From the Principal & Assistant Principal
Today is our final day of Term 1, we hope that all our students, staff and families have a restful and refreshing break and come back ready for a busy Term 2. Thanks to our staff who have ensured a smooth start to our 2026 school year, we look forward to continuing to see our students grow and develop as the year continues.
Farewell Uggy and Peanut – Carlsruhe Sheep
Our Carlsruhe teaching program has always included providing students with the opportunity to develop their skills in animal care. Uggy and Peanut, our sheep, have been part of the Carlsruhe family for over 10 years and we know many of our current and past students have fond memories of spending time with them. We recently made the difficult decision to allow them to retire to a local farm, where they will be taken care of in their retirement. Last Thursday, Sue, Mr Sayers, Mrs Elliott and myself facilitated Uggy and Peanut’s move to their new home. We have received updates this week to advise that they are continuing to bring joy to the family who have taken over their care. We will miss the, at times mischievous pair, who always had a friendly greeting for all who visited them. We are looking to take on some new members of the Carlsruhe animal family in the near future, which will allow our students to continue to develop their animal care skills.
Colour Lap-a-Thon
Last Wednesday, we enjoyed our annual Colour Lap-a-Thon. Considering how inconsistent the weather was last week, we were fortunate that we were able to successfully conduct our whole school tug of war, BBQ lunch and finish off with the lap-a-thon. This event would not have been possible without the careful organisation and planning by Ms Mann, our staff who had many roles to undertake on the day and our wonderful volunteer community who supported Jenni with our BBQ lunch and took control of dispensing coloured powder on our students as they completed as many laps as possible in 1 hour. There were certainly many colourful and tired students by the time the final bell rang; they definitely earned their icy poles.
Victorian Government Schools Agreement
As many of you may be aware, staff in Victorian Government Schools are currently awaiting a new School Agreement which is being negotiated between Unions and the Victorian State Government. Negotiations have been in progress for the last eight months. Last week, an approved ‘Stop Work’ was held by Australian Education Union members. Currently, no agreement has been reached and there is the potential that further action may be taken over the next few months. We will continue to keep our school community up to date if school operations may be impacted.
Foundation 2027 Enrolment
Our school tours for 2027 Foundation enrolments have commenced, with our first tour on Tuesday morning. We will continue to conduct regular tours over Term 2 and bookings can be made via our website. We will also be conducting our Foundation Information evening on Wednesday 13th May, again, bookings can be made online. We encourage our community to share this information with people they know who may be considering enrolling their child in Foundation in 2027. If you are an existing member of our school community, you are welcome to attend the information evening.
Professional Learning Communities
Our teaching staff operate in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The intention of these PLCs is to:
be collectively accountable for improving learning and engagement within classrooms
to improve teaching practice, drawing on contemporary evidence of effective teaching practice
address trends or patterns emerging from student data
focuses on the priorities outlined in the School’s Strategic Plan (SSP) and Annual Implementation Plan (AIP)
agree on specific actions and monitor their effectiveness
Our teachers meet every week to work as PLCs. On Monday afternoon, we met as a staff group to share the work undertaken by our teachers over the course of Term 1. It was wonderful to hear about the learning journeys our teaching staff have been on and how they utilise their learning and shared practices to ensure improved outcomes for all of our students. A big focus of their work has been on implementing improved practices in Literacy instruction. We are looking forward to continuing to explore this work throughout 2026 and sharing this journey with our community in the near future. The journeys shared show the dedication and care that our teachers have, for the work they do every day to support the students of Woodend Primary School.
Don’t forget that Term 2 officially commences for students on Tuesday 21st April, as our staff will be participating in a Curriculum Day on Monday 20th April. We wish you all the best for the holiday break and look forward to welcoming you all back for Term 2.
Principal Assistant Principal
Elissa Campbell Adam Sayers