From the Principal

Dear Karoo PS Community, 

Congratulations to all of our students and staff on a wonderful Term 2.  Throughout the term our students have embraced a wide range of learning opportunities with enthusiasm, tenacity and personal excellence.  Supported by our teachers and staff, our students have been able to take on challenges and expand their understandings, growing as learners.  This learning growth was on display at our recent Student Led Conferences.  

I hope that you are all feeling immense pride in your children and their ability to share their learning growth and celebrations!  It was truly heart warming and inspiring to see our students share their learning journeys with such confidence and pride.  Thank you to all our staff for scaffolding our students to achieve their success and support them through their challenges.  Thank you to all our families for supporting and celebrating our students in this special moment and for your ongoing support resulting in a positive and successful term!

Rainbow Day - Global Citizenship

What a colourful and meaningful day Thursday 18th June was at Karoo PS.  Our Student Representative Council (SRC) proudly led our Rainbow Day, demonstrating outstanding student agency, our SRC students organised and promoted the event to raise funds in support of our World Vision sponsor child, Jean. 

Students and staff came dressed in their designated rainbow colours, with each year level representing a different colour of the rainbow:

Year 6 – Red

Year 5 – Orange

Year 4 – Yellow

Year 3 – Green

Year 2 – Blue

Year 1 – Indigo

Foundation – Violet

Staff – White

The highlight of the day was seeing our entire school community come together on the turf to create a spectacular living rainbow!  It was a wonderful visual representation of teamwork, belonging, and our commitment to making a difference in the lives of others.

Thank you to all families for supporting the day with gold coin donations and helping our students demonstrate compassion, leadership, and global citizenship. We are incredibly proud of our SRC leaders and the positive impact they continue to make within our school community. 

Foundation Celebrations - Milo's Birthday Party!

Happy Birthday, Milo the Monkey! 

What a fantastic day of celebration as our Foundation students celebrated Milo the Monkey’s Birthday Party to mark an important milestone in their learning journey - mastering all the letter sounds of the alphabet! 

Students came dressed as their favourite characters, proudly participated in a colourful parade, joined their buddies for an exciting scavenger hunt, and enjoyed a range of fun games and activities throughout the day.

This special celebration highlights Karoo Primary School’s structured literacy approach, where students are explicitly taught letter sounds in a carefully sequenced way using Little Learners Love Literacy (LLLL) as a key resource. Through daily, evidence-based instruction, students develop strong phonemic awareness and phonics knowledge, building the foundations for successful reading, writing and spelling. Seeing our Foundation students confidently demonstrate their learning was a wonderful reflection of the progress they have made throughout the year. 

A huge thank you to our incredible Foundation teachers for creating such a memorable and engaging day for our students. Your dedication, creativity and commitment to high-quality teaching made this celebration truly unforgettable. 

We would also like to thank our families for their ongoing support and for helping make the day so special. Together, we are building strong foundations for lifelong learning. 

Visit from Shadow Minister for Education

A few weeks ago, Karoo Primary School was delighted to welcome the Victorian Shadow Minister for Education, Brad Rowswell and Liberal Candidate for Rowville, Max Williams to our school.

During their visit, I was able to proudly share what makes Karoo PS such an outstanding learning community and discuss key next steps for our school in our commitment to high-quality teaching and learning, strong student wellbeing programs and inclusive practices.

Our visitors had the opportunity to see firsthand the incredible learning taking place across the school and to hear about the many ways our students are empowered to grow through opportunities and support. Most importantly, our students were wonderful ambassadors for Karoo PS, demonstrating confidence, respect and pride in their school, while making our guests feel extremely welcome.

Thank you to Brad and Max for taking the time to visit and learn more about our vibrant school community. We look forward to continuing conversations about supporting great outcomes for all students.

Industrial Action Updates

The Australian Education Union (AEU) has given notice that AEU members will take industrial action commencing from Monday 13 July 2026. This will remain in effect until the AEU advises otherwise.  A number of staff at Karoo PS are members of the AEU and therefore will be involved in the Industrial Action.  This will impact the school in the following ways:

1. AEU members will only be attending one requested meeting per week. 
2. AEU members will not be replying to emails directly sent out from DET (this includes surveys). 
3. AEU members will not be implementing any new department programs and/or initiatives. 
4. AEU members will only be reporting on students' progression reports and will not be writing report comments for students.

As further information is shared, I will continue to update our school community, via our newsletter.

Safety in Our Community

The safety and wellbeing of our students and families remains a top priority at Karoo Primary School.

Thank you to all members of our school community for your ongoing support in using the front car parks safely and respectfully. We have seen a tremendous improvement in traffic flow, and as a result, our morning and afternoon drop-off procedures are now operating very smoothly.

For students who walk home, we encourage families to ensure their child has a clear and familiar route and understands what to do if they need assistance along the way. Taking the time to discuss safe travel practices can help students feel confident and prepared.

For those students who walk through Waterford Valley Golf Club, please note that the club recommends this area not be used after 5:30 pm. Should assistance be required, the Pro Shop is open until 5:30 pm each weekday, and community members are welcome to seek support from staff during operating hours.

Thank you for your partnership in helping us maintain a safe environment for all members of our school community.

Compass Calendar Update & Key Dates for Term 3 @ KPS

Our Compass Calendar is a valuable source of information for families. Through the calendar, you can view your child’s daily schedule, important events relevant to your child and year level, and key whole-school activities, including assemblies and the events outlined below.

We encourage all families to regularly check the Compass and the Compass Calendar, as it serves as a key communication tool and provides a live overview of what is happening each day/week at Karoo Primary School.

Please make a note of these dates in your calendar, as we warmly welcome our school community to join us at these events. We look forward to sharing these opportunities with you and to another fantastic term ahead at Karoo Primary School.

I wish everyone a safe, relaxing Term 2 holiday and I look forward to seeing everyone in Term 3!

Courtney Hoffmann

 Principal