Principal Report
Welcome back to Term 2 everyone!
I trust that you were all able to enjoy at least a few nice family days over the Easter break and the remaining holiday period. The students all seemed keen to get back into school routines last week, and it’s been interesting to ask and find out who still has some Easter eggs saved at home! Did you know that the ability to delay gratification is often a marker for a range of positive outcomes, including academic success, physical health, psychological health, and social competence? Of course, it could just mean that they were given a very large amount of eggs and/or parents are limiting their daily intake!
By the end of this week we hit May, and the month - and Term 2 more generally - often brings a shift in pace within schools. The colder weather, darker days following the end of daylight saving time, an increase in illness, and the demands of assessment and reporting can all add to the pressure at this time of year. At the same time, classrooms tend to be running smoothly, with students and teachers having established strong relationships and consistent routines for learning.
To help balance these competing demands, we continue to recognise May as Staff Wellbeing Month, an initiative we introduced in 2023. During this time, staff are encouraged to take deliberate steps to support their physical, mental, and social wellbeing. You might notice staff taking a walk together at lunchtime, opting for activewear, or even bringing along a yoga mat - small but meaningful ways to look after themselves during a busy term.
While student wellbeing remains a central focus at NLPS, in line with the Department of Education’s Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0), it is equally important that we invest in the wellbeing of our staff. By doing so, we strengthen our capacity to provide the best possible support for our students.
Year 4 Camp
Over the past few days, our Year 4 students have taken part in their first school camp, and it has been a fantastic experience for all involved. The group travelled to a new venue for our school, Candlebark Camp near Healesville, where they enjoyed a wide range of engaging activities supported by an excellent team of staff as well as some decent camp food! It was pleasing to see students embracing new challenges, working together, and showing great enthusiasm throughout the camp. The standout moments for my group were the flying fox, archery, and the views on the boundary walk.
I’d like to acknowledge and thank our committed NLPS staff who attended the camp and made this opportunity possible for our Year 4 students. We also appreciate the support of families who were able to keep their children at home tomorrow, Thursday 30th April, allowing them time to rest after camp while also enabling the school to meet Time in Lieu requirements.
2026 Foundation Tours / Enrolment
Our school tours began recently and will run through until early June, with an information session scheduled for the evening of Thursday 30th April. We’ve once again seen a strong level of interest from the community.
We’d like to remind families that enrolment applications are due by 31st July, which helps us plan for 2026 - although submissions are also welcome at any time before then. If you have a child already attending the school and has a sibling due to start, please ensure your enrolment is completed by the deadline so that we can plan with confidence. Enrolment forms are available on Compass, our school website, or directly from the front office.
Semester 1 Reports
As you may already know, we have a large proportion of our teaching staff (classroom and specialist teachers) who are Australian Education Union (AEU) members (around 83%).
Recently, the AEU has directed members not to provide any written comments for the upcoming end-of-semester reports. This directive has come after the school had already decided to update the reporting template following the results of a parent survey that the Policy Subcommittee conducted last year. Therefore, this semester’s reports will look quite different for these two important reasons. For those students that have a class teacher who is not an AEU member, they will receive a report with written comments - the ‘General Comment’ and ‘Where to Next’. Stay tuned for more information about what to expect as we finalise the new, reduced template.
School Council Update
The School Council met on the last Monday of Term 1 (30th March) and discussed a number of important agenda items, including:
- 2026 Standing Orders
- The first subcommittee reports for the year
- The draft 2025 Annual Report
- School Council input into the School Review process
A reminder that all members of our parent community are welcome to attend School Council and subcommittee meetings. Our next full School Council meeting will be held on Monday 18th May via Webex.
The 2025 Annual Report will be presented to the community later this term, following Department quality assurance checks. Please look out for further details in upcoming newsletters.
Lost Property
If your child is missing an item of school uniform or personal belongings, there is a strong likelihood it has made its way to the school’s lost property area. Students are welcome to check the collection during play breaks, which also provides a useful opportunity to reinforce our school value of responsibility.
Parents are also welcome to visit the school at any time between 8.45am and 4.00pm to look through items such as clothing, lunch boxes, drink bottles, and other belongings that may have been misplaced. There is quite a variety of items, so it can be helpful to allow 5–10 minutes to have a thorough look through the collection.
A number of items remain unclaimed and do not have names on them. Fortunately, our wonderful Parents Club volunteers regularly sort through lost property, and labelled items are almost always successfully returned to their owners, so please make sure that all your child’s items are clearly labelled.
Pupil Free Day
A reminder that on Wednesday 27th May - students are not required to be at school as all staff members are participating in a Professional Practice Day (PPD). The current EBA requires that all teaching staff get one PPD a year and, rather than rely on CRTs, schools can select to have them all on one day instead, which the NLPS Consultative Committee has done. This year, we have decided again to hold this on a Wednesday, as this is the day that the majority of our staff are here, and we already have classes missing Monday specialists this term with the King's Birthday public holiday in June.
There will be no school for children on this day.
Childcare is available on this day. Bookings can be made by contacting TeamKids, via https://www.teamkids.com.au/venues/newport-lakes-primary-oshc/
Have a wonderful fortnight.
Carly Bannon
NLPS Principal