From the Principal

Dear families,

Communication at Willy Primary

Clear and consistent communication between home and school is essential in building strong partnerships and ensuring families have accurate, up-to-date information.

At Willy Primary, our two core communication platforms are:

• The School Newsletter – published regularly and designed to be the central source of information about upcoming events, key dates, celebrations, reminders and important updates.
• Compass (emails and notifications) – used for direct communication with families, including year level information, permission forms, event details and urgent updates.

The School Newsletter and Compass are the school’s official and primary communication channels.

While we also use our social media platforms — Facebook and Instagram — to promote and celebrate school activities, these platforms are supplementary. They are not used for formal communication or important operational updates.

We are aware that many classes and parent representatives have established WhatsApp group chats. While these can be helpful for parent-to-parent communication, please note that these groups are not official school platforms. Information shared in these spaces may not always reflect the most accurate or current details.

To ensure you receive correct and up-to-date information, we strongly encourage all families to regularly read the school newsletter and monitor Compass posts and emails.

District Swimming

What an outstanding day for Willy Primary at the recent District Swimming Carnival!

Our team represented the school with pride, determination and true Willy Kids spirit, finishing 2nd overall — just 15 points behind Altona Primary (who we narrowly edged out last year). The effort and sportsmanship shown by every student was exceptional.

The carnival was undertaken in fantastic spirit, with students supporting one another, celebrating successes and demonstrating resilience in every event. It was a wonderful example of healthy competition and positive teamwork.

I was very fortunate to attend the day to support Paddy and Molly, and it was fantastic to see our students compete with such enthusiasm and encouragement for one another.

A special congratulations to Paddy, who in his role as District Coordinator organised a seamless, high-quality event. The day ran smoothly from start to finish — a credit to his organisation and leadership.

Well done to all of our swimmers, and a huge congratulations to those students who have now progressed through to the Divisional Finals. We look forward to cheering you on in the next stage of competition!

Respectful Relationships

On the Wellbeing and Inclusion page this week Lisa and Anna have provided in-depth information about the school’s Respectful Relationships Program. This program in partnership with the school’s Willy Kids are friendly Kids program is at the centre of our school’s positive behaviors. We highly encourage all families to read the information.

School Council Nominations

School Council Election

School councils play a key role in Victorian government schools. Participating as a school council member is a rewarding and challenging experience. The School Council supports the principal to provide the ​​best possible educational outcomes for students. 

Who is on the school council?

There are three possible categories of membership:

1. A mandated elected parent category.  More than one third of the elected members must be from this category.
2. A mandated elected Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DE).  Members of this category may make up no more than one third of the total membership of school council. The principal of the school is automatically one of these members.
3. An optional community member category. These members are co-opted by the decision of the council because of their special skills, interests, or experiences. DET employees are not eligible to be community members. 

The term of office for members is two years. Normally half the members retire each year, and this creates vacancies for the annual school council elections. Retiring members are eligible for further terms and it is common for them to re-nominate. Our School Council is comprised of 7 parents, 5 staff (including the principal) and 3 community members, a total of fifteen. Typically, school council members complete their two-year term on school council and an annual election process commences to determine new membership if required.

This year the council has 3 parent vacancies available under the parent category and 2 community vacancies which will be appointed after the parent categories are filled. 

Why is parent membership so important?

Parents on school councils provide important viewpoints and have valuable skills that can help shape the direction of the school. Those parents who become active on a school council find their involvement satisfying in itself and may also find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging. 

How can you become involved?

The most obvious way is to vote in the elections, which will be held in March this year if required.

However, ballots are only held if more people nominate as candidates than there are positions vacant. In view of this, you might seriously consider:

• standing for election as a member of school council
• encouraging another person to stand for election.

Do I need special experience to be on a school council?

No. What you need is an interest in your child’s school and the desire to work in partnership with others to help shape the school’s future.

Nomination forms are available from the school office.

Nominations close at 4pm Friday 27th February 2026.

For more information please visit:https://www.williamstownps.vic.edu.au/page/31/School-Council 

A big thank you to our outgoing members for the support and work over the last two years. Departing members also have the opportunity to renominate as well.

• Damien Wood  (Parent)
• Sally Winton  (Parent)
• Sarah Glasson  (Parent)
• Pande Jovanovski  (Parent/Community)
• Steven Puhar  (Staff)

Reminder

School Volunteer - Annual Registration

Each year all parent volunteers are required to complete the annual registration form. This form ensures that parent volunteers are across important Department requirements and policy. 

Key to this process are 3 steps

• Complete registration form
• Complete volunteer OHS module (Link located in the registration form)
• Ensure school has an up to date Working With Childrens Card

If you have any questions about this process please contact the school office

Volunteer Registration Link - https://forms.gle/vM933fttXMk66XBG7

Warm regards,

Mat Montebello