From the Principal

Dear Parents and Friends,

Today, our school oval was filled with colour, noise and encouragement as students competed in our annual House Cross Country. It was wonderful to see so many parents and family members lining the course, cheering on not only their own children but all of our runners. Events like this are a powerful reminder of what builds a community, or in our case, The Pegasus Family.

While there were certainly some very fast times recorded today, Cross Country is never just about who finishes first. It is about participation. It is about having a go. It is about students stepping up to the start line, sometimes with nerves, sometimes unsure of how far they can run, and choosing to try anyway.

Our new Representative Sport Policy places a strong emphasis on participation, effort, behaviour and representing our school with pride. Today, we saw that in action. We saw students encouraging one another, pushing through when they felt tired, showing resilience when the race became challenging, and finishing with a sense of accomplishment regardless of their placing. These are the qualities that matter most, not just in sport but in life.

For some students, running several kilometres is easy. For others, it requires enormous determination. Watching students dig deep, keep going and cross the finish line is one of the most powerful lessons we can offer. Participation builds confidence. Effort builds character. Resilience builds lifelong capability.

Just as importantly, events like Cross Country strengthen our school community. When families gather, when siblings cheer, when teachers run alongside students, and when Houses chant and celebrate together, we reinforce that school is about belonging. These shared experiences create memories and deepen the sense that we are part of something bigger than ourselves.

Thank you to our staff for organising such a smooth event, to our students for the way they participated and represented their Houses, and to our families for taking the time to be there. Your presence makes a difference.

Today was about more than running. It was about courage, persistence, teamwork and community. It was another proud day for our Pegasus Family.

Lysterfield PS Showcasing Excellence in Teaching and Learning

Over the coming weeks, Lysterfield Primary School will host two important professional learning events, welcoming educators and school leaders from across the Maroondah and Knox networks.

On Tuesday 10 March, we will host Career Start 2026 (Term 1) for Early Career Teachers. The focus of this visit will be our Positive Classroom Management Strategies and The Pegasus Way.

For graduate teachers in particular, strong classroom management is not an “extra”, it is essential. Effective teaching can only occur when the learning environment is calm, orderly and predictable. Without that foundation, even the strongest lesson design struggles to succeed.

During the morning, visiting teachers will participate in short classroom walk-throughs across Grades 2 to 5. They will observe the consistent routines, clear expectations and engagement norms that underpin learning at Lysterfield Primary School. They will see how The Pegasus Way creates classrooms where students know what to do, how to do it and why it matters.

They will also observe practical strategies in action, including strong entry routines, clear modelling of expectations, frequent opportunities for students to respond and ongoing checking for understanding. These strategies ensure that learning time is maximised and that all students are supported to succeed.

We will also host our first Assistant Principal Network meeting for the year. During this visit, leaders will hear about our whole-school shift to explicit instruction, grounded in cognitive science and the science of learning. Observations will focus on how strong classroom routines and explicit teaching work together to strengthen student learning and retention. With VTLM 2.0 a central priority across Victorian schools, this visit provides timely and practical insight into how consistent practice can be embedded from Prep to Year 6.

Both visits are a recognition of the significant work that has taken place across our school. The calm, focused classrooms that visitors will see are the result of clear expectations, shared language and consistent practice. Most importantly, they reflect the effort and engagement of our students, who demonstrate every day that strong routines support strong learning.

We are proud that Lysterfield Primary School is increasingly recognised as a school where effective practice is visible, consistent and making a difference.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Adam Wight

Principal