Dear Kilberry Families,

It has been a wonderful week of learning, creativity, and community at Kilberry Primary School!

📚 Book Fair

We were so pleased to host our annual Book Fair this week. Students had the chance to explore a wide range of engaging books, with many excited to take home a new story or two! Events like these play a big role in encouraging a love of reading in our students. A big thank you to our families for your generous support through purchases — not only does it help build excitement around books, but it also supports literacy initiatives within our school.

👩‍🏫 Curriculum Day – Thursday 21st August

On Wednesday, our staff took part in a dedicated Curriculum Day, focusing on key areas to enhance teaching and learning at Kilberry. The day was led by our school leaders and explored:

The development of common assessment tasks
The use of fluency pairs to support student learning
Creating positive classroom environments that support student wellbeing and behaviour

Thank you to our staff for their enthusiasm and commitment to professional learning. Their ongoing dedication ensures we continue to provide the best possible education for every Kilberry student.

📖 Book Week Parade – Friday 22nd August

We finished the week with a fantastic celebration of Book Week! On Friday, our students and staff came dressed as their favourite book characters for our much-loved Book Parade. It was a joy to see so many creative costumes and smiling faces. A huge thank you to our families for helping with costumes and attending the event — your support helps make days like this so memorable for our children.

🛡️ Child Safety Training

All staff at Kilberry Primary School receive Child Safety professional learning twice a year, to ensure we continue to uphold our shared commitment to providing a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for every child.

I want to highlight the critical responsibilities all school staff and relevant professionals have in keeping children safe.

Under Victorian law, all registered teachers, school principals, early childhood educators, youth workers, out-of-school-hours care staff, medical professionals, nurses, police officers, and psychologists are mandatory reporters. This applies across all school settings — government, Catholic, and independent — and includes Department of Education and Training (DET) and non-DET staff.

Mandatory reporters are legally required to report any incident, disclosure, or reasonable suspicion of child abuse or harm, including physical, emotional, sexual abuse, or neglect. These responsibilities apply regardless of when or where the concern arises.

Mandatory reporting is not about making judgments or accusations. It is a vital safeguard that ensures concerns are passed on to the appropriate authorities who are trained to investigate and support families when needed. Our shared goal is to protect the rights, safety, and wellbeing of every child and, wherever possible, to work in respectful partnership with families.

Importantly, failure to report a known or suspected incident of abuse is a criminal offence under the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 (Vic).

Additionally, all adults in Victoria, regardless of their profession, have a legal obligation under the Crimes Act 1958 (Vic)to act if they know or suspect that a child is being sexually abused. This includes the Failure to Disclose and Failure to Protect offences, which apply beyond the scope of mandatory reporting.

Thank you for your commitment to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for every child.

Thank you once again for being such a supportive school community. We look forward to many more exciting events and learning opportunities as the term continues.

Warm regards,

Aisha Shariat

Specialist News