From Marie

TERM 4

School Captains for 2026

Today our Grade 3-5 students and teachers cast their votes for School Captain 2026. We had 13 amazing candidates, who all presented well, which made voting very difficult. All students did a great job and would have all deserved the role. The votes were very tight, so much so that we will have three School Captains in 2026. Congratulations, Alisha, Lucas and Samantha for being appointed in the roles. You will all be amazing!

Italian Day

Every second year we celebrate all things Italian with a day of performance, activities and delicious food. The day was filled with activities including: trivia games, scavenger hunts, bocce, cannoli eating, tower building, live performances, a visit from Geppeto, delicious lunch and so much more. We want to thank Angela Zerella for all of her planning and coordination of this whole day of activity. Check out the designated page for more detail and photos.

Children's University Graduation

Over many months students have been undertaking learning activities outside of the classroom, participating in activities like: going to the Museum; learning to bake; undertaking activities during the holidays at Swinburne University; going to an art gallery; practicing an instrument or sport...the list is endless. Students are required to undertake a minimum of 30 hours in order to achieve their first bronze certificate. Last Thursday, it was my honour, and delight, to present 27 students from Mullum Primary School with their Swinburne's Children's University Graduation certificates at Swinburne University in Hawthorn. Carter, in Grade 5, has amassed an amazing 300+ hours of learning over the two years we have participated in this program, amazing effort and committment. See more photos in the separate page in this newsletter.

Grade 2 News

This week, the Grade 2 children finished their unit on fractions by creating a fraction pizza, where they had to identify how many slices of their pizza had certain ingredients and record it in eighths. A huge shout out to Exeter Pizza, who donated real pizza boxes to add to the fun of the activity!

Christmas Concert & Farewell

What an amazing night of community celebration as we wrapped up the year with our annual Christmas Concert. The whole event was a team effort as students performed; parent and staff band led the singing; Parents' Association solved the picnic decisions with pizza offerings; we farewelled students and families who are leaving Mullum Primary School at the end of the year. Thank you Mark Nunis for rehearsing, presenting and coordinating the whole event. Check out the photos on the designated page in this newsletter.

Transition Activities

This week we continue with our transition activities. The purpose of the transition sessions is to provide support for students moving to the next level of their learning, meet the teachers who will be teaching in that area and meet students who may be in their class for next year. Here is a summary of activities to still to come:

A second transition session was run today for all current Foundation to Grade 5 students. Students spent an hour visiting the classrooms for next year.
Today we sent home a link to the "Jump Start" Survey, where we are asking parents to provide an insight into their child's strengths and what might be the focus for your child in 2026.
This afternoon we are running the 2026 Foundation Expo where family members and children gather together, with the main purpose is to get to know each other.
Friday 5 December - 2026 Foundation students are visiting us again
On Tuesday 9 December, all current and new students will go to their 2026 classrooms, meet their peers, and their class teacher/s. A class photo will be taken on Tuesday and sent home for you to pop on the fridge and view over the summer.

Roadworks on Mullum Mullum Road

Maroondah City Council have notified the school about substantial road works to be undertaken on Mullum Mullum Road, between Byron St and Panfield Ave, starting in December. The works are proposed to enhance pedestrian safety & accessibility, reduce vehicle travelling speeds and clarify parking & traffic lane arrangements. The works will include:

Formalisation of parking and traffic lanes along this length of road.
Road narrowing through kerb outstands at key areas, including at the Byron Street and Panfield Avenue intersections, and school entrance.
Relocating and upgrade of the existing children’s crossing to a raised children’s crossing closer to the Panfield Avenue intersection.
Installing two complementary raised pavements evenly spaced along the length of road.
Pavement marked treatments at the Byron Street and Panfield Avenue intersections to highlight pedestrian walkways.
Implementing a formal parking lane on the north side of the road along the Norwood Secondary College and Mullum Primary School frontage.
Constructing ten indented parking spaces on the south side of the road.
Removal of ten low value trees on the south side of the road to support the indented parking spaces.
Associated drainage, signage and linemarking modifications.

The works are expected to take approximately three months, depending on the weather. Plans for this work can be viewed on the Maroondah Council website using the link below: www.maroondah.vic.gov.au/mullum-mullum-rd-works

How to support your child under 16 with the new social media age restrictions

From 10 December 2025, the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 will require social media platforms to:

prevent children and young people under 16 from having a social media account
deactivate or freeze existing accounts held by people under 16.

Delaying access to social media protects the health and wellbeing of young people and gives them extra time to build real world connections and digital literacy skills. The responsibility will be on the social media platforms, not parents, carers, children or schools, to implement these new restrictions. Most popular social media platforms will be age restricted. These include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Reddit and YouTube. Messaging services and online games, as well as apps and platforms that support health and education, can still be used.

How to help under 16s prepare for the change

Parents and carers play an important role in supporting their children to be safe online. To help get under 16s ready for the social media minimum age requirements, you can go to the eSafety website to learn more about the social media age restrictions and find tips on how to talk about social media age restrictions with young people.

What the change means for our school

At our school, all age-restricted social media platforms are blocked for student use on the school network.

To keep up to date about the new social media age restrictions, visit the eSafety website and subscribe to their newsletter.

Holiday reminders

Final day of school for 2025 is Friday 19 December, with assembly at 1:10pm with dismissal at 1:30pm
If you are cleaning out the clothes cupboards of uniform, school bags, even shoes, that no longer fit, remember we do collect these items and redistribute to families who need these. Just drop them in the office when school returns
If you are buying new shoes over the holidays to wear to school, please remember that black or white shoes are part of the uniform requirements.
That students are asked to only bring water bottles to school and to keep box juices, milk drinks, Up and Go for when they get home
Grade 1-6 students return to school on Wednesday 28 January
Foundation students commence on Monday 2 February
School Grounds will be open during the holidays, with access from Panfield Ave. Having you on site playing basketball, riding bikes, having a picnic, is a soft form of security that is much appreciated