Welcome to a New School Year!

A warm welcome back to all of our returning students and families, and a huge welcome to the Brookside community to all of our new students and families!

It has been a fantastic start to Term 1, and it has been wonderful to see our students settle into another year of learning. During the first two weeks of school our staff and students worked through our ‘Start Up’ program, during which students participated in wellbeing and ‘getting to know you’ activities. Staff also focused on school and classroom expectations throughout this time.

Students and staff are filled with excitement about the year ahead, and we look forward to working with everyone in what we are sure will be an amazing 2026 school year!

Welcome to our New and Returning (from leave) Staff

Josiane Abuthahir – French

Helen Genito - French

Jaime Ledin – Year 6

First Day of Prep!

Our Prep students were very excited to begin their education and get into the classroom for their first official day on Wednesday 4th February. There were lots of smiles and not too many tears from students… or their families!

Thank you to Sarah Jarmen and Sonia Martinovic for organising refreshments for our Prep parents as they gathered to enjoy this milestone in their child’s education journey.

P-6 Monday Morning Assemblies

Our Monday morning assemblies are back! It was very exciting to see all of our students and many parents in attendance during our first two assemblies this year. Our Monday morning assemblies are a great way to keep up to date with what is happening at the school, and is also a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the successes of our students each week. We encourage all P-6 parents to attend whenever you can!

New Canteen 2026

Our local ‘Neighbourhood Café’ have taken over the management of the Brookside P-9 College canteen this year. All students can visit the canteen at any time during scheduled school breaks to purchase their food, and may also place lunch orders in advance.

Lunch Orders

Prep to Year 6:

Families can order online via Flexischools, or can place money in a paper bag with the student’s Name & Homeroom written clearly. These bags may be placed in their class lunch order basket during their Homegroup session in the morning.

Year 7 to Year 9:

Families can order online via Flexischools only. Students may attend the canteen during lunch and use the express line to collect their lunch orders.

Families can download the Flexischools app and register their child(ren) using the following link: www.flexischools.com.au.

Families experiencing any issues with the app will have to ring Flexischools directly.

Please Note: If your child has food allergies or dietary requirements please note this in red on the child's lunch bag or when placing the order.

More information can be found under the Administration page.

Notice of Election/Call for Nominations for School Council

A reminder that we currently have 5 available positions in our parent/carer member category on School Council, and 1 position in our student member category. These positions are 2 years in length and will encompass both the 2026 and 2027 school years.

This is a fantastic opportunity to become a member of School Council, which has the ability to set the key directions of a school within state-wide guidelines and directly influence the quality of education that the school provides.

Nomination forms are now available and can be downloaded from the recent Compass post or collected from the front office.

Student Leadership – House Captain Elections

At Brookside P-9 College, leadership is considered to be a vital component for student learning. As such, leadership is not a responsibility confined to the ‘badge wearers’ and is shared by all students and staff.

To support this vision, students in Years 3 to 9 have the opportunity to apply for a range of leadership opportunities as part of the Whole School Student Leadership Program. This program enables students to see how they can use their skills to help others and allows them to have a strong voice within our community.

House Captains & Vice Captains

House Leaders will be selected through a rigorous process which includes a written application, speech and vote. One House Captain for each house is elected from Years 7-9 and one House Vice Captain from Years 3-6. These Student Leaders have the opportunity to develop a calendar and lead activities/projects within the school that build and promote a sense of belonging. They work hard to develop their house and encourage students in to participate in these activities and projects.

We wish all students who apply for a House Captain/Vice Captain position the very best of luck! All written and reorganised.

By the end of Week 3, candidates will have their opportunity to deliver their speech to their house - this time and day will be confirmed next week.

Students can submit an application as of this week and submissions will be close at the end of day Tuesday 10th of February.

The application form is attached to this compass post.

Additionally, 7-9 students can collect a hard copy form from Ms. Gunn and 3-6 students can collect it from Mr. Ryan/ front admin building. This stuff is all irrelevant as the newsletter goes out on Friday and it has closed by then.

NAPLAN 2026

Students in Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 will be participating in NAPLAN in 2026.

The NAPLAN testing period is scheduled to take place early in the year to give teachers and parents important information about a student's skills and capability sooner, so that more targeted support can be delivered to improve literacy and numeracy skills throughout the year. It will be held during Term 1 from Wednesday 11th March to Friday 20th March and will encompass the areas of Reading, Writing, Conventions of Language and Numeracy.

A timetable will be communicated to families in the coming weeks, detailing when students at Brookside College will be participating in the tests. We ask parents of students in Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 to record these dates in home diaries/calendars.

A brochure detailing important NAPLAN information for parents will be posted for parents/carers on Compass. Please take the time to read the information provided in the brochure, and please contact your child’s teacher or Brooke Gillis (Assistant Principal) if you have any questions.

Uniform

Please note that all students at Brookside College are expected to wear the correct school uniform, including wearing a visible school logo and black shoes. For further information about our school uniform, please view the following link on our website: https://brooksidecollege.vic.edu.au/families-community/#uniform

Students in Years Prep-6 MUST also wear a hat when playing outside during Term 1. Students who do not wear a hat will not be able to play outdoors during the summer months.

Positive School Attendance

At Brookside P-9 College, we are committed to providing your child with a high-quality education. Regular school attendance is vital and missing school days can have a big impact on a child’s future - missing one day per fortnight is equal to missing four full weeks by the end of the year… and by Year 10 these students will have missed more than a year of school!

There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, which can affect their educational outcomes.

As a College we closely monitor each individual students’ attendance and have a clear process in place to support with maintaining expected attendance rates.

If your child is absent from school please phone the College attendance line. Alternatively, you are able to log your child’s absence and the reason directly on Compass, as this will help to keep teachers informed. If you know your child will be absent in advance (holidays or medical appointments) please enter the dates on Compass prior to the date of absence.

Parents of students with unexplained absences will receive a follow up phone call or SMS to request a reason for the absence.

If for any reason your child must miss school, there are things we can do together to ensure they don’t fall behind:

speak with your classroom teacher and find out what work your child needs to do to keep up.
develop an absence learning plan with your teacher and ensure your child completes the plan.

Annual Privacy Reminder

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ privacy policy and the Schools’ privacy collection notice.

Our Photographing-Filming-and-Recording-Students-Policy describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn.

We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education, please contact the school.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ privacy policy: information for parents. This information is also available in eleven community languages:

Amharic
Arabic
Chinese
Dari
Gujarati
Mandarin
Somali
Sudanese
Turkish
Urdu
Vietnamese

Child safety and wellbeing at Brookside College: information for families and the school community

The Victorian Government has announced Child Safe Standards to further strengthen child safety across organisations, including schools. The standards recognise the critical importance of families and the broader school community in maintaining and promoting child safety and wellbeing.

Brookside College has reviewed and updated our child safety policies and procedures to ensure they meet the requirements of the standards. These are available to view on the school’s website www.brooksidecollege.vic.edu.au

We are committed to continuous improvement in our approach to child safety and wellbeing, and welcome feedback from families and members of our school community on ways we can further strengthen our child safety policies, procedures and practices.

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions please contact our college Principal, Violeta Dellidis.

Road Safety Around The College

As our student body continues to grow, we recognise that parking during drop-off and pick-up times can be challenging. However, ensuring the safety of our students is our top priority, and we need everyone’s cooperation to maintain a secure environment.

We kindly ask that all parents and carers exercise caution while driving around the school. Please adhere to the following guidelines:

Drive Slowly: Maintain a safe speed in all school zones and parking areas.
No Stopping in 'No Standing' Areas: This includes not stopping in the middle of roundabouts.
Letting students exit vehicles in the middle of a roundabout can put both the students and other drivers at risk. Stopping in the middle of a roundabout interrupts the flow of traffic, creates sudden obstacles and increases the chances of collisions. Additionally, when students exit a vehicle in the center of a roundabout on the road side (as opposed to the curb side) they are exposed to moving traffic, putting them in immediate danger.
Use Car Parks: Please pull into the car parks when dropping off or picking up your child. This helps maintain traffic flow and reduces the risk of accidents.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in prioritising the safety of our school community. Together, we can create a safer environment for everyone.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend and look forward to working in partnership with our parents and community throughout this year!

The Executive Team

Student Wellbeing

With Krissy Martin, Valentina Zevallos, Maand Emma Meissner