Over the past two weeks, it has been wonderful to see our school community so actively engaged in learning, connection and new experiences. From exciting classroom activities to guest speakers, our students have continued to demonstrate enthusiasm, resilience and a genuine care for one another. Below are some reflections on these events, along with important information about what’s coming up. As you will see it has been a busy couple of weeks with much more to come!

King's Birthday and Curriculum Day

A reminder to our families that our upcoming Curriculum Day is fast approaching. It is Friday 5th June, which is the Friday before the King’s Birthday Public Holiday, that falls on Monday 8th June. An extra long weekend for our families to enjoy!

Attitudes to School Survey

Students in Grades 4 to 6 will complete the Attitudes to School Survey on Tuesday 9th June. I will send further communication home this week about the Survey, including a letter from the Department of Education.

Annual Report on Website

I’m pleased to let our school community know that our 2025 Annual Report is now available on the school’s website.

2027 Foundation Enrolments

I’m excited to share that in 2027 we will run a stand-alone Foundation class when our enrolments reach 5 students, and it gives me great pleasure to share that we are on our way to reaching that number.

For 2027 Foundation (Prep) enrolments our school is using an online system, called VicStudents.

To get started:

Visit https://students.educationapps.vic.gov.au/s/

create an account and complete the online application form by Friday 31st July 2026. Be sure to select Menzies Creek Primary School as your first preference.

If you would prefer to submit a paper application form, please contact the school.

Marathon Club

A big congratulations to Alfie Wilson who reached his 10km milestone last week at Marathon Club. I’ve been very impressed with our students who continue to show up each Friday morning, even as the weather has been getting colder. If you are interested in joining, we meet at 8:15am on Friday morning with parents staying to support their child.

Chickens return to school

Last week saw the return of our school chickens Peck, Scruffy and Mimic. We thank Callum and his family for their care of the chickens while we undertook building works. All three chickens have settled smoothly back into school life and continued to be cared for by Callum.

Grade 4/5/6 Excursion – Monbulk College’s Production ‘School of Rock’

Our Senior students are very fortunate to have been invited to attend Monbulk College’s production of ‘School of Rock.’ The excursion will take place on Wednesday 3rd June. Further details of the excursion and permissions are available on Compass.

Hot Chocolate Mondays

Off the back of such a successful Hot Chocolate and P.J Day, we have decided to offer hot chocolates every Monday at lunchtime in the BER. You can order via QKR and the funds raised will go towards the school.

Movie Night

Our Fundraising and Events Committee has published all the details of our upcoming Movie Night. It is being held on Thursday 4th June from 5pm to 7pm and tickets can be purchased via QKR. We would love to see you there!

2026 School Production

We are pleased to share that our 2026 School Production will be held at Emerald Secondary College in the EPAC on Thursday 10th September and the great news is that this year there will be no limit to the number of tickets you can purchase. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for the big reveal of the production by our Student Voice Team.

Emma Mickle Visit

We were incredibly lucky to welcome local Gembrook Paralympian and cyclist Emma Mickle to our school on as part of the Be Fit, Be Well Sports Program. Emma shared her inspiring journey with our students, speaking openly about her life, her sport, the injury that changed her path, and the values that helped guide her through rehabilitation and onto the world stage as a Paralympian.

Her message highlighted the importance of perseverance through adversity, resilience, goal setting, gratitude, hope and maintaining a positive mindset. Students also learned about Emma’s road to becoming an elite athlete and representing Australia at the Paralympics.

We were so proud of our students for asking such thoughtful, curious and respectful questions throughout the session.

First Steps to Prep Program

We were delighted to hold our very first ‘First Steps to Prep’ session, and it was a wonderful success. It was fantastic to meet some of our aspiring 2027 Foundation students, who had an absolute blast participating in obstacle courses and games as part of our PMP and PE program. A big thank you to Paige and Alison for planning such an engaging session and to the student helpers who so warmly welcomed and supported our visitors. We look forward to continuing the program with our upcoming sessions on:

Thursday 4th June – Kitchen Garden & Art
Thursday 18th June – Auslan

School Tours

As we continue to promote our wonderful school, I encourage you to share that we are running School Tours on Monday and Wednesday mornings at 9:15am. Bookings can be made by calling the school, 9754 3695 or via the school’s email address menzies.creek.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Hot Chocolate and P.J Day

A big congratulations to our Student Voice Team for the successful P.J and Hot Chocolate fundraiser. The team raised $60.70 for the Royal Children’s Hospital which is a fantastic achievement. With the weather turning into rain on the day, we turned lunchtime into a cosy mini movie session in the Multi with lots of comfy cushions, pyjamas, hot chocolates, laughs and fun! See the Wellbeing section of the newsletter for some photos of the day.

Emergency Evacuation Drill

We recently conducted our Emergency Evacuation Drill, providing students and staff with the opportunity to practise our procedures and ensure we remain well-prepared. Our students demonstrated calmness, careful listening and patience throughout, and should be commended for their efforts. Thank you to the families who have already returned their updated Student Enrolment forms that were sent home after the drill; your support helps us ensure all information is current and that we can continue to keep every child safe.

Continuous Reporting

We hope you have enjoyed reviewing your child’s Continuous Reports on Compass. You should now have access to ‘First Two Weeks,’ ‘Mathematics Unit One’ and ‘English – Speaking and Listening’. Each week we will continue to publish a report on a specific area of the curriculum to ensure you are receiving timely feedback on your child's progress. Please reach out to your child's teacher if you have any questions.

Building Works

The works to the playground are almost finished with the temporary fencing to be removed this week. I will then get the playground bridge fixed so that the playground area is fully operational. Excitingly, we are almost at the conclusion of our building works, with only a couple of items left to complete.

Feminine Hygiene Products

A reminder to our families that we have free feminine hygiene products available for student use. They are located in the toilets in the Administration Building, and the students do not need permission to access them.

Curriculum Days for 2026

To assist with your planning, we have set aside the following dates for Curriculum Days in 2026:

Friday 5th June – Report Writing
Monday 2nd November– Curriculum Implementation

As you can see it has been a BUSY fortnight!

Brooke Kogelman

Acting Principal

MCPS Fundraising