From the Principal

Dear families,

Seaside Fair – Sunday 23 November

What a phenomenal Seaside Fair! A huge thank you to our entire school community for the amazing turnout, energy, and support. The atmosphere was buzzing from the moment the gates opened — a true reflection of the spirit that makes our school special.

To all our volunteers — parents, staff, students, and friends — thank you for your hard work and willingness to help wherever needed. Your efforts made the day run seamlessly and showcased the pride and unity of our community.

A special shout-out to Heidi and Sam for their outstanding leadership over the past 18 months to bring this event to life. Thanks also to Sarah, Justin, Jacinta, Adrian, Ange, Renae, Julia, Nathan, and Amber for coordinating key areas, and to our wonderful office team — Cheryl, Diana and Jo — for the extraordinary time and effort you put in over the weekend.

We also extend our gratitude to our generous sponsors:Jellis Craig, our Platinum Sponsor, for their ongoing support and partnership, and Dig Design, our long-standing Gold Sponsor, for their continued commitment to our school.

Major Building Works Underway

We are pleased to share that major building works have now commenced on our Bluestone Building, with works on the Red Brick Building scheduled to begin shortly. These upgrades will uplift and preserve our amazing heritage buildings, ensuring they continue to serve our community for many years to come.

During this period, the quadrangle between the Office and Bluestone Building is now a designated construction storage yard. For safety reasons, we strongly recommend that school pick-ups and general gathering take place away from this area.

As construction activity increases, it’s more important than ever that we keep our school grounds safe and accessible. We kindly remind all families not to park in access driveways and not to double-park behind other vehicles. These behaviours create safety risks and can block essential access for staff, contractors, and emergency vehicles.

Thank you for supporting a safe environment for our students, staff, and builders during this busy and exciting stage of revitalising our heritage spaces.

2026 Staff List and Class Placement Information

We would like to inform families that the 2026 Staff List will be shared with our community in the Week 9 newsletter.

Following this, students will receive a personalised email on Monday of Week 10 confirming their classroom teacher for 2026. This approach ensures every student receives accurate and timely information directly.

Students will then have the opportunity to meet their new teacher and classmates on Step Up Day, scheduled for Tuesday 9th December. This important transition session helps students feel settled, confident, and prepared for the year ahead.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we work to ensure a smooth and positive transition for all students.

Preparing for 2026: Transition 

As we begin preparing our students for a successful start to 2026, transition activities are already well underway across the school. Our current Year 2 and 3 students have been engaging in a range of experiences, including lunch catch-ups, to help them feel comfortable and connected. Similarly, our Year 4 and 5 students have been involved in interschool sport discussions and trials, as well as preparing for the 2026 Senior JSC speeches.

Our official whole-school Transition Day will take place on Tuesday 9th December, when all students will step up into their 2026 classes and meet their new teacher and classmates.

Students moving on to government secondary schools will also participate in their respective high school transition programs on this day, spending the full day at their 2026 school.

Transition at Willy Primary is far more than a single session with a new class. Behind the scenes, teachers undertake a thorough handover process to ensure each student’s academic, social, and wellbeing needs are fully understood by their 2026 teacher.

This period can be both exciting and a little nerve-wracking, and we are committed to supporting all our Willy Kids so their transition into 2026 is smooth, positive, and confidence-building.

State Lacrosse Finals – Good Luck, Willy!

We are pleased to share that our Lacrosse teams will be representing Williamstown Primary at the State Lacrosse Finals this Friday. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students, and we are proud of the way they have approached each stage of the competition.

We wish all teams the very best for Friday and know they will represent our school with great spirit and teamwork.

Go Willy!

Warm regards,

Mat Montebello