Principal's Report

It has been an exciting two weeks of learning at Donvale Primary School. From our preps enjoying a Responsible Pet Ownership incursion, to the Grade 3/4 students participating in the BTYC gymnastics program and enjoying an excursion to the zoo, and the District Cross Country Carnival, to our Senior students visiting Donvale Preschool, the students at DPS are actively engaging in a variety of learning experiences that foster growth and a passion for learning.

We are pleased to announce that we are offering additional Step Into Prep sessions to give families the chance to experience the 'Donvale Difference' - Care, Connection, Community. Please help us spread the word to your friends, family, and neighbours who may have children ready to start school in 2025. They can contact the office for more information 9842 3373

Research consistently shows that a positive school community can greatly impact student achievement, behaviour, and overall well-being. When students, teachers, parents, and administrators speak positively about their school, it creates a supportive environment. 

At Donvale, we take great pride in supporting our students to speak about their school with pride, uphold high standards, and demonstrate thoughtfulness and consideration.

This term, we were thrilled to have the Collingwood football players visit Donvale for a Q&A session. Our school captains did an outstanding job crafting questions that focused on the leadership and resilience we are fostering at Donvale Primary School. Darcy Moore, the captain of Collingwood, shared with me the positive impression they made.

Our school captains have been instrumental in modelling this positive environment. As such, we have asked them to share their thoughts on learning at DPS, which we have included in our enrollment pack for prospective families. Please see below for their insights.

A Word From Our Captains

Leadership Opportunities – Eleanor

At Donvale Primary School there is a wide range of leadership opportunities. We are lucky enough to be a small school, which means lots of students get to have a go at being a leader and work on developing their leadership skills.

Leadership roles include School Captains, House Captains, Music and Art Captains, Environmental Captains and being a part of the Student Representative Council (SRC). In year 5/6 you also get the opportunity to be a captain of Round Robin Sporting teams.

At Donvale, you don’t need to have a badge to be a leader. Students have the opportunity to speak at assembly and talk about things they want to implement or improve at the school. This means that everyone gets a chance to be a leader and develop their leadership skills.

Community/Friendships – Lucy

At Donvale Primary School there are a lot of kids that are kind and friendly so everyone is

welcome at this school. Being a new student and trying to make new friends is never easy but in my opinion the teachers will always make sure you have a friend by your side. We may have a small school but everyone gets along and that’s why our community is so friendly and welcoming.

At the start of the year there is an annual Welcome Back BBQ and an Open Day and Night. This year we also had students and grandparents come and do fun activities together. They had scones, tea, coffee while watching students sing and dance.

During the day, parents that are thinking of coming to Donvale Primary School can visit the school and go on a tour. They can watch kids enjoy learning and participate in all kinds of activities. Open day goes for two days. On the second day, the school is open to the community so everyone can see the kids learning with big smiles on their faces.

Specialists – Andre

In the Donvale community there are a lot of great opportunities for students to learn and come together, but my favourite thing to do is to go to specialist classes. You get to do five types of specialists:

Mandarin: In Mandarin we learn all about Chinese culture and language. Mr Kho is the teacher and he is really fun and hilarious. He makes learning Chinese really cool.

PE: In PE we do lots of physical activities and education. Ms Bos is the PE teacher and loves physical activities so you already know you’re about to have the best time.

Art: Art is really calming and relaxing and it has that smooth touch on you. Mrs D is the teacher and she is really cool and has a heart-warming passion for art.

STEM: Stem is really amazing and awesome! Right now the 56s are building with Lego. Miss Wallis is the teacher and she is really good at engineering all kinds of stuff.

Performing Arts: In Performing Arts we learn all kinds of music from around the world and learn how to play all kinds of different instruments. Mrs Keep is the teacher and I think she knows how to play every instrument.

Production/Writers’ Festival – JZ

At Donvale Primary School, we host a biennial Writer’s Festival and Production. These are special events which we do to build up our confidence and

sense of community. 

The Writer’s Festival is when all the students in the school follow a writing prompt and write a text about it. This helps greatly with our writing skills! The Writer’s Festival is on even years.

Production (which is every second year) is when all students perform an immersive play with the other children in their year level. Production helps build up our confidence, but it’s mainly just about having a great time. 

Donvale Primary School hosts these wonderful events which help the wellbeing of the students’ school life!