Greetings from Shaun
Education Week
As part of Education Week last week, Northcote Primary School proudly showcased student learning and the many things that make our school community so special. Families had the opportunity to visit classrooms and explore a range of student work, learning experiences and displays that highlighted the creativity, curiosity and achievements of our students. It was fantastic to see students confidently sharing their learning and taking pride in showcasing our school to the community. Thank you to all of the families who joined us in celebrating Education Week and the great work happening across the school every day.
Staffing Update
We would like to congratulate Anita on the exciting news that she is expecting her second child. Anita will be finishing up with us just before the end of term as she begins her maternity leave.
On behalf of the community, I would like to thank her for the wonderful work she has done in our Music program this year and wish her and her family all the very best during this exciting time. We will provide the community with further updates regarding arrangements for the Music program and Anita’s replacement in due course.
Student Free Day
Just a reminder to families that Friday the 5th of June is a student free day as staff undertake a Professional Practice Day. Students will not be required at school on this day.
Professional Practice Days provide staff with dedicated time to work on planning, assessment and moderation, as well as engage in professional learning to continue building their knowledge and practice. These days are an important part of ensuring we continue to strengthen teaching and learning opportunities for our students.
This also leads into the King’s Birthday long weekend, with Monday the 8th of June being a public holiday. We hope families enjoy the extended weekend.
Parent Battle of the Bands
A huge congratulations to our Northcote Primary School parent band, The Nits, who recently took to the stage at the Parent Battle of the Bands. It was a fantastic night filled with music, community spirit and plenty of fun, with a great night had by all. We were also thrilled to receive the Student Scholarship Award for the school that purchased the most tickets, highlighting the incredible support of our school community. Thank you to everyone who attended and supported the event.
News from the Green Team
National Container Deposit Scheme
Before this year’s school fete, the Green Team aimed to collect 1000 empty recyclable cans and containers on fete day.
Thanks to the efforts of families, Green Team members and other members of the community, we actually managed to collect more than this amount. In fact, we collected 1,405 containers!
This means we raised $140.50. The money raised will go towards supporting sustainability programs at NPS. Please feel free to bring recyclable, uncrushed cans to school and deposit them in the CDS bag at the school office.
On another note, please keep being nice and quiet around our lovely chickens. They seem really happy.
Our vegie garden is thriving. Please remember not to pick any plants that are growing in the vegie garden and let a teacher know if things don’t look right in there.
Grade 5/6 Lady Northcote Camp
Our Grade 5/6 students recently returned from their Lady Northcote Camp experience and had an amazing time. Across the camp, students challenged themselves, built stronger friendships and embraced a range of exciting activities including the giant swing, archery, mountain bike riding, parkour and radio rogaine.
It was fantastic to see students stepping outside their comfort zones, encouraging one another and making the most of every opportunity. A huge thank you to our staff and parent volunteers for their care and support throughout the camp and for helping make it such a positive and memorable experience for our students.
National Simultaneous Storytime
On Wednesday the 27th of May, Northcote Primary School once again took part in the 26th annual National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS).
The national read along took place at 12pm, with schools, libraries and communities across Australia joining together to share the same story at the same time. This year’s book, Luna Roo: The Kangaroo Baller, written by Adam Wallace and Adrian Beck and illustrated by Jake Minton, follows the spirited kangaroo Luna and her friends as they chase their football dreams across the outback, celebrating teamwork, determination and plenty of fun along the way.
Reconciliation Week
Northcote Primary School acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live, learn, work and play. They were the first to walk this land and to care for it. For tens of thousands of years, they maintained a deep connection through culture, language and story. We honour that enduring relationship and pay our respects to Elders past and present.
This week, Northcote Primary School recognises National Reconciliation Week (27 May to 3 June), an important time for all Australians to reflect on our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and the role we all play in reconciliation. The 2026 theme, “All In”, encourages all Australians to continue working together towards a more respectful and inclusive future.
National Reconciliation Week also follows National Sorry Day on the 26th of May, providing an opportunity for students to reflect on the importance of truth telling, understanding and respect.
NAPLAN 2026 (repeated)
We were really excited to receive our initial 2026 NAPLAN results over the past week and wanted to share some of the great news with our community.
At this stage, these are still only the early results, so we do not yet have the full level of detail and analysis, and our Writing results have not yet been released. However, the results were too positive not to share, and I wanted to congratulate our students on an amazing effort.
Our Year 3 students achieved fantastic results, with 81% of students Strong or Exceeding in Grammar and Punctuation, 86% in Numeracy, 82% in Reading and 84% in Spelling.
Our Year 5 students also achieved outstanding results, with 88% of students Strong or Exceeding in Grammar and Punctuation, 96% in Numeracy, 92% in Reading and 88% in Spelling.
While NAPLAN is only one measure of student learning, these results are a really positive reflection of the consistent work taking place across the school to build strong foundations in literacy and numeracy. I am incredibly proud of our students and grateful to our staff and families for the ongoing support and partnership that helps make this possible.
Information About Semester One Reports (repeated)
You may notice that student reports will look a little different this semester. We just wanted to let families know ahead of time that this is due to the ongoing industrial action connected to the current Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) negotiations involving the AEU.
Teachers will still be providing families with important information about student learning and progress, however some aspects of the reports may be reduced or presented differently than in previous semesters. This includes written comments, which will not be completed for all students.
Families will still have the opportunity to discuss their child’s learning progress during our Parent Teacher Conferences on Wednesday the 22nd of July.
I appreciate your understanding and support as we work through this period together.
School Tours/ Enrolments
School tours for our 2027 Prep students are now well underway, and it has been wonderful to welcome prospective families into the school to see our learning in action.
Enrolment applications have now opened and are due by Friday 31st July.
If you, or someone you know, has a child starting school in 2027, we encourage you to join a tour and begin the enrolment process early.
Take care,
Shaun