Dear Skye Families,

As this term draws to a close, I want to start by saying a huge thank you to Gareth Snow and Danielle Wadley, who did a superb job leading our school during my Long Service Leave. Their steady hands as Acting Principal and Acting Assistant Principal meant our students, staff and families had every bit of consistency and support they needed, and I'm incredibly grateful to them both.

Whole School Concert

While I was away on leave and unable to attend, hearing the glowing debriefs from so many parents, students, and staff has been absolute music to my ears, by all reports, the concert was a roaring success!

A massive thank you to Shelley Murphy, who led this initiative and worked tirelessly throughout the year. Shelley not only put on a sensational production, but also provided our students with incredible ongoing opportunities to build their confidence and dance skills through the STOMP sessions. Performing on a professional stage at the Frankston Arts Centre is an unforgettable experience for our students.

We are immensely proud of how courageously our performers took to the stage, overcoming any nerves or stage fright to shine under the spotlight. Events of this scale take an enormous team effort, and while the list of staff who contributed is far too long to detail, occasions like this make me especially grateful for the dedicated team at Skye Primary School.

New Soccer Pitch

We are thrilled with the progress of the new soccer pitch. Significant work has gone into completely designing the drainage and irrigation for this section of our school, which was previously a wasteland.

Instant turf was laid early this week and will benefit from time throughout the school holidays to take, ensuring this is ready for students as early in Term 4 as possible.

One of our amazing dads, Rob Jenkins from Turfmate, has kindly offered to install fresh line markings, and with brand new goals, this is going to feel like a professional arena!

Ramp Works

Over the school holidays, work will begin on the walkway from the Sails area to the blue basketball court, in front of The Prep Patch. This is the last remaining ramp as part of the entire ramps upgrade project. Access to Foundation classrooms will be maintained through the current gate to the Prep Backyard. The most significant portion of the works will be completed over the school holidays, with concrete removal meaning there will be no noise disruption during learning time. This will mean that Foundation families accessing the school from the back gate will be required to temporarily detour around the main building rather than across the blue basketball court.

We are in ongoing discussions with the VSBA about our concerns with the newly constructed staircases around the main ramps area. These stairs will be shut until we can seek a resolution to ensure the area is safe for students and families.

Parent WhatsApp Groups

At our school, we deeply value the strong, collaborative partnership between our families and staff. Open lines of communication and mutual respect are essential to building a positive, supportive environment where our students can thrive.

As technology evolves, informal social messaging platforms, such as parent-organised WhatsApp or social media group chats, have become common tools for families to connect, organise social gatherings, and share quick reminders. While these groups can offer great convenience, we would like to take this opportunity to share a few gentle reminders regarding digital citizenship, communication channels, and privacy.

1. Respecting Communication Privacy

Written communications from teachers, support staff, and school leadership, including direct emails, learning reports, and administrative notes, are intended strictly for the individual recipient. Sharing or publishing private emails, screenshots, or personal correspondence onto external group chats or social media platforms compromises privacy and undermines trust. We ask all families to treat all individual correspondence with staff as confidential.

2. Keeping Informal Groups Positive and Constructive

While unofficial parent group chats can be helpful for quick community reminders, they are not moderated by the school. To ensure these spaces remain welcoming and supportive for everyone, we encourage families to ensure that comments about individual staff members, students, or other families remain respectful.

3. Utilising Official Channels for Concerns

If you ever have a question, query, or concern regarding your child's learning, classroom management, or school procedures, informal group chats are rarely the right place to find an effective resolution. We strongly encourage you to reach out directly to us using our official communication pathways:

Classroom / Learning Enquiries: Please contact your child's teacher directly via official email or schedule a time to meet.
General Enquiries & Administration: Contact the main school office.
Complex Concerns or Escalations: Schedule an appointment with Leadership.

Direct, open conversations allow us to work together constructively to support every child and maintain a safe, respectful environment for our entire community.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership, respect, and commitment to maintaining a positive culture for our school.

Ballarto Road Safety Update: Upcoming Traffic Signal Trial

As many of you know, our School Council has been working hard behind the scenes to find ways to make Ballarto Road safer and improve the entry and exit flow for families using our parent carpark. While long-term road safety remains a priority, we have a small update from the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) that could make a helpful difference in the short term.

Following recent discussions with the school, DTP is introducing a minor trial change to the traffic signals at the intersection of Ballarto Road and Potts Road to help create more gaps in traffic during peak school hours.

What is Changing?

Sensor Activation: DTP will be activating existing road sensors on Potts Road during peak periods.
Traffic Flow Gaps: When waiting vehicles are detected on Potts Road, the traffic lights will cycle to green for Potts Road and red for Ballarto Road. This brief pause in Ballarto Road traffic will create regular gaps, making it easier and safer for drivers turning right into and out of our school carpark.
Peak Operating Hours: The sensors will operate from 8:00 am to 9:30 am and 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday.

Trial Timeline & Emergency Services

Commencement: The trial begins on Monday, 21 September 2026.
Holiday Monitoring: Starting the trial over the school holidays allows DTP to monitor operations and fine-tune signal timing before normal school traffic resumes for Term 4.
CFA Access: This change will not affect emergency operations. The local CFA station retains full priority control of the signals whenever required, ensuring emergency response times remain completely unaffected.

We are pleased to see DTP taking action to support safe access around our school grounds. We will keep the community updated on how the trial progresses!

I hope you all have a fantastic, restful break with your families, and I look forward to seeing everyone refreshed and ready for Term 4.

Go Lions 🦁

Warm regards,

Tim

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