School News

Improving Safety & Access: Stage 1 Fencing Works Completed

We are pleased to share that Stage 1 of our fencing works is now complete! This is an important step in improving student safety, site security, and traffic management at Trafalgar Primary School.

The new fencing along School Road has been installed to:

✅ Improve Student Safety – Prevent students from accidentally wandering onto the busy road, assisting with supervision and duty of care.

✅ Control Access to the School – Ensure all visitors enter through the correct points, improving child safety.

✅ Reduce Unsafe Car Park Access – Address concerns about pedestrians, including young children, walking through the staff car park. Despite previous signage and warnings, this remained a risk, and we have now taken action.

✅ Prevent Unauthorised Parking in Staff Areas – The fencing will help reinforce the staff-only parking policy.

✅ Minimise Vandalism & Unsafe Behaviours – The new structure will discourage climbing on buildings, shade sails, and other unsafe activities after hours.

Accessing the School: What You Need to Know

To ensure a smooth transition, here’s how families and students should access the school:

🔹 Morning Drop-Off & Afternoon Pick-Up

• Playground Gates will be open from 8:20 am – 9:00 am and again from 

  3:20 pm – 4:00 pm.

• Students and families can enter through the designated gates during these times.
• The Administration Office can be accessed from the school grounds via the Blue Area.
• A reminder that Breakfast Club is also available to all students from 8:20 am . 

🔹 Before & After School Care (OSHC)

• Before 8:20 am: Access OSHC via the red gate on School Road.
• After 4:00 pm: OSHC families can enter using the same designated gate.

🔹 Visitor Entry During the Day (9:00 am – 3:25 pm)

• All visitors must enter through the main School Road entrance and sign in at the Administration Office.

What’s Next?

This is just Stage 1 of a multi-stage master plan to enhance the safety and functionality of our school environment. Future stages will include completing fencing around the entire school and installing an additional public access gate at the rear of the property.

Your Support is Appreciated!

We know that change can bring questions, and we appreciate your patience as we make these improvements. We thank you for following the new access procedures to keep our school safe.  If you have any questions, please contact the school office.

School Crossings Reminder

Baw Baw Shire is committed to providing a safe environment for all students commuting to and from school. To help achieve this we need the community’s help.

The Role of School Crossing Supervisors

Crossing Supervisors are there to assist children cross the road in safety on their way to and from school. Children may not understand traffic laws or be aware of their surroundings, and small children may not be readily visible to drivers. In Baw Baw, we have over 33 school crossings where our supervisors attend to help kids cross the road safely.

Safety in School Zones

Due to an increase in traffic at drop off and pick up times, both traffic and parking issues can pose a risk to the safety of children. Educating kids and encouraging safe driving behaviour can help improve safety in the school zone.

Please make sure you are always looking out for Children around School Crossings and never stop on a school crossing (within the red and white posts) and never drive through a School Crossing whilst there are pedestrians on it.

Parking Signs and What They Mean

No parking signs

If there is a 'no parking' sign, you can stop for 2 minutes in that area:

• if you are picking up or dropping off passengers or goods
• you stay within 3 metres of your vehicle.

If you stop in, or partly in, an area showing a no parking sign and you are not picking up or dropping off passengers or goods, you are considered to be parked and can be fined. This is the case even if you stay with your vehicle.

No stopping signs

If there is a 'no stopping' sign, you are not allowed to stop or park your car in, or partly in, that area for any reason, including dropping off or picking up passengers

Bus Zone

A driver must not stop on a bus stop, or within 20m before the bus stop sign and within 10m after the sign.

Baw Baw Shire actively monitors school crossings to ensure the safety of pedestrians and students attending schools.

Meet The Teacher Evening

Thank you to all the families who attended our Meet the Teacher Evening on Tuesday, February 4th. It was fantastic to see so many parents and carers engaging with their child’s teacher, exploring the classrooms, and learning more about the programs and routines in place for 2025.

Building strong relationships between home and school is key to student success, and this event provided a valuable opportunity for open communication. Teachers shared important information about classroom expectations, learning programs, and school routines, while parents had the chance to share insights about their child.

A special thank you to our staff for preparing their classrooms and being available to connect with families. We appreciate the time and effort you put into making the evening welcoming and informative.

If you were unable to attend or would like to discuss anything further, please reach out to your child’s teacher to arrange a suitable time.

We look forward to a fantastic year ahead, working together to support every student’s learning journey!

Annual Privacy Reminder for our School Community

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and Privacy Collection Notice.

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy, describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn. 

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. 

This information is also available in ten community languages:

* Amharic* Arabic* Dari* Gujarati* Mandarin* Somali* Sudanese* Turkish* Urdu* Vietnamese

Setting School-wide Expectations: Assembly and Audience Behaviour

At Trafalgar Primary School, we believe that fostering a respectful and attentive school culture begins with clear expectations. As part of our commitment to embedding a whole-school approach to positive behaviour support, we have explicitly taught students the expectations for assemblies during our Friday assembly. This aligns with our 2025 Key Improvement Strategy of ensuring a calm and orderly learning environment, supporting student engagement and wellbeing.

Our Assembly Expectations:

• We are still and attentive during assemblies and performances.
  • Sit in your line-up order with hands in your lap or by your sides.
  • Keep eyes on the speaker and listen actively.
• We show respect for all performers and speakers.
  • Clap politely when appropriate.
  • Avoid talking, fidgeting, or using devices.
  • Never boo, call out, or disrupt the assembly.
• We stand proudly for the National Anthem.
  • Stand tall, face the national flag, and sing respectfully if instructed.
  • Wait for the signal before sitting down calmly.
• We follow staff instructions.
  • Listen carefully and respond promptly to directions.
  • Help ensure the assembly runs smoothly for everyone.
• Receiving an Award:
  • Stand up calmly when your name is called.
  • Walk to the front, shake hands, and say “thank you.”
  • Have your photo taken in the foyer and return to your seat quietly, holding your award respectfully.

Thank you to all students, staff and families for supporting these expectations and ensuring that our assemblies remain meaningful, respectful, and engaging for everyone.

Breakfast Club

What a fantastic start to the Breakfast Club at Traf Primary School! We've been cooking up a storm of fresh toast and cheese toasties, as well as serving yummy cold Milos and cereal to provide a healthy breakfast for our hungry learners! 

Due to our generous sponsors, Breakfast Club continues to be able to support our students with breakfast and also provide Care Packages for families.  We would like to personally thank IGA Trafalgar, Gracie's Bakery, Baker's Delight Mid Valley and Foodbank for their generous donations and support again this year. 

Our Traf Pantry (found in the Gym Foyer) continues to be stocked with many excellent products, available to anyone - and they’re free! If you would like to receive a Care Package or know of a family who may benefit, feel free to drop into our School Office, or see Mrs Burns or Mrs Marslen.  Any extra Milo donations would also be greatly appreciated!  

Looking forward to seeing you all for Brekky!

Mrs Burns and Mrs Marslen 

Brekky Club MasterChefs

Parents & Friends Committee News

Tea & Tears

Last Thursday the Parents & Friends Committee welcomed parents of Foundation students to the school after their first drop-off, with morning tea, hot cuppas and tissues provided. We had an excellent turnout and the scones were a hit! Thanks to Bakers Delight Mid Valley and Trafalgar IGA for supplying our morning tea. A great opportunity for parents to shake off the nerves after getting through the first morning of school, and simply have a chat with other parents for a while. We look forward to running it again next year.

Welcome to 2025

Happy New Year from the P&F committee! We are excited to start planning our events and fundraisers for 2025, and we have some great projects in mind, using the funds we raise to improve the school experience for our students, staff and families.  New members are always welcome and it's FREE to join. We can also help you apply for a Working With Children Check if needed. On our committee, you will get to enjoy a rewarding volunteer role, be involved with school events and make an active contribution in our school community. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, 5th March at 6.30 pm.  We also have a new Parent Helper register to help keep in touch with those parents who might like to help with our events this year. We need all the help we can get! If you'd like to sign up as a Parent Helper, please send us a quick email and we'll put you on the list.

Below are our flyers for the first half of this term.  We hope our senior students, staff and families enjoyed our BBQ sausage sizzle at the Swimming Carnival today. We will have photos to share in the next newsletter.

If you have any feedback or questions, would like to help with events, or would like to join our committee, please contact us at TPSpandfSecretary@gmail.com

The Parents & Friends Committee thank you for your support.

OSHCLUB News

Uniform Policy (Updated for 2025)

Our School Uniform Policy was reviewed late 2024 for implementation this year.  School Uniform is a proud and distinctive part of the Trafalgar Primary School identity. It is a practical dress code which has Parents and Friends Association support and has been made compulsory by School Council.

The following list will be of assistance to you when purchasing items for school wear.

Our school colours are red, white and black. 

Continue reading the full policy here...

Uniform items supplied by, and for purchase from, the School’s nominated point of sale only:

• School uniform hat
• School polo shirt with logo
• Red hooded jumper with logo
• Red zip up jacket with logo
• Wet weather jacket with logo
• Commemorative senior jumper and/or top with logo (Grade 6 students only, special order)

Uniform items available for purchase from any supplier:

External School Sports Uniform

• School sports shirt - supplied by the School when students are representing the School
• Black shorts – as detailed in Daily Uniform (above)
• Activewear - as detailed in Daily Uniform (above)
• Black netball skirt

Please note: the External School Sports Uniform is to be worn when students are representing the School at events held offsite. For programmed sports curriculum at the School, the Daily Uniform is to be worn.