Principal Report - Term 3 Focus

Term 3— Celebrating Our 2025 NAPLAN Success

This week our staff reviewed and celebrated our 2025 NAPLAN assessment results. It was pleasing to see a high percentage of our students achieving at or above the expected level in literacy and numeracy. It was equally pleasing to see the number of Year 5 students who had maintained or improved their results since Year 3. This shows the increasing capabilities of our students to grow with their learning as they progress through school. These outcomes also highlight the strength of our teaching programs and the quality of the teaching across the school. While these assessments are just one measure of achievement, they affirm that our focus on foundational literacy and numeracy skills is delivering positive outcomes. Staff will use this data, along with other data collected throughout the year, to ensure all students have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Australian Mathematics Competition

This week 54 students from Grades 3-6 participated in the Australian Mathematics Competition. This is an exam that requires students to solve 30 mathematical problems in 60 minutes. Gray Street offers this exam as part of our extension program to give interested students the opportunity to stretch their mental muscles and compete with many other students around Australia.

Once results are in, certificates will be sent to school and presented at assembly.

Well done to all participants for taking on the challenge.

Happening Next Week

AFL 9s – Thursday August 14th

On Thursday our Year 5/6 students will participate in the AFL 9s, a round robin competition against teams from other local schools . Parents are reminded that students will travel to Pedrina Park by bus and will be supported by three of our staff – Mr Lachie Watt, Mr Jimmy Stephens, Mrs Danah Clark. The remaining students will participate in an alternate program back at school with Mrs Brabham and Mr Ben Stephens.

ICAS English - Wednesday August 13th

It is great to see that many students from Year 3 to Year 6 have chosen to participate in the ICAS assessments in English, Mathematics, and Science this term. These internationally recognised assessments offer students the opportunity to challenge themselves and demonstrate a love of learning.

STEM Night - Thursday August 14th

Next Thursday evening our families are invited to help us celebrate Science Week through attending our annual STEM Night. The evening is a great night for students and their families to explore science together. The variety of activities that staff have designed foster both curiosity and problem-solving skills. More than that though , STEM Night provides a valuable opportunity for families to connect with each other and with our staff, helping to strengthen the sense of community that makes our school so special.

VSECC Incursion – Tuesday August 12th to Thursday August 14th

Across three exciting days, students from Years 3 to 6 will take part in a hands-on incursion run by the Victorian Space Science Education Centre (VSSEC)—a specialist STEM learning program. Students will participate in two engaging programs: Tickle My Droid, A creative and interactive challenge where students learn about engineering, coding, and design. Reach for the Stars however focuses on space exploration. Like our STEM night these programs ignite curiosity and build student interest in Science

Upcoming Events to Plan For Camp

All information for Term 4 camps has now been sent out. We ask that these forms, along with payment be returned as soon as possible. This will allow our staff to begin planning the fine details for camp such as groupings and cabin allocation. We thank parents who have expressed interest in attending. Staff will begin looking through these forms and confirm the parent volunteer list ASAP.

Student Free Day – Friday August 22nd

Please note that Thursday 22nd August will be a student-free day. Staff will be participating in a professional learning session with Dan Petro, a respected behavioural consultant. Dan’s expertise supports schools in understanding student behaviour and implementing positive, practical strategies to enhance learning environments. This day is a valuable opportunity for our staff to continue building our school’s capacity to provide focused and inclusive learning environments. Students do not attend school on this day.

Book Week Dress Up Day - Friday August 29th

We’re looking forward to celebrating Book Week in Week 6 of Term 3, the week after National Book Week. One of the highlights of the week will be our Book Week Dress-Up Day on Friday August 29th, where students are encouraged to come dressed as their favourite book character. Now is a great time to start planning and preparing costumes—get creative with items you have at home or visit your local op shop for inspiration! Save the date as the excitement is already building here amongst staff on what to wear.

Hamilton (Gray St) Primary School Newsletter

Respect, Relationships & Resilience

Issue 12 · 08 Aug 2025

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