Principal's Report
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are well into Term 2 now and it has been great to be able to enjoy some lovely Autumn weather that has also supported a number of events our school has been involved in over the last few weeks.
District Cross Country
Last Thursday, 50 of our Grade 3 to 6 students represented our school at District Cross Country. The students had a large amount of support from a number of parents and grandparents cheering them on as they ran 2-3km through Ruffey Lake Park. Well done to all students who participated on the day and gave their best. As a school we were successful in retaining the Aggregate Shield which reflects our team success as a school. Finally congratulations to Lachlan W, Karina L, Caleb C, Autumn W, Bailey R, Justin C, Alice O and Morgan F who finished in the top 10 and now will represent our school in Division Cross Country later this month.
Preliminary NAPLAN Results
Last week, schools received their preliminary results for Reading, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation and Numeracy with the full results coming out later in the year.
As a school we are proud to celebrate that we have maintained excellent results across the board and increased our average results in 7 of the 8 domains across Grades 3 and 5. This is a strong reflection of the work our teachers have been putting in place in relation to Literacy and Numeracy over the past few years in ensuring high quality learning for all students. We are really proud of the results below that show we are maintaining a high level of performance.
Democracy Sausage
Thank you to the parents and carers who supported our Sausage Sizzle last Saturday. After taking out our expenses, we have raised approximately $900 for our school. I’d like to thank Coral, Paul, Ben, Mon, Pamela, Wendy, Steve, Sharon, Glenn, Sarah, Andrew, Damien, Amy, Bec and Michelle who volunteered their time on the day.
Seedlings Playground
This week our playground works were finally completed and the space has been handed back to our 3 and 4 year old groups. The new space looks fantastic and aligns with the education program our team are implementing which connects the indoor and outdoor learning spaces.
Late Arrivals
If your child arrives after 9:05 am, a parent or carer must sign them in at the office and collect a late pass. This ensures accurate attendance records and is a Department of Education requirement.
Supervision Times
Our school grounds are supervised by staff from 8:45 am to 3:45 pm. Outside of these times, students are in unsupervised public areas, which may be accessed by people outside our school community. Staff are not responsible for supervision beyond these hours unless it is a school-organised event.
If you require care outside of these times, we encourage you to make use of our Camp Australia Before and After school care service.
Foundation 2026 Enrolments
Based on the Department of Education Timeline, we are now accepting enrolments for Foundation 2026. If your child is starting school in 2026 (even if you are an existing family) please contact us in the near future as we begin to plan Foundation for next year. Families are expected to use the online portal for enrolments but can request a paper form if there are any difficulties.
Over the last few weeks I have enjoyed showing our school to prospective families (many from our Warekila and Seedlings Kindergartens) and I feel grateful to be able to represent our great school as Principal.
As I walk around our school with these prospective families, I feel a strong sense of pride that we can walk into all classrooms and see that our students are actively engaged in their learning and supported through explicit teaching and feedback. Our students are also fantastic at answering questions without notice about the value of whole school approaches and their connection to our school!
Education Week Open Afternoon - Thursday, 22 May 2:30pm - 4:30pm
We look forward to welcoming all members of our community to our Education Week Open afternoon on Thursday 22 May. This year’s theme is “Celebration of Cultures” which is reflective of the respectful and vibrant community we have at Whitehorse. We look forward to families exploring our classrooms and engaging in a range of activities that celebrate culture, we will finish the afternoon with a performance from our Senior Choir. We hope to see you there!
Kindergarten Open Days - Seedlings and Warekila - Saturday 17 May
A reminder to families that both our Kindergartens (Seedlings and Warekila) will be hosting their open day on Saturday, 17 May.
Please note Warekila is open from 10am - 1pm and Seedlings from 11am - 2pm to enable families to visit both Kindergartens on the same day if they wish.
We kindly ask that families share the information with any members of the wider community that may be interested in 3 or 4 year old Kindergarten for 2026 and beyond.
Enjoy the rest of the week!
Andrew Den Elzen
Principal