Message From the Principal

Last Day of Term Information 

Farewell to Hayley McManus 

As you know, Hayley McManus is Dinjerra’s 1/2M Classroom Teacher. 

Hayley has recently applied for a teaching position at Seaford Park PS, and is the successful applicant for the position. Hayley will be beginning at Seaford Park PS, starting in Term 3. I wish to congratulate Hayley and wish her all the best for her teaching career. This is a fabulous opportunity for Hayley as the change also offers Hayley an opportunity to be closer to her family, partner and friends. 

In terms of Dinjerra, Hayley will have her last day teaching 1/2M at Dinjerra on Friday 4th July. Hayley started at Dinjerra as a graduate in 2022, and has developed into an outstanding teacher over the last few years. She has become a wealth of knowledge in the 1/2 area, and has balanced her teaching with studying for a Graduate Certificate in Inclusion.

In terms of Hayley’s replacement in the 1/2M classroom, we have organised the following:

• We have advertised a classroom teacher role on the DET Recruitment website
• For weeks 1 and 2 of Term 3, we have organised for former DPS teacher, May Oya to teach 1/2M. May is currently on leave from DPS for 2025 and 2026, as she will be teaching in South Korea starting in September. 
• During Week 1 and 2 of Term 3, we will conduct interviews for the 1/2M classroom teacher.
• We will keep the families of 1/2M informed of the process, and communicate the news of the new teacher as soon as possible so that the 1/2M students have a smooth transition. 

We will farewell Hayley at Friday's End of Term Assembly, beginning at 2:00pm. 

Please also join me in congratulating Hayley on her new position.  If you have any questions, please contact me on 9311 1598 or on 0412 898 366.

End of Term Information

Friday 4th July is our final day of Term 2. It has been a great term, full of rich learning experiences for our students. 

End of Term Information:

Last Day of Term 2: Friday 4th July

End of Term Assembly: 2:00pm

Dismissal: 2:30pm

Holiday break: 5th July to 20th July

Term 3 begins: Monday 21st July

Term 2 Celebration of Learning 

We are so proud of all of our Prep to 6 students as they showcased their Term 2 Concept learning at last Friday’s Celebration of Learning. It really was a rich collection of ideas and design! 

Fundraising news

Thank you to all of our families in supporting us with our latest fundraisers: 

• Term 2 Special lunch  made $363 profit.
• The Loose Change competition raised  $1153.10, with the winning class raising a whopping $213.75! The winning class will be announced at assembly on Friday 4th.  

Life Education

We were fortunate to receive a grant for our students to participate in some free Health Education sessions, facilitated by Life Education Victoria. Those of you who grew up in Victorian Schools may remember Happy Harold and the Life Education Van, who toured schools and delivered sessions.

Over the last two weeks, each class attended the Life Education incursion sessions.  The workshop foci were aligned to the subject of Health in the Victorian Curriculum. 

The workshop foci were:

Prep - My Body Matters (60 mins) - Students learn things they can do to be healthy, including personal hygiene and sleep

1/2 - Ready, Steady, Go (60 mins) - Students discover what our bodies need to be healthy, including nutrition, water  and sleep

3/4 - The Inside Story (90 mins) - Students travel around inside the body to visit the body systems

5/6 - Take a Breath (90 mins) - Students investigate the issues around vaping and smoking

On Tuesday 1st July, the Life Education visits culminated in Harold the Giraffe visiting all of our students and presenting our school captains with a special certificate. Thanks Harold! 

Coming Up

Semester Reports 

Semester 1 Reports were sent home on Thursday 3rd July, and were also made live on Compass. Mark, Catherine, Naz and I were able to read all of the students' Semester Reports and were delighted to see how our students are progressing towards their learning goals.  The reports include:

• Progression point allocation to the Victorian Curriculum subjects (the dots)
• A general comment and gradings for effort and behaviour written by the classroom teacher
• Progress comments for Cycle 1 Individual Goals 
• New Cycle 2 Goals assigned for Reading, Writing, Mathematics
• Student Self Reflection.

Congratulations to all of our students for striving for SUCCESS this semester! 

Thank you to Ms Polly

Ms Polly has been on long service leave over the last few weeks. She is currently lapping up the sunshine in Portugal. I would like to thank Ms Polly for continuing to put together our newsletter, all the way from Europe! 

Coming Up in Early Term 3:

Term 3 Week 1 - Student Led Conferences 

On Wednesday 23rd July, which is the first week of Term 3, we will hold our Student Led Conferences. These are similar to our Parent Teacher Interviews, but the process has changed. You will still book in for 10 minute appointments, however the students will be leading the conferences. Each student will present their reflection of their Semester 1 learning to their parents and teacher. This is a great step in the direction of ‘Learner Agency’ where the student directs their learning. Students have been preparing some work samples that they would like to share with their parents. Having parents connected to their child’s learning and progress is an important partnership. There will also be a brief amount of time towards the end of the appointment for the parent and teacher to discuss any other important matters. 

The day is our fourth and final curriculum day for 2025 and it is a student free day, apart from the Student Led Conference time. Bookings are now open on Compass, in the Conferences section. 

Term 3 Week 2 - Prep to 6 Athletics Day 

We are excited for our annual Athletics Day Carnival, which will be held on Wednesday 30th July (Term 3, Week 2). For the first time, we will be taking the whole school to Moonee Valley Athletics Centre for the day. 

We would love families to come along for the day to cheer, and/or to volunteer help. Information is up on Compass. 

Over the holidays, please work on finding a house colour t-shirt for your child!  

Term 3 Weeks 7 and 8 - Year 3-6 Swimming Program at MAC

Term 3 is a 9 week term with lots of fun learning experiences. Our Year 3-6 students will be participating in their swimming Program in Weeks 7 and 8 at MAC. More information will be coming soon. 

Thank you - Parent Payments -Curriculum Contributions

Thank you to the families who have been able to pay their Voluntary Parent Payments already. This has allowed us to provide necessary materials, resources and subscriptions for our students. Whilst the payments are voluntary, the payments make a big difference to the functioning of our school. If you are able to make payment, please do so via Compass, or contact the office. Payment plans are also available. 

If you would like further details of the parent payments and the policy, please visit our website link: DPS Parent Payment page.