THANK YOU WALES STREET SOCIAL

As the end of the school year is fast approaching I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank all members of Wales Street Social.

Having enough parent and carer involvement in committees is a growing challenge for schools. Fortunately, our school has a strong culture of volunteering and Wales Street Social is a GREAT example of this in action.

You only have to look at the results of our community building and fundraising activities such as our Second Hand Uniform Sales, School Disco, Mothers, Fathers & Special Persons Day Stalls, Election Day BBQ, Movie Night, Disco's, Mangoes, Trivia night and our end of year BBQ.

To see the impact this group of dedicated parents has had on our school is amazing. They have been instrumental in raising and providing valuable funds and most importantly continuing to build and strengthen our connections and what it means to be a member of the Wales Street Community.

Funds raised this year have enabled our school to finally build our new amazing pirate ship playground and we are well underway to have the funds required to upgrade our mini oval in April next year.

Special thanks to Amy Patterson for leading Wales Street Social and all members for their dedication to our school. I think we are all set for a sensational 2026.

STAFFING CHANGES FOR 2026

Each year brings moments of farewell as we say goodbye to some of our teachers and welcome new colleagues to our school community.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the staff who are leaving us this year. Their dedication, professionalism, and care have had a significant and lasting impact on our students and our school. We are deeply grateful for the energy, skill and warmth they have brought to

their classrooms, and we know their students have benefited enormously from their expertise and commitment. We wish each of them every success as they embark on new opportunities and experiences, and we look forward to welcoming some of them back in the future.

We say goodbye to the following staff, each moving into exciting new chapters:

Georgia Kourakis in Foundation will be leaving at the end of the year as she is expecting her first child.
Michael Tindale is returning to his passion for special education and will be working at Croxton Special School in 2026.

Following an extensive recruitment process, we are delighted to be welcoming several new teachers to our school for 2026. We look forward to the fresh ideas, knowledge, and enthusiasm they will bring to our learning community.

Lauren Huggins: Camberwell Primary School

Megan North: Milgate Primary School

Zara Draper: Essendon North Primary School

Clara Nickson: CRT @ WSPS

Alisha Kotiw: Banyule Primary School

2026 Class Transition Sessions

Next week, our Grades 1–5 students will spend a series of transition sessions in their 2026 classrooms with their new classmates and teacher. These sessions give students a valuable opportunity to build confidence, reduce uncertainty, and gain a clear sense of what next year will look like for them.

The development of class structures and teacher allocations is a highly complex process that begins in Term 3 and involves many hours of careful consideration. We work diligently to create balanced classes at every year level, taking into account a wide range of factors and the needs of all students. Please be assured that our decisions are thoughtful, informed, and made with the best interests of students at heart. The 2026 class lists are final, and no further changes will be made.

A crucial part of a successful transition is the support students receive from home. It is natural for children to feel some hesitation or nerves when facing change, but with positive encouragement and reassurance, they are far more likely to settle quickly and confidently. Our teachers are committed to ensuring that every child feels welcomed, supported, and set up for success in their new learning environment.

We look forward to a smooth and positive transition period for all students.

How to support your child under 16 with the new social media age restrictions

From 10 December 2025, the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 will require social media platforms to:

· prevent children and young people under 16 from having a social media account

· deactivate or freeze existing accounts held by people under 16.

Delaying access to social media protects the health and wellbeing of young people and gives them extra time to build real world connections and digital literacy skills.

The responsibility will be on the social media platforms, not parents, carers, children or schools, to implement these new restrictions.

Most popular social media platforms will be age restricted. These include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Reddit and YouTube.

Messaging services and online games, as well as apps and platforms that support health and education, can still be used.

How to help under 16s prepare for the change

Parents and carers play an important role in supporting their children to be safe online.

To help get under 16s ready for the social media minimum age requirements, you can go to the eSafety website to learn more about the social media age restrictions and find

tips on how to talk about social media age restrictions with young people.

VOLUNTEERS – SPECIAL AFTERNOON TEA

Our school is fortunate to have so many generous volunteers who give their time and energy to enrich our programs, events, and day-to-day operations. We truly couldn’t offer the range of opportunities we do without your ongoing support, and it’s now our chance to show our appreciation.

From class reps, to families assisting with second-hand uniforms, excursions, working bees, and countless other activities, your contributions make an enormous difference, and we are sincerely grateful.

Please join us for a special Volunteer Afternoon Tea on Monday 15 December @ 2:45pm in the staffroom.

Student Reports

Next week the 2025 Semester 2 reports will be available on Compass. The semester reports are the culmination of your child’s interaction, engagement and results in the teaching and learning program during the semester. These reports actually take an incredibly large amount of time to collate and write so please take the time to go through them together with your child. Thank you to the teachers for their efforts with the reports.

THANK YOU SCHOOL COUNCIL

As we move into the last week at Wales Street Primary School for 2025, I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge and thank all members of our School Council this year for their significant contribution to our school.

Davor Stanic, Ed Rutherford, Amy Patterson, Nadia Cooke, Rebecca Chittams, Tim Sheedy, Marian Tosif, Pina Tarquinio, Luisa Kalenjuk, Laura Fisher and Georgia Prince.

This group of dedicated parents and staff have further strengthened the educational environment for our students.

In particular, I acknowledge Davor Stanic for his leadership as School Council President. Davor’s leadership of Council has ensured that we have been able to successfully manage the challenge of providing time for rich discussion and debate whilst also ensuring that all voices are listened to. Most importantly Davor has managed this with a sense of fun and humour as well!

Overall, much has been achieved in 2025. We can all be proud of our school as it is today and excited about our school into the future.

Next year there will be number of vacancies to fill to form our 2026 School Council. If you would like to find out more about the role of a school councillor and the time commitment involved, please contact me. One of the strengths of our school is our strong parent involvement and support and we need this to continue with our School Council in 2026 so that all our work and momentum can continue!

Congratulations to a Past Student of WSPS

It is always wonderful to hear about the achievements of our former students, and this week we received some truly exciting news. The Class of 2025 School Dux, of Melbourne Girls College, with an outstanding ATAR of 99.55, is a proud past student of Wales Street Primary School.

This is an extraordinary result for an exceptional young person. We extend our warmest congratulations on their hard work, perseverance, and dedication over the years. Their success is a testament to their commitment to learning and striving for excellence.

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