Principal's Report
Principal: Brendan Millar
In this week’s brief newsletter update:
Reminders
- Lunch Orders
- Hoodie Up for Autism
Easter Hamper Draw
End of Term Reflection
School Council Update
Kids' Share
Assembly and Early Dismissal Reminder
Repeated Messages
Reminders
Lunch Orders
Lunch orders will be available tomorrow, the final day of term.
Hoodie Up for Autism
Tomorrow, we will hold a JSC-led special day to support families living with autism. Students are encouraged to wear a hoodie as part of a casual dress day in recognition of World Autism Day. We also invite families to support this initiative with a gold coin donation. JSC members will collect donations in the morning, and once processed by the office team, all funds will be donated to the Amaze Foundation to support their important work.
Easter Hamper Draw
With a well-deserved round of applause to our Parents’ Association - particularly Alex Burke (Ava 1CL) Wes and Broderick Jackson (Isaac 4LW and Ezra 1HP), Tanya Tran and Michael Caputo (Mai 6MT, Vi 4MP and Marco 1HP) - and with the generous support of our community, we once again look forward to this wonderful tradition. Our Easter egg hampers will be on display, and the lucky winners will be announced at assembly tomorrow.
School will be dismissed at 2:30pm from classrooms following assembly.
End of Term Reflection
Congratulations to our staff and students on the successful completion of Term 1. It has been a busy and highly positive start to the year.
The Eagle Building has been a highlight of the term, providing a bright and engaging space that is enhancing teaching and learning opportunities for both students and staff every day.
Our focus on values education has continued to strengthen, with Belonging, Respect, Responsibility and Resilience highlighted through newsletters, assemblies and classroom practice. We thank families for the important role you play in reinforcing these values in everyday life.
Our Welcome Circles, developed through our implementation of the Berry Street Education Model, have been further strengthened through daily Welcoming Starts. We have observed a calmer start to the day, with more families arriving on time and students benefiting from a more settled transition into learning.
We also acknowledge our new (and returning) teaching staff, who have quickly become valued members of their teams. Their commitment to our teaching and learning priorities has been evident from the outset.
School Council Update
The School Council met last night for its first meeting of the new school council term. We welcomed new members Natalie Cassar (parent representative - Heath Buck 1LJ) and Caity Gray (staff representative).
The meeting included an overview of governance protocols and compliance requirements, along with the establishment of the 2026 Council Executive. We are pleased that our current parent executive team has agreed to continue for a further year:
- President: Andrew Newman
- Assistant President: Paul Gregg
- Treasurer: Alison Thistlethwaite
Sub-committees for Finance, Communication and Policy (ComPol), and Facilities were confirmed. We also discussed working groups to support the Eagle Building hire process and the OSHC contract renewal.
Parents’ Association fundraising and activity plans were endorsed, along with planning for an alternative sibling photo opportunity in Term 2, co-ordinated by the PA with support from the leadership and office teams.
The 2025 Annual Report to the School Community was presented, feedback incorporated and approved. It will now be submitted to the Department and following ratification, published on the school website.
Our School Council will continue to meet twice per term, alternating between online and onsite meetings. Subcommittees will meet prior to Council meetings to progress planning and recommendations.
Council members are always open to feedback and welcome conversations with members of our school community.
Kids’ Share Afternoon
Our Term 1 Kids’ Share for students in Years 1 to 6 was very well supported across all year levels. It was wonderful to see students proudly sharing their learning with parents and carers, and to observe the positive interactions between families, students and staff.
This continues to be a highly valued initiative within our school community.
Assembly and Early Dismissal Reminder
As is customary in government schools, students will be dismissed one hour earlier on the final day of term. Tomorrow’s dismissal time is 2:30pm.
Please ensure appropriate arrangements have been made for your child. Students booked to attend TheirCare will be supervised from 2:30pm.
As assembly will be held indoors, all students will return to their classrooms prior to dismissal, rather than being dismissed directly from the assembly space.
We wish our FWPS community a safe and happy holiday break.
Best regards,
Brendan
Repeated Messages
Family Voluntary Contributions
Thank you to the continued contributions via Compass. We would appreciate this trend continuing to ensure that we can afford the curriculum programs we have in place.
While the principle of a “free education” remains a right, the politicisation of parent contributions has had a significant impact on government schools. FWPS used to receive parent payments from approximately 95% of families. This figure now typically sits between 65% and 70%.
Although we have worked hard to keep contributions low and ensure value for money, receiving approximately 25% less revenue has a very real effect on our ability to provide the quality and range of resources we believe are necessary. In recent years, we have introduced programs such as Spelling Mastery, the Explicit Maths Program, and Inform and Empower. Each of these programs carries a per-student cost. When family contributions are not received, we must find funding elsewhere.
As I write this, I am very conscious that a number of families are experiencing financial hardship. Contributions may be made as a part payment rather than in full. If you are in a position to do so, please support the school by contributing to the best of your capacity.
Inform and Empower Cyber Safety Program
Photographing, Filming and Recording Students
Our annual reminder that if you wish to adjust your current level of permission for photographing, filming or recording of your child to contact the office. Please see the Policy page on our school website for more information:
https://www.fwps.vic.edu.au/page/222/Policies-and-Child-Safe-Standards
Annual Privacy Reminder
Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ privacy policy and the Schools’ privacy collection notice.
Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students policy, available on the Policies page on our website: https://www.fwps.vic.edu.au/page/222/Policies-and-Child-Safe-Standards, describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn.
We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use the Google Suite (G Suite Information for Parents & Guardians) safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education, please contact the school.
For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ privacy policy: information for parents. This information is also available in eleven community languages: Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Gujarati, Mandarin, Somali, Sudanese, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese.
Camps, Sports and Excursion Fund Applications for Families
Please also make sure you look at the flyer in the newsletter regarding Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund applications for 2026. Applications close in June and are a great help for families.