Newsletter

Dear Parents and Carers,

This week we have celebrated Book Week across our school and Kindergartens with a range of engaging activities with the highlight being our book parade on Monday. It was great to see so many students across our school take part and celebrate the importance of reading.

We also had a number of students take part in our book swap event which was coordinated by our JSC as a way of being sustainable with books and ensuring books could find a new and valued home!

Finally, we have also had a number of families visit the Book Fair over the past week which also supports students in engaging with a wide range of books and supports our school in being able to continue to update the books within our own school library.

Freezer Angels

Last Friday, we had another great turn out from parents in the Kitchen for Freezer Angels. The following meals are now in the freezer for collection:

- tomato & zucchini soup

- fried rice with chicken

- veggie pasta

- pear and ginger cake

We hope the community enjoy these meals over the upcoming weeks!

Gym building works update

The last few weeks we have been able to return to the gym after the reinstatement works on the flooring over the holidays and into the first few weeks of this term. Unfortunately, the external works for the gym will continue for a little while longer. We are excited to have our Physical Education program be able to utilise the space fully and invite our community members back who utilise the space out of hours.

District Athletics

Yesterday we had 50 students from Grades 3-6 represent our school at District Athletics at Bill Sewart reserve in Burwood East. Thank you to the families who came on to cheer for our students and the staff who supported the students on the day (Ms Tia, Mrs Wright, Sophie and Katherine). Congratulations to all students for their efforts and to those who will go on to compete in Division athletics in the near future.

Parent Survey

A reminder that a link to complete the parent survey has been shared via Compass. As a school we really value honest feedback from families to enable us to continue to set goals and reflect on successes and opportunities for our school. The survey should take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

Curriculum Day - Explicit Teaching focus - Monday September 1

A reminder to all families that Monday September 1 is a student free day at Whitehorse. The staff will be working on a range of whole school initiatives with a focus on Explicit Teaching being a key part of our work in relation to the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0. Camp Australia will be open all day for families requiring care on the day.

School Supervision

A termly reminder to families that Whitehorse Primary School will provide staff supervision for students arriving before school between 8.45am and 9.00am. The school will also provide staff supervision for students after school between 3.30pm and 3.45pm. This information is provided to parents/guardians on a regular basis via the school newsletter.

Outside of these times the supervision and/or the collection of students is the responsibility of parents/carers.

We kindly ask that parents support us by ensuring students are dropped off/picked up during supervision times.

Alternatively students can be booked into Camp Australia Out of Hours School Care program if supervision is required outside these hours.

Grade 5/6 Canberra Tour

Next Week, Grade 5/6 students from our school will be undertaking, an education tour of the national capital. Students will be given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia's history, culture, heritage, and democracy. The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education.

To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding to our school in the amount of $45.00 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.

Kind regards,

Andrew Den Elzen

Principal

Whitehorse Whisperer

We actively support the development of the whole child by delivering life-long learning skills including relevant academic, social and emotional skills.

Issue 12 · 20 Aug 2025

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