Greetings from Shaun
Curriculum Day- Friday 6th of March
Tomorrow students will enjoy a day at home while our teachers take part in a Curriculum Day focused on their own learning. While students enjoy a well earned break from the classroom, our staff will be busy learning together and continuing to build their expertise to support every student. We are looking forward to welcoming literacy consultant and all round guru Neurissa Leunig back to Northcote to continue the work we began together in 2025 on Literacy.
The day will focus on building staff understanding of how the six key components of reading development work together: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and oral language often called the Big Six. We will continue refining how these elements come together within our literacy block and how they support a clear and consistent approach to reading instruction across the school.
OSHClub will be running an alternative program on Friday, so please be sure to book online if you would like your child to attend.
Labour Day Public Holiday- Monday 9th of March
A reminder that Monday the 9th of March is the Labour Day public holiday and the school will be closed for the day. Enjoy the upcoming long weekend!
NAPLAN
Next week our Grade 3 and Grade 5 students will take part in the NAPLAN assessments, which run from Wednesday the 11th of March to Tuesday the 17th of March. A revised timetable will be coming out soon with some last minute updates.
The assessments will primarily be conducted online, except for the Year 3 writing test, which will remain on paper. In the lead up to the tests, students have had time in class to practise using the online platform, so they feel familiar and comfortable with the format and are ready to go next week.
While we encourage all our students completing NAPLAN to do their best, we also want them to remember that it is just one snapshot of their learning and that we see them as far more than a test result. Their curiosity, creativity, persistence and growth across the year are what truly matter, and these are things that cannot be captured in a single test.
Good-luck next week to all our students sitting NAPLAN!
Kitchen Garden- Donations
We are about to begin planting in our vegetable garden and are looking forward to bringing the space to life with our students. We have purchased a range of seedlings so that each class can begin planting in their allocated garden beds as we get the garden program underway.
At this stage the focus is on getting started, going through expectations and modelling the planting process with students, so the beds will gradually fill over time as the garden grows. If any families have seeds, seedlings, herbs or vegetables they would like to donate for planting, we would love the support.
If you are able to contribute, please get in touch with your child’s classroom teacher.
District Swimming
Congratulations to our students who proudly represented Northcote Primary School at the recent Division Swimming Carnival. We are incredibly proud of the way our swimmers represented the school, showing determination, resilience and great school spirit throughout the day. You can see some photos from the event in this issue.
Coco, Sienna and Charlie will now go on to represent Northcote Primary School at the Regional Swimming Carnival. We wish them every success.
Working Bee
On Saturday the 14th of March we are holding a Working Bee to prepare for the Fete. We will be focusing on a general tidy up of the grounds, including weeding and gardening at the front of the school, a clean up around the yard, tidying the OSHC house, some painting inside the cubby houses, and planting fruit trees if they are available in time.
If you are able to help, even for part of the morning, we would greatly appreciate it. Please register via the link below so we can plan for the day:
2025 Annual Report- Community Meeting
Each year we complete an Annual Report to share with our community, reflecting on the previous year and how we delivered on our goals and commitments to student learning.
Our Public Reporting Meeting will be held on Wednesday the 25th of March. All members of our school community are welcome to attend.
Following departmental endorsement, the 2025 Annual Report will be published on our website. Previous Annual Reports can also be accessed via the Publications section of the website.
Parent Helper Induction Sessions
At Northcote Primary School we greatly value the partnership we share with our families, and we welcome parents and carers who would like to volunteer in classrooms, on excursions or at school events.
Our Parent Helper Induction sessions are running online throughout March. We have already held our first session, with two still to go, so there is still time to register if you would like to volunteer this year. Each session runs for approximately 30 minutes and completing the induction is an annual requirement for all volunteers.
To volunteer at Northcote Primary School you must hold a current Working With Children Check, complete the NPS Child Safety Induction Agreement, attend a Parent Helper Induction session, and complete the OHS induction at the front office. Camp volunteers will also attend an additional briefing specific to their role.
You can register for one of the remaining sessions here:https://forms.gle/LQ8MaBC2zNaKynk4A
More information about our school policies can be found on our website:https://northcoteps.vic.edu.au/policies
Don't forget, if you have volunteered for the fete (or are thinking of volunteering), you will require a Working with Children Check. It’s a 15 minute job, if you need to apply for a volunteer WWCC, you can do so here:
Take care,
Shaun