Yesterday, the tragic news of the Christian College Geelong school bus crash in Stonehaven was felt across many school communities, with close connections and networks in Geelong. The news may be distressing for some students at our school community, and our deepest sympathies go to the Christian College school community. We have support available for anyone who requires it, please do get in touch with the school and we can provide support and guidance.

Book Week highlights

Last week, students and staff all enjoyed celebrating Book Week with several planned activities spread across the week. Students enjoyed the Cosy Corner and hot chocolate on Monday and the opportunity to mix with students from other year levels. A big thank you to our parent helpers who volunteered on the day.

Book Week themed lunchtime clubs also ran each day with students enjoying Wednesday’s game of matching the staff member to their favourite childhood story book.

On Thursday, with the support of parent helpers, we held our book stall and raised over $400 for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. This foundation is a national charity of the Australian Book Industry, working with remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia. For more information on this wonderful organisation, head to https://www.ilf.org.au/

On Friday we celebrated, together with families, with our Book Week dress up parade at Assembly. Students came dressed in their favourite book themed costumes and the effort from students and families alike was impressive!

A big thank you to Mrs Barnewall, Mrs Ladgrove and our specialists’ teachers for their organisation of the Book Week activities this year.

Western Metro Regional Champions

Congratulations to the Fyans Park Hockey team who won the Regional Hockey competition recently held at Footscray Hockey Club in Yarraville.

This group of students, played exceptionally well in all games and came away with the overall championship much to the delight of their passionate coach Miss Lewis.

Tournament of Minds

Congratulations to our four Tournament of Minds teams who competed on Sunday at Deakin University. The students did exceptionally well and should be very proud of their efforts and stepping out of their comfort zones.

Our Language Literature and Social Science teams placed first and therefore were invited to participate in the State Final in a few weeks’ time.

On the event day, our Arts and STEM teams received Honours, which is also an impressive achievement competing against a large cohort of teams from many schools across Victoria.

In a surprise twist, Miss Lewis was notified late on Monday evening that both our Arts and STEM teams have received wildcard entries to also compete in the State Final due to their high scores.

This means we will have all four teams competing at the State Final on Sunday, September 14th at La Trobe University, Bundoora!

We are so incredibly proud of every single student who is representing Fyans Park at Tournament of Minds this year and we are excited to see them take on the next round of challenges.

Special mention to Miss Lewis and our ToM parents who are supporting students every step of the way.

Organising Classes for 2026

Within the next month the process of organising students into classes for next year will begin. Our schools’ enrolments for 2026 are stable with 395 students and it is anticipated that we will be operational with 18 classes.

If there are any issues we need to be aware of when allocating your child to a class, please make sure you put this in writing to me by no later than Friday 19th September. The teachers and I will be meeting early in Term 4 to begin the process of placing children into classes.

As previously mentioned, for 2026 classes, we will not be seeking preferences directly from students because teachers are best placed to develop combinations of students who support each other’s learning and wellbeing in the classroom.

It is not my intention to provide parents with the opportunity to select a teacher of choice. We have a high-quality teaching team, and parents can be confident the needs of their child will be met by any member of our staff.

Developing well-balanced classes is best for everyone and that can be made difficult if there are large numbers of requests – as such, it is important that placement requests be founded on significant reasons and not related to specific teachers. I will endeavour to accommodate parent requests regarding student placements, but you will understand this is not always possible.

It is also important when we come to organise classes that we know of students who will not be at our school next year. If your family is moving on for any reason, please let us know as soon as possible by contacting Jane, Alison or myself at the front office.

I recently received confirmation from the Department that our Enrolment Management Plan and enrolment restrictions will remain in place for the 2026 school year to ensure we maintain an enrolment figure that meets in-zone demand.

Mobile Phones and Wearable Device Policy

A reminder to all families of our school’s implementation and commitment to the Mobile Phones and Wearable Device Policy.

This policy is a Ministerial policy formally issued by the Minister for Education.

I am very pleased with the responsibility shown by our students who are regularly handing in their mobile phones each morning and these are being placed into locked boxes until the end of the school day.

We are currently monitoring students use of wearable devices as these can only be worn at school when in ‘school mode’ and not used by students for communication during the school day. Should your child communicate via their personal device, please refrain from responding and instead call the school office on 5221 3772, to ensure we are all complying with the ministerial order.

In addition, for families please see the link below to resources for schools, parents and students via the e-safety commissioners’ website. A highly valuable resource. https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents

School Swimming Program

The swimming program has commenced with our 3-6 students and once again the pool staff have reported exceptional behaviour and high levels of respect from our students.

Swimming is an incredibly important life skill and even for those who already swim confidently, our swimming program offers an extra opportunity for students to refine their skills in the pool with expert support.

Fyans Park welcomes Foodbank

I wish to inform families that we have recently established a wonderful partnership with Foodbank Victoria. We have registered our school and will be making available healthy food to support our students and community.

In Term 4, we will be launching a breakfast program one morning per week, with more details to follow shortly for families. We will also be establishing a student led pantry which will be located at the office. This will allow for students who need items for home, to access these with independence.

Starting this week, we formally launch our Lunch Program. The lunch program has been operational this year with the support of our Families and Friends Association and now we also have Foodbank on board to assist with food items.

The Lunch Program provides lunches to support students who may not have access to a sufficient or nutritious lunch. We know that many of our students have access to these items from home, however with the cost-of-living pressures, we know that times can be challenging for families. Students can access a selection of healthy, ready to eat lunch meals by coming to the office. Providing lunch items at school enables students to concentrate and participate effectively in the school day.

In addition, we have put together Home Food Packs. These packs support students who may not have enough food or access to healthy food at home and can be provided throughout the school term or holidays. From time to time, we will be sending these home with students and at any time, should families wish to access a home food pack, please contact the office on 5221 3772 and this will be sent home with your child or parents can drop into the office to collect.

We look forward to a very positive partnership with Foodbank Victoria.

Fundraising Feedback – Thank you

Thank you to the families who recently provided suggestions for the 2025 Christmas Fair and voted for where our funds should be spent. I’m pleased to announce that funds from this year’s Fair will go towards upgrading the tables and chairs in the 3/4 and 5/6 Departments, bringing them in line with the recent improvements made in the 1/2 Department. New furniture will allow teaching staff to use classroom spaces more flexibly and effectively, supporting improved learning outcomes and promoting a calm, orderly environment for students. Any remaining funds will be put towards upgrades to the drinking taps on the top surface and next to the 1/2 building.

Stay tuned for more information from the Christmas Fair team soon on Compass and in the newsletter and save the date – Friday 28th November!

Volunteer Induction – Complete ONLINE

A reminder to all families that we have a process for Volunteer Induction for all school activities, excursions and camps. Our induction process is valid for 12 months and is now available to complete online via our new FPPS Volunteers Portal:

https://sites.google.com/education.vic.gov.au/fpps-visitors-portal/home

Please use the link at your convenience and head to the OHS Induction for Volunteers tab where you can review all policies and complete induction.

We encourage all families who wish to volunteer in any capacity this year, to complete the online form and this information will be recorded at our front office. **Please note the Christmas Fair has a separate induction as this is a large-scale school event.

We continue to value the partnership in education with families and appreciate and value the ongoing support to ensure our students have every opportunity.

Congratulations Claire!

Our very own Claire in 34G represented Fyans Park last week at the Interschools Snowsports Championships. From all of us Claire – congratulations on your achievements at the event this year and in proudly representing Fyans Park.

Interschools Snowsport Championship

Last week I had the opportunity to represent Fyans Park Primary School at Victoria’s ‘Interschools Snowsport Championships’ at Mount Buller. I competed in two events - the Giant Slalom and Ski Cross. Giant Slalom is where you ski or snowboard down the hill, making sure to weave around the red and blue flags at all times. Ski Cross is a bumpy ski race on the left of Skyline (a run on Mount Buller), where you have to make sure you stay on the track. This can be a little challenging if you haven’t competed before, but luckily I've had some practice!

I was really proud with where I came in both of my events, as there were over 200 students participating in my year level! In the Giant Slalom event, I came 70th out of 180 students and in the Ski Cross event I came 66th out of 200 students. One of my favourite parts of the experience was getting to carry the Fyans Park Primary School sign at the Opening Ceremony, which happened on the first night. When I wasn’t competing in my events, I had the opportunity to practice my skills with students from other schools, which was really fun!

The Interschools Snowsport Championship happens every year in the month of August and is open to anyone who has skills in these sports already or for students who want to try something new! If you have any questions, I’d love to answer them for you, as it would be awesome if we had a bigger team representing Fyans Park next year at the 2026 championships!

Claire L, 3/4G

To finish, I wish to share a poem written and shared with me this week from our School Captain Ned in 56C. Ned has been further inspired by our 5/6 novel study of the text "Boy Overboard" written by celebrated author Morris Gleitzman, about a young refugee and his family's harrowing journey to Australia.

As the bombs rained down over Afghanistan

It was time to leave,

Our things, our memories, left behind

To become a refugee

Our safety is in sight

An Illegal school

We might be in trouble

To find a new home

On the double.

The hope of Soccer,

A starring light

To convince the government

Without a fight.

Smuggling a ball.

Begging for mercy

Struggling for family,

Sailing for Australia

Unprotected

The gallantness of a desert warrior,

The honesty of a baker.

Ned M, 56C

Have a great week everyone

Mrs Cameron

Kelly Club