Principal's Report

The term keeps ticking by and each day brings more learning opportunities for our students both inside and outside  the classroom. Our wonderful staff continue to work hard to make school a safe, supportive and happy environment for our students and we are lucky to have the ongoing support of our families and community members. 

Open Night and VIP Session in the Kitchen 

As you would have seen on the board outside our school - Open Night is coming up tomorrow - Thursday 21 May from 5:30pm to 6:30pm. Alongside our School Tours and Familiarisation Sessions, this is another opportunity for prospective families looking to enrol their children in Foundation for 2027 to see all our school has to offer. 

We would also LOVE our current families to attend to celebrate all that makes Whitehorse such a special school. Come along and see the fantastic student work on display, hear from our school choir, have a go at some puzzles in the Questacon space with our student helpers, explore our classrooms, get creative in our STEM space and taste some delicious food from our Kitchen.

On this night we are also inviting parents and grandparents who might be interested in becoming a volunteer for our Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program to hear from current volunteers and meet our Kitchen Specialist Lauren. No formal cooking skills are required to support this program. All you need is a current Working with Children’s Check, a positive attitude and a willingness to support our students and have fun. We would love your help in spreading the word to grandparents and other special friends. 

We look forward to seeing you there! 

2027 Enrolments 

Enrolments are now open for Foundation in 2027!  Tours continue to run each week on a range of days. We kindly ask you to spread the word with family and friends in the local area who may have children starting school next year. If you have a child joining their older siblings at Whitehorse Primary School in 2027 don’t forget to complete your enrolment online. As always please let us know if you need help.

Student Learning and Wellbeing 

I want to highlight how well our teachers know their students and how to teach them at their point of need. When touring families around our school I am so proud to see our students so engaged and supported in their learning. Some highlights I notice are explicit teaching, collaborative and challenging tasks and our teachers fostering a love of learning either in literacy, numeracy or specialist areas. There is also a really strong focus on student wellbeing through explicit teaching, circle time and check ins, clear and consistent routines and calm, orderly learning areas. 

School Captains - Children’s Advisory Group

Last Wednesday our School Captains and I attended the Children’s Advisory Group at Whitehorse Council at Box Hill Town Hall. Students learnt about the local council, toured the different rooms, gallery and hall and shared their ideas about why student voice matters. This was a great opportunity for our student leaders to discuss leadership and their own ideas with students from other schools in the Whitehorse network. I am so proud of how respectful, kind and confident they were in their interactions with others. We are looking forward to learning more in upcoming sessions. 

Peer Mediators

Congratulations to our Peer Mediators who received their badges at last week’s assembly. Our Peer Mediators do a fantastic job supporting our students in the yard with minor problems and friendship issues and promote a strong sense of student wellbeing at our school. Peer Mediators wear a purple vest in the yard so students can find them when needed! 

Education Support Staff Day

Last Tuesday our school celebrated Education Support Personnel Day. A morning tea was held to acknowledge all our amazing ES staff and the work they do to support our students and school. Our ES staff have important and diverse roles. They work in classrooms to support students’ learning and wellbeing, in the Library, Kitchen, Garden and our school office. No two days look the same for our ES staff and we thank our wonderful team for the dedication and care they put into their roles. 

Freezer Angels

The work the Freezer Angels do in supporting our school community is truly special and unique! In case you don’t know, Freezer Angels are a group of volunteers who use our school Kitchen to cook meals to freeze and have ready for when members of our community are in need.

Meals can be collected from the freezer behind lost property in the Office building. Please help yourself or see one of our friendly office staff if you need help locating the freezer! There are lots of meals available at the moment so if you are busy with work and family life, experiencing hardship or just sick of cooking we would love to help you out. 

We also extend this invitation to Seedlings and Warekila families. 

Mother’s Day Stall

I would like to thank our Whitehorse Family Network for another successful Mother’s Day Stall. As always we appreciate the time, effort and care that goes into running these events both to fundraise for our school and to provide exciting experiences for our students. Mums, nanas, grandmas and special people we hope you enjoyed your gifts and felt appreciated and loved on Mother’s Day. Thank you team. 

These are just some of the highlights of a very busy couple of weeks at Whitehorse Primary School. We are all about continually learning and improving as a school so if you have any feedback or questions for a team please let us know. 

As the weather starts to get colder, please stay warm and keep healthy. 

Have a wonderful week!

Megan Goldenberg

Acting Principal