Principals` Message

2024 has leapt into action at Fitzroy Primary School with a great start to the year. Our classes have all been working very well for the past 1.5 weeks, with teachers setting expectations for the year, establishing processes and organising the way we will learn this year. Teachers have worked on creating a positive wellbeing and learning environment with their students and we are well placed for a successful year ahead. 

I would like to warmly welcome all the new members of our school community to Fitzroy Primary School. Firstly, welcome to our new Foundation families and students, who have embarked on a great journey of learning that will last for the next 13 years. We are very happy and proud to have you in our school and we hope you have a great start to your education with us. It has been fantastic to see them settling in well to school life and I know there will be lots of very tired young people ready for a good sleep this weekend! Welcome also to our new families who have joined us throughout Year 1-6. We hope you have had a smooth and welcoming start and embrace the community and culture of our school. Lastly, I would like to warmly welcome our new staff Lorene, Laurence, Maelle, Jennifer, Julie, Elvira and Ben to Fitzroy Primary School. We have already seen your great work getting started with your classes and we look forward to having you with us this year. 

One huge achievement and cause for celebration is the return of the George St building and resumption of classes again. The modernised and upgraded building is a fantastic learning space and is a major upgrade from its previous condition. It is a very calm and welcoming space, with lots of natural light and quiet spaces throughout. It was important to retain the history of this 150-year-old building, and historical features can be seen throughout the building preserving its importance to the community. Whilst we expected and planned to have George St back again it has taken a mighty effort by everyone involved in the project to complete George St on time. I would like to especially thank our staff for their work in preparing classes and learning spaces for the return of our students in a very short timeframe. We truly have a physical learning space that our community deserves.

Whilst the building is complete the landscaping works at George St didn’t quite make it and are still continuing currently. The rubber compound is still to be laid at the base of the stairs and further garden play elements are currently being constructed. Planting of garden beds and adding of mulch is also to be completed yet. We are expecting this work to be completed soon and are hoping to have the yard back fully within two weeks. Thank you for your ongoing patience whilst this work is taking place. 

With the return of both sites again we have implemented some new processes to help organise our school. Breakfast club will be run from the sliding doors at the rear of the Art Room next to the Blue Girl mural each morning until 8.55am. Students who may have come to school without lunch will be provided with lunch items from Food Bank, rather than accessing breakfast foods. 

Students who are injured in the playground or become unwell will need to stay in the First Aid room until they recover or are collected by families, to make sure we can observe them and keep them safe. This includes children requiring an ice pack for bumps received while playing. The morning line up has been working well and it is great to see families in our George St yard each day. We are still refining movement between the two sites, particularly at breaktimes, but it has been good to provide access to both playgrounds for our students. 

The Year 3-6 playtime will also receive further organisation from Friday with the trial of soccer timetable for year levels. This week we have found that too many children were wanting to play soccer at the same time and on Wednesday the space at George St was overloaded with students. From Friday onwards students in year 3-4, 5-6, and 3-6 girls will all have the chance to play with similar age children (and gender for girls only soccer) which will reduce numbers and make games fairer and more fun. 

I would like to remind everyone, particularly students, that hats are required for outdoor play during Term 1. The SunSmart policy requires hats to be worn and from Monday we will implement ‘no hat no play’ where students without a hat will need to stay in the shade. We will run a blitz on hats next week to make sure that everyone is safe to play in the sun. 

If you would like to contribute to our school, you might want to consider nominating to join school council. School council elections will be taking place very soon and we will be seeking nominations for one parent and one staff position. School council plays an important role in school governance and organisation and is a great link between families and school. 

Finally, please keep a close eye on Compass for upcoming events throughout Term 1. There will be a lot taking place, with swimming/water safety, NAPLAN assessments, Francophone week and Harmony Day all taking place. Assemblies will relaunch very soon in the multipurpose room and will change day to Monday at 3pm – stay tuned for the first assembly for 2024. There will be a Foundation Welcome Picnic on Thursday February 15th from 5.30-6.30pm (and a brief information session from 5-5.30pm) and we are very happy to have our Iftar Dinner returning again in 2024 for our whole school on Tuesday 19th March. 

-Nathan Moore & Andrea Hennessey