Assistant Principals' Report

CURIOSITY

This year, we are introducing new Curiosity units from Prep to Year 6 through the use of a resource called Mappen. Mappen offers concept-based units which are designed to address the Victorian Curriculum 2.0 at each year level, with strong connections to the cross-curriculum priorities including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures, Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia, and Sustainability.

The following subjects will be taught through our Mappen units:

Science
Technologies (Design and Technologies)
The Humanities
Health and Physical Education
Critical and Creative Thinking
Ethical Capability
Intercultural Capability
Personal and Social Capabilities

The units are grouped under common concepts. This term, our students will be exploring the concepts of Community and Identity. Please see our sequence for the year below.

PRIMARY YEARS LEARNING EXPO

This year we have scheduled a Primary Years Learning Expo for the end of each term. This will be a common time where we will invite our College community to visit all our classrooms in Prep to Year 6 and see the learning that students have completed during the term. The learning showcased during our Expos may be learning from English, Maths, Curiosity and other subject areas. Our Term 1 Learning Expo will be on Friday 27th March from 2pm. All family members are welcome to attend.

2026 NAPLAN

NAPLAN testing will run from Wednesday 11th March until Friday 20th March. During the NAPLAN testing period, students will complete the following four online tests.

Writing (Year 3 writing will be a paper test)
Reading
Conventions of Language
Numeracy

Students in Year 5 will complete the Writing test on computers in the Secondary Years STEAM centre. Practise using these devices started in Term 4 last year and will continue this term to support students. All other online tests will be completed on students' iPads in their classrooms. See the iPad checklist below.

Students may be withdrawn from NAPLAN by their parents or guardians. This is a matter for consideration in consultation with your child’s classroom teacher. Please speak to them before Friday 27th February, if you have any concerns about your child’s participation.

Catch up tests will be provided for students who are absent on testing days. If you know your child will be away during the NAPLAN testing period, please email your child's classroom teacher with the dates they will be absent so that we can timetable catch-up tests.

More information about NAPLAN will be posted to Compass next week.

CLASSROOM HELPERS

We really appreciate the support each year that our classroom helpers provide to our teachers and students. When parents and carers are actively involved in their child’s schooling, it creates a strong partnership that benefits everyone.

If you would like to help in the classroom, you must:

Have attended a Primary Years Classroom Helper Course
Hold a valid Working with Children Check
Sign a Classroom Helper Confidentiality Agreement
Receive, read and understand the Child Safety Induction Pack – Volunteers.

We will be running an on-site Classroom Helpers course on Wednesday 18th March from 2:15 to 3:00 pm in the PY Learning Lab in the Primary Years main building. Please keep an eye out on Compass for more information about this in the coming weeks. We will run an evening Classroom Helpers course early in Term 2.

If you have previously completed our online Classroom Helpers Course you do not need to attend this session, however we strongly encourage you to come along. We will be focusing heavily on Literacy and how you can support our Little Learners Love Literacy program.

QUIET PLAY EQUIPMENT

We would like to add some quiet play equipment for our outside areas for students to engage in during recess and lunch times. We are looking for donations of wooden train sets, magnetic tiles, Duplo, small wooden blocks, marble runs or other construction or play kits in good working order. If you are able to assist us, please drop off any donations to the Primary Years office.

RIDING BIKES AND SCOOTERS TO THE COLLEGE

All students who ride a bike or scooter to the College must wear a helmet. Please see the guidelines below about choosing the right helmet for your child.

When choosing a bicycle helmet for you or your child, make sure:

it is not damaged
it fits firmly and comfortably on your head – the gap between your eyebrows and helmet should be no more than two fingers wide
the helmet doesn’t tilt too far forwards, backwards or sideways – the rim of the helmet should sit just above your eyebrows
the straps around your chin are firm, not slack, and the straps make a ‘v’ just under your ears
it has a label showing it meets any of the approved safety standards.

For children’s helmets, measure the size of your child’s head just above your child’s eyes and ears. Select a helmet to fit a head of that size.

SAFE PARKING AROUND SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL CROSSING SUPERVISOR SAFETY AWARENESS DAYSafety Awareness Day

Today, February 6th 2026, is the School Crossing Supervisor Safety Awareness Day. This day is to remind drivers to slow down around schools, recognise that the school crossing is a workplace for all school crossing supervisors, and is a day to honour the life of a crossing supervisor, Brian Beach, who sadly passed away at his crossing in February 2024 in Wodonga. All crossing staff will be wearing these ribbons. Please take some time to read about how we can keep our community and school crossing supervisors safe around the College.