Principal's Report
by Katelyn Joyce, Acting Principal

Principal's Report
by Katelyn Joyce, Acting Principal
It has been a wonderful fortnight at Syndal South Primary School. I am very proud of how well our students have settled into their new classrooms and learning routines. Across the school, students have shown a positive attitude, resilience, and enthusiasm for learning. Classrooms are calm and purposeful, and it has been lovely to see students building strong connections with their teachers and peers as they engage in new learning experiences.






I would like to thank our staff for the care and preparation they have put into ensuring a smooth transition for all students, and our families for their ongoing support at home. When school and home work together, it makes a significant difference to student wellbeing and learning success.
It was lovey to welcome parents and carers to our Meet and Greet interviews this week. This opportunity to establish a relationship with your child’s teacher is highly advantageous, as is the chance for them to learn more about your child through your eyes and for the teachers to hear about your hopes and dreams for your child for 2026 as well as any concerns you may have for the year ahead. Thank you to our teaching staff for the time and care put into meeting with families.
For the safety of all members of our school community, scooters, bikes and electric scooters are not to be ridden on school grounds during school time, this includes before and after school. Students are welcome to bring these items to school but should dismount at the school gate and walk them through the grounds. We appreciate your support in reinforcing this message with your children to help keep everyone safe.
Please be reminded that the school does not accept duty of care for children until 8:45am. If your child(ren) arrive before this time, they are not supervised and remain under your care.
NAPLAN testing will occur in March this year. This brochure contains an overview of the NAPLAN testing and some links to further resources.
Our teachers in Year 3 and Year 5 are working with students to ensure they are familiar with the test format. We do not 'teach to NAPLAN' but we work to ensure all students are well prepared to take the tests so they can approach the tests with confidence and do their best.
Thank you to those parents that have financially supported our school through Parent Contributions. We would like to encourage parents once more to consider making payment of school contributions, particularly for Education and Specialist Curriculum contributions.
Please understand that the income from these contributions helps pay for many of the vital resources and programs that the school offers to our students, including software, classroom readers, games/equipment and teaching supplies.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
As you may be aware, all Victorian Government schools have an allocation of Student Free days each year, to provide school staff the time to work together on the strategic goals of the school. Each year, the days are approved by School Council and we work to have these days placed so as to cause minimal disruption to families and the learning program.
At this stage, only the term 1 Student Free day has been finalised for 2026. The Term 1 Student Free day at Syndal South will be FRIDAY 6th MARCH. On this day, our staff will continue their work with Literacy specialist Andrea Hillbrick to further enhance our school literacy program and learning outcomes for every student at SSPS.
Our out of school hours provider, TeamKids, has opened bookings for Friday 6th March and will provide full day care for families who require the service on this day.
Katelyn Joyce
Acting Principal

