Principal's Address

WEEK 10 | TERM 2

Dear Deanside Families,

As we come to the end of another busy and successful term, I would like to take a moment to thank our entire Deanside Primary School community. Our students have continued to demonstrate our school values of Respect, Responsibility, Excellence and Care in their classrooms, on the playground and within the wider community. I am incredibly proud of the way our students have embraced every opportunity to learn, challenge themselves and support one another. I'd also like to sincerely thank our dedicated staff, supportive families and wonderful volunteers who continue to work together to make Deanside Primary School such a positive place to learn and grow. I hope everyone enjoys a well-deserved, safe and relaxing holiday break and returns refreshed for an exciting Semester Two.

Open Morning

It was wonderful to welcome so many parents, carers and grandparents into our classrooms this week to celebrate and recognise the learning of our students. It was equally pleasing to receive such positive feedback about the calm learning environments across the school and the way our students confidently engaged in their learning. One of the greatest joys of being Principal is visiting classrooms and seeing the incredible learning taking place. Across the school, students have continued to develop their knowledge, curiosity and confidence through engaging learning experiences that encourage critical thinking, collaboration and creativity. Whether students have been exploring new concepts in Mathematics, developing their writing skills, conducting investigations in STEM or expressing themselves through the Arts, it has been wonderful to see our learners challenge themselves and celebrate their progress. Thank you to our teaching staff for creating engaging learning environments where every child is encouraged to achieve their personal best.

Student Voice

Over the past few weeks I have had the pleasure of reading a number of thoughtful letters from students sharing ideas about how we can continue to improve our school. I have been incredibly impressed by the quality of the writing and, more importantly, the care students have shown. There were some fantastic suggestions, including introducing Value Cards to recognise students demonstrating our school values, creating additional sporting opportunities, expanding Breakfast Club and improving recycling and waste management around the school. Student voice is incredibly important at Deanside Primary School because some of our very best ideas come directly from our students. I look forward to working with our Student Leaders next semester to continue turning great ideas into reality.

Growing Our School

As many families know, Deanside Primary School continues to experience significant growth, and planning is already well underway to ensure we are prepared for another increase in student enrolments next year. Before the end of the year, additional portable learning facilities will be installed to accommodate our continued growth and provide the learning spaces required to support every student.

Behind the scenes, a significant amount of planning and collaboration takes place with the Department of Education to ensure this growth is carefully managed while minimising disruption to teaching, learning and the day-to-day operation of the school. As these projects progress, I will continue to keep our school community informed of upcoming works and the exciting developments that will support the future growth of Deanside Primary School.

Reminder: New Student Collection Process – Commencing Term 3

As communicated via Compass earlier this week, our new student collection process will commence from the first day of Term 3. To further strengthen our Child Safe practices and ensure every student is released only to an authorised adult, all adults collecting a student from the school office will be required to present valid photo identification before a child can be released.

Thank you to the many families who have already reviewed and updated their emergency contact details in preparation for this new process. I also want to recognise and thank those parents who have already embraced the new process and producing ID at collection. 

If your family's circumstances change at any stage, please contact the school office so we can ensure your emergency contacts remain accurate and up to date. Maintaining current information is an important part of our Child Safe responsibilities and helps us ensure every student is safely released to the appropriate authorised adult.

Road Safety

As mentioned in our last newsletter, Melton City Council Authorised Officers and Victoria Police have increased their presence around the school to support the safety of our students during drop-off and pick-up times. Since then, a number of patrols have taken place. In some instances, officers have focused on educating drivers about safe practices, while in others, fines and infringements have been issued where serious breaches of the road rules have been identified.

Police have advised that they were particularly concerned by the number of children travelling without correctly fitted seatbelts, drivers using mobile phones while behind the wheel, and unsafe driving manoeuvres that placed students, families and other road users at risk. These behaviours significantly increase the risk of serious injury and are entirely preventable. Council officers and Victoria Police will continue to have an increased presence throughout Term 3, and I ask all members of our community to play their part by driving safely, following road rules and modelling safe behaviours for our children. Working together, we can ensure every student arrives at school and returns home safely each day.

Recruitment news

I am pleased to announce that Rhowena O’Sullivan and Victoria Kornja will be joining our Education Support team from the beginning of Term 3.  We warmly welcome Rhowena and Victoria to our school community and look forward to the positive contribution they will make in supporting our students and staff.

I am delighted to announce that Spira Antonopoulos and Stacey Bellin will be joining Deanside Primary School as our newest Assistant Principals from the beginning of Term 3.

As our school continues to grow, so too must our leadership team to ensure we continue providing the highest quality education and support for every student. The appointment of two additional Assistant Principals reflects our increasing enrolments and our commitment to building a strong leadership structure that meets the needs of our expanding school community.

We are thrilled to welcome both Spira and Stacey to Deanside Primary School. They each bring a wealth of experience, outstanding leadership skills and a genuine passion for improving student outcomes. I know they will make a significant contribution to strengthening our school, supporting our staff and continuing to build upon the positive culture and high expectations that make Deanside Primary School such a special place to learn. I am excited for our students, staff and families to meet them and join me in extending a very warm Deanside welcome.

I am also delighted to congratulate Alex Kelly on her appointment as Learning Specialist at Deanside Primary School. Since joining our school, Alex has consistently demonstrated exceptional classroom practice, a commitment to continuous improvement and a genuine passion for supporting both students and colleagues. Her appointment recognises the significant contribution she has already made to our school and reflects her dedication to improving teaching and learning.  In her new role, Alex will work alongside our leadership team to strengthen teaching practice across the school, support the professional growth of our teachers and continue driving improved learning outcomes for every student. I have no doubt that Alex will continue to make a significant impact as we build an even stronger culture of excellence in teaching and learning. Congratulations, Alex, on this well-deserved appointment.

As a result of this appointment, we are continuing our recruitment process for our 4A Classroom Teacher. We are committed to finding the very best teacher to join our team and ensure our students continue to receive high-quality learning experiences. We appreciate the patience and understanding of our Grade 4A families throughout this process and will keep the community updated once an appointment has been finalised.

Looking Ahead

Semester Two promises to be another exciting period for our students and families. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for another term of learning, sporting opportunities, student leadership activities, excursions and whole-school events. Our staff have already been planning engaging learning programs that will continue to challenge and support every student. We also look forward to continuing our strong partnership with families as we work together to ensure every child feels safe, connected and successful at school. Thank you once again for your ongoing support—we can't wait to see everyone back next term for another exciting semester of learning, growth and success at Deanside Primary School.

2027 Prep Enrolments

Prep enrolments for 2027 are now open, and we are already experiencing strong interest from prospective families.

If you have family, friends or neighbours looking for a local school, we encourage them to contact the office to arrange a tour and discover everything Deanside Primary School has to offer.  School tours will be conducted throughout Terms 3 for interested families. Bookings are essential and can be made via the school office on 8080 5444.

Our school values remain central to everything we do. We encourage all members of our community to continue demonstrating Respect, Responsibility, Excellence and Care in all interactions and learning experiences.

Finally, I would like to thank every member of our school community for another wonderful term. Together we have celebrated many achievements, supported one another through challenges and continued building the positive culture that makes Deanside Primary School such a special place. I hope everyone enjoys a safe, restful and enjoyable holiday break, and I look forward to welcoming all students and families back for another exciting term of learning in Semester Two.

Kind regards,

Stuart Telford

Principal