to warm up slightly and the native orchids begin to bloom. Looking at attendance rates, we are certainly in peak sickness season, and I hope that you are either staying well or recovering quickly, as it is not fun to have illness run through an entire household. Sickness hits our students and staff alike, and the increased demand on our local Casual Replacement Teacher (CRT) agencies often means they are unable to provide anyone on occasion, which may result in a class needing to be split for the day - not ideal. Thankfully, these days are kept to a minimum at our school, and the students cope well with the odd non-routine day.

Thank You for Your Support and Flexibility

Speaking of non-routine, I want to acknowledge that Week 2 of this term was definitely not a normal one! Although we always hold a Term 3 curriculum day, this year it was combined with Parent-Teacher Interviews, for the important reasons I outlined in my newsletter last term. When our School Council approved the Term 3 date back in May, there was no way of knowing the AEU would call sudden strike action when we returned in mid-July, so I really felt for families last week with two non-routine days in a row. Thank you for being flexible and supportive of the school and its staff and teachers. For those families who attended a 15-minute interview or a three-way conference with your child and their teacher, I hope you enjoyed the experience and recognised the value the additional time offered.

The strange week ended with the 2026 100 Days of Foundation Parade and celebration party, and it was great to see the smiling faces of this year's cohort and the parents who were able to attend the parade at 9.15am. The creativity of the t-shirts was once again amazing, and the students loved the opportunity to have a party after recess, complete with dancing, party games and some karaoke. Well done to the students, teachers and families for a fabulous start to their schooling journey.

Book Week and Parade Arrangements 2026

Our beloved Book Week Celebration is coming up on Monday, 24th August. Our staff have organised many engaging events during the week for our students to participate in, ranging from a dress-up day to author visits, student buskers (stories and music) and the Book Fair.

Our Book Week dress-up day is on Wednesday, 26th August, with the parade taking place at 9.10am around the blue running track. We invite students to come dressed as a character from a favourite children's story - please nothing too mature or scary. This year's theme is "Symphony of Stories!" We're celebrating how stories combine different voices that come together like an orchestra. Please let your children know that we will hold a parade on this day. There will be music as we parade around to showcase our costumes and celebrate the magic of book characters.

A reminder that while we love dress-up days, we want to make sure it's as stress-free as possible for everyone. Costumes are optional, and can be as simple or as complex as you like. They can be bought, borrowed, re-worn or handmade, and can be a full head-to-toe outfit or just a pop or mask. The ultimate aim is to celebrate books and reading!

Parents are most welcome to come along and watch the parade on Wednesday morning. With regard to recording the parade, a gentle reminder of our school policy, Photographing, Filming and Recording Students, as directed by the Department of Education: NLPS endeavours to respect the privacy of all members of our school community and formally requests that parents/carers, students and invited guests do not photograph, film or record school performances, sporting events, excursions and other school-approved activities, aside from images of their own children.

Library Fund Used for Library Upgrades

As Sharon, our Library Teacher, gears up for another big Book Week, she has also been busy spending some of the money generously donated to the Library Fund to improve the library set-up — including creating a cosy/calm corner and new display furniture, as well as stocking up on new literature and reading material. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this important voluntary fund.

Upcoming School Events

The Parents Club is busy this term and into early Term 4 with a plethora of activities planned:

• Continuing the Fresh Fruit Mondays program (F–2)
• Bunnings Sausage Sizzle (22nd August)
• Fathers and Special Persons Breakfast (4th September - more details to come)
• Hot dogs for Footy Colours Day (Week 10 - more details to come)
• NLPS Colour Run (16th October)

Please help support them by signing up to help out at an event, or by encouraging others in the NLPS community to get involved.

Year 5 & 6 Production - Death on the Deck!

After input from our senior students, rehearsals have begun, the script is being finalised and promotional materials are being readied for our immersive production, taking place at the Substation on Thursday 29th October, with a matinee and an evening performance scheduled. Keep an eye out for promotional materials soon!

End of Year School Concert

The entire student population - and maybe even some staff members - will get a chance to perform on stage in front of our school community in early December. We have planned an evening event (5pm–7pm) on Wednesday 2nd December, with a back-up date of the 3rd. With 17 performances scheduled, it should be a fun way to start celebrating the end of the school year. The NL Parents' Club will assist by funding the cost of hiring the stage and audio equipment.

A Note Regarding Staff Time in Lieu

All these school-based events rely heavily on the presence of teachers and ES staff for support and supervision. As many take place outside normal working hours, we will also need to provide Time in Lieu - either through reduced meeting time/early finishes or additional payment. We are not able to pass on the cost of TiL to parents, so the school must be mindful of this when planning and costing events.

Personal Accident Insurance and Ambulance Cover

A friendly reminder that the Department of Education does not provide personal accident insurance for students. Parents and guardians are responsible for covering the cost of any medical treatment for injured students, including ambulance transport.

While needing an ambulance is rare, it can happen—as it did late 2024 year following a very serious fall.

Looking forward to a wonderful remainder of 2026, and its array of activities to come.

Carly Bannon

NLPS Principal