Principal's Report

tudent Leadership @ LPS

Student Leadership is a crucial component of fostering student voice and agency in schools.  LPS prides itself on a student leadership program that is authentic; 

• providing students with a vast array of opportunities to lead by example
• promoting a positive culture
• creating a learning environment that is inclusive to all

Below is a list of the different student leadership profiles at LPS.

Of note, some student positions are announced:

• late Term 4 of the previous year eg. School Captain, so current and future leaders have time to work together and ‘hand over’ the role
• mid Term 1, so the current groups of students can vote with and for their peers

As such, a Student Leadership Planning Day has been arranged for Monday 31st March at the Marriott Waters Community Centre.  This day will involve workshops focusing on What makes a good leader, roles and responsibilities and devising a 2025 Action Plan.  At 3pm, we invite parents of the student leaders mentioned above to attend where the student leaders will present their work.

Annual Implementation Plan (AIP)

All Victorian government schools participate in a 4-year strategic planning cycle to support school improvement.  The AIP operationalises the 4-year School Strategic Plan (SSP).

All schools must prepare an AIP each year which outlines how the school will implement the goals and key improvement strategies (KIS) that will be their focus for improvement in the coming year.

The endorsed 2025 AIP, presented at School Council in March, focuses on five key actions:

1. Embed school-wide consistency of practice in data analysis 
2. Strengthen formative assessment practices in alignment with the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM) 2.0 
3. Align the 5 Pillars @LPS with role clarity relative to whole school structures  
4. Implement the Elements of Learning of the VTLM 2.0
5. Implement Multi Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) in relation to student growth

The AIP highlight for this Newsletter article will be the VTLM.   The VTLM 2.0 focuses on how students learn as the basis for effective teaching. It provides increased clarity for teachers about the elements of teaching that have the strongest evidence base. The VTLM 2.0 links to best practice approaches from existing departmental frameworks that contribute to effective student wellbeing and classroom management.

Berry Street Education Model (BSEM)

As we continually strive to provide the very best education for our students, we are committed to providing the best Professional development to our staff.

The mission of BSEM is to help all students succeed with and build a school of choice for students, parents and teachers alike.

The Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) equips both mainstream and specialist schools with practical, classroom-based strategies to increase the engagement of all students, including those with complex, unmet learning needs.

The BSEM enables schools to support students’ self-regulation, relationships and wellbeing to increase student engagement and significantly improve academic achievement.

As educators, Berry Street has helped us to understand the intricacies of students – what they need, when they need it and how they need it.

During our Curriculum day on march 28th, our staff will be completing day 3 of this training.

Celebrating the talents of our wonderful staff.

We would like to celebrate the talents of our very own Mrs Swarn Lamba. Swarn is one of our fabulous tutors. Swarn is also a published author and has just published her third book. 

Listen, whispers…The Baobab Tales from the tree of Life 

Enjoy the story of an ancient Baobab tree, standing tall in the heart of Tarangire National Park. The book is a cultural delight, a celebration of life, cherishing our earth. 

In Term two we invite you to join us at a whole school assembly where Mrs Lamba will read from her beautiful book. We will order our very own copies for our library. A special mention to our former Librarian Barb, whose son illustrated Swarn’s book.

Harmony Day @ LPS 

Our annual Harmony Day celebration day is on Wednesday the 26th of March - an event to celebrate the cultural diversity of this wonderful community. 71% of students at Lyndhurst PS have a language background other than English.

At Lyndhurst, we have built a strong and active culture that intertwines with all sectors of the school community to create an environment that encourages success in student learning and academic results as well as high quality, authentic interactions, relationships and connection.

Harmony Day is an opportunity to celebrate the connection between school and our many cultures that make up the wider school community. Harmony Day 2025 is my first experience of this celebration and I cannot wait to see students in their cultural attire and learn about the cultural backgrounds of the students. The day kicks off with a whole school assembly and I hear there are class presentations and student performances which I cannot wait to see. For the remainder of the day, each year level has planned a range of activities that students will rotate through; sharing and learning. I look forward to seeing parents attend our special assembly on Wednesday at 9am, and please feel free to come dressed in your cultural attire too to help make the day a true celebration of diversity and inclusion.