Principal's Report

Dear Skye Families,

Skye Is Ours

Last week our Parent Contributions information landed in your inboxes, and the response so far has been strong. Thank you to every family who has already got involved.

Skye is more than a school we drop our kids at each morning. It is somewhere families gather, lend a hand and take real ownership of what happens here. Each year that shared effort adds to what our students experience, from the resources in their classrooms to the spaces they play in at recess. Getting in early with your support means our children benefit sooner, and that is something we should all be proud of.

If you have not yet had a chance to read the information or the School Council letter, now is a great time. Contributions are entirely voluntary, and your child's access to the curriculum does not depend on them. For families who are able to help, the $180 voluntary contribution and the tax-deductible $50 Building Fund option go towards extras beyond what the Department provides.

However you choose to be involved, thank you for being part of what makes Skye such a special place to learn.

Grandparents Morning

It was wonderful to welcome our Skye grandparents to school today for a special open morning. At Skye, we value the connection between home and school, and we recognise the important role grandparents play in the lives of our students.

Our guests joined classroom visits and activities, and it was lovely to see so many generations coming together as part of our community.

World Teachers' Day

This Friday 30th October is World Teachers' Day, a chance to recognise and celebrate the work of our teachers and staff.

The job of a teacher is one of the most complex there is. Every day, our staff plan, teach, guide and support, and they do it with care for each student in front of them. On behalf of the Skye community, I want to thank every single one of our amazing staff for the contribution they make to this special place, and for supporting both the learning and wellbeing of our students.

If you have a moment this week, I encourage you to say a simple thank you to a teacher or staff member who has made a difference to your child. Many of you already do this so generously, and those small gestures are always appreciated.

Our staff are at the heart of what makes Skye such a wonderful place to learn and grow, and I am incredibly grateful for everything they contribute to our school community.

Ballarto Road Safety Update

School Council has been particularly busy this year advocating on behalf of our school community to drive action from Government to make Ballarto Road safer for every Skye family. Following our earlier notice, the Road Safety Forum was held on Thursday afternoon and attended by political candidates for the LGA.

A special thank you to school councillor Gemma Hardie, who has tirelessly led this advocacy work and organised the forum. Her efforts, together with the support of School Council, are already delivering results:

• Speed limit reductions: From the start of the 2027 school year, the speed limit outside our school will be permanently reduced to 30 km/h during school morning and afternoon periods and 60 km/h at all other times. Skye Primary School will be the first in the state to have these reductions.
• Road Safety Audit: Skye is the first school to have an audit of this type conducted. The findings and recommendations will provide critical next steps for improving safety on Ballarto Road.

Thank you to everyone in our community who has supported this work.

Bunnings BBQ: Thank You

A huge thank you to our PTF for organising and running a very successful Bunnings BBQ a couple of weekends ago. It takes a great deal of planning and energy to pull an event like this together, and the PTF did it brilliantly.

Thank you also to the many parents who gave up their time and signed up for one of the three multi-hour shifts on the day. Your willingness to pitch in is what makes events like this possible, and it is a wonderful example of our community working together.

Thanks to everyone's efforts, we raised a fantastic profit of $2,529.80, which will go towards projects that benefit our students.

New Soccer Pitch

Our brand new soccer pitch will open for the first time next week. This major project, delivered as part of the kindergarten make-good works, has transformed what was once a boggy corner at the back of our school into a quality facility for our students, complete with brand new portable goals. We are mindful of the residents whose properties back on to the school behind one end of the pitch and we are working with the VSBA to have ball stopping nets installed later this year. 

Eco Warriors: Thank You for Supporting Nude Food Fridays

Since our Eco Warriors launched Nude Food Fridays, we have noticed a significant reduction in rubbish around the school. It is a great result, and a credit to our students for leading the way.

Thank you to our parent community for getting behind this initiative. Packing waste-free lunches takes thought and effort, and your support at home has made a real difference to keeping our school looking beautiful.

Thank you also to Graeme, Sarah, Inger and our passionate Eco Warriors for their leadership. Please keep up the great work, and we look forward to seeing Nude Food Fridays continue.

Class Placement for 2027

Planning for next year is well underway, and our staff are giving class placements careful thought. If you have specific requests for your child's placement, please email me at timothy.bernau@education.vic.gov.au by Friday 6th November. Please read our Skye PS Class Placement Policy before you write, so you know your request fits our approach.

Who Do You Work Well With?

Over the next week, classes will take part in a nomination activity. Each student will name five others in their year level who help them learn.

We deliberately ask who students work well with rather than who their friends are. Friendships matter, but children don't always learn best beside their closest friends. What we are looking for are positive learning relationships.

A few things to know about the process:

• Every student will be placed with at least one of the five peers they nominate
• The order of the names makes no difference, so being listed first or last carries the same weight
• Gender and current class groupings play no part in the nominations
• On rare occasions we may not be able to honour a nomination, and if that happens we will contact your family to talk it through

We encourage you to talk with your child at home about what makes a good learning partner. Teachers will also guide students through this conversation before they complete their nominations.

Fidget Tools: A Reminder for Families

At Skye, we support the use of fidget tools in the classroom to help students stay focused during independent work and maintain attention in group settings. The best fidgets are discreet, quiet and small enough to fit in one hand and be used with one hand. Tools that offer tactile or proprioceptive input, such as stress balls, putty, palm or sensory stones, and quiet fidget cubes, give students a structured outlet for unconscious fidgeting and help them concentrate.

To use a fidget in the classroom, students need a recommendation from an allied health professional or a specific note from a doctor or practitioner. Once this is provided, your child's classroom teacher can talk with you about which options are appropriate.

Fluid-filled fidgets, including squishy toys and gel or water bead products, are not permitted at school. This is a whole-school approach, as we cannot control the contents of the products children bring in. If damaged or punctured, they can leak and create choking, ingestion and eye-injury risks. Some products may also contain unverified materials, and heating gel-filled toys can cause them to rupture and release extremely hot contents. Ms Wadley has shared these messages with families previously on Sentral, and we thank you for your support.

Fidgets that are large, demand visual attention, or include a game component such as matching, unlocking or solving something tend to work against a child's engagement in learning, so we ask families to avoid these.

Have a great fortnight!

Warm regards,

Tim