Assistant Principals' Report

Important Transition Dates

Whittlesea Primary School will hold its internal transition sessions on the 

Statewide Transition Day, Tuesday 9th December. Students will be grouped in their 2026 classes with their 2026 classroom teacher. 

Students commencing Foundation in 2026 are invited to attend between 9:30 am and 12:00 pm. Students in all other year levels who are new to the school in 2026 will also be asked to participate in the morning transition sessions between 9:00 am and 11:00 am.

Please note the following important dates-

A new school year is an exciting time for students and families, but it can be a big step, particularly for those starting Prep, secondary school or VCE. The Department of Education has a webpage with resources and information to help you prepare for the new school year. During the school holidays, please consider reading through the resources, which include:

• Tips to help transition from Kinder to Prep, Primary to Secondary, and Yr 10 to VCE
• What to expect at school
• Help with school costs and fees
• Health and wellbeing guidance to support children’s mental health. 

You can link to the New Year of Learning webpage by clicking the image above.

COLOUR RUN REMINDERS

CONGRATULATIONS TO 5A

EVERY STUDENT HAS A PROFILE - HOT CHIP LUNCH - YUM!

WOW...our WEEK SIX total is looking AMAZING! 

Fundraising:

Create a student profile at funrun.com.au. Share your fundraising link with family and friends online. It's safe, easy, and you don't need to handle cash. Raise just $10 to earn a prize, with bigger rewards for more raised!

T-shirts:

Students will need to wear a black or predominantly black t-shirt on the day – reuse one from last year or purchase an affordable option from Kmart or Best & Less.

We can’t wait for another fantastic event!

Staff Professional Learning on Opportunities to Respond (OTRs)

Over the past six weeks, our staff have been strengthening their teaching practice by exploring how students respond during learning. These teacher prompts, called Opportunities to Respond (OTRs), include any verbal, written, or gestural request that actively engages students. Staff engaged in Professional Learning sessions to learn about, then trial a range of OTRs, such as individual responses (e.g. selecting names from icy-pole sticks), choral responses, and partner or small-group responses like A/B partners or “whip-arounds.” Colleagues observed teachers and then reflected on how often and how effectively they used OTRs. This led to a noticeable increase in the variety and frequency of OTRs in classrooms. During this week’s Professional Learning evening, teams shared how they had incorporated OTRs into their teaching.

Enjoy these photos of our excellent teachers presenting their work with OTRs!