Principal's Report
Dear Whitehorse Primary School families,
Welcome to the start of the 2026 school year and to our first newsletter. It has been a joy over the past few weeks to walk around our grounds and classes and see the enthusiasm, readiness for learning and respect shown by our students. Whether you are returning to Whitehorse or joining our community for the first time, I warmly welcome you to a year of learning, connection and growth.
At Whitehorse Primary School, we remain deeply committed to providing a safe, inclusive and engaging learning environment where every child is known, supported and challenged to do their best. Our shared partnership between school and home is essential to this, and I thank you in advance for your ongoing support.
As we begin the year, I would like to highlight a few important reminders that align with Department of Education policies and help us ensure consistency, safety and wellbeing for all students.
Attendance and punctuality
Regular attendance is a strong predictor of student success. The Department of Education requires schools to monitor attendance closely, and we ask families to ensure students arrive on time each day and attend school consistently. If your child is unwell or unable to attend, please notify the school as early as possible via Compass. Teachers or admin staff will also make contact with families where there are extended or frequent absences to ensure the right supports are in place for every child.
Supervision before and after school
Student safety is a shared responsibility. In line with Department of Education supervision requirements, staff provide yard supervision from 8:45am each morning and until 3:45pm each afternoon. Students should not arrive at school before 8:45am unless they are enrolled in the Outside Hours School Care program (Camp Australia).
Similarly, students should be collected promptly at the end of the school day. If you require care outside of supervised hours, please ensure your child is registered with our Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) provider.
We appreciate families supporting us by reinforcing with children that they must remain within supervised areas and follow staff directions at all times while on school grounds.
Student wellbeing and behaviour
Whitehorse Primary School follows the Department’s Student Wellbeing and Engagement policies, which focus on positive behaviour, respectful relationships and restorative practices. We work closely with students to support them to make safe and responsible choices, and we appreciate families reinforcing these expectations at home.
Families can view our policies here:
https://www.whitehorseps.vic.edu.au/page/346/Policies
Health, safety and medical information
To meet DET health and safety requirements, it is essential that the school has up-to-date medical and emergency contact information for every student. Please ensure asthma, anaphylaxis and other medical action plans are current and provided to the school. This allows us to keep all students safe and well throughout the day. Michelle from our office team will be contacting families where information may be missing or out of date to ensure we have the most current information for each student.
Communication and respectful engagement
The Department of Education places strong emphasis on respectful and constructive communication between schools and families. We value open dialogue and encourage families to raise questions or concerns through appropriate channels so we can work together in the best interests of our students.
To support this we also follow the expectations below:
· Please allow 48-72 hours for an email response to be provided.
· Urgent messages should be directed to the office OR leadership (Andrew, Megan).
· During the day, teachers are teaching, there is limited availability to respond to emails
between 8:45am – 4.00pm.
· We encourage face to face communication to resolve complex matters.
· Responses will not be provided over the weekend.
· Please be respectful and polite in communication with staff.
· Absences are still to be communicated to the office and teacher(s).
· The nature of flexible working hours means that you may be sending an email at a time of convenience for you, please note, our staff will reply at a time that is convenient and available for them.
· Communication about a particular issue may be reflected upon by the whole area team and leadership to discuss an appropriate action/response.
Kiss and Go Parking
The Kiss and Go parking zone is for short term use only. Parents and carers are not to leave their vehicle unattended at any time or they can incur a fine. Leaving a vehicle unattended also leads to the Kiss and Go parking zone becoming congested, reducing its effectiveness and negatively impacting other families trying to drop their children off at school. Please, do not leave your car unattended and please keep to the time limit.
At this busy time of the year, please be mindful of students and other drivers when parking around the school. The safety of our students is the responsibility of all of us. The school car park is for staff only. Please do not use the staff car park for pickups and drops offs at any time and please do not walk your children through the car park.
Working With Children Check (WWC)
All parents and carers wishing to visit or volunteer at the school need to hold a valid Working With Children Check (WWC). This can be done online at https://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au. Once you have received your card please present it to the office so that they may record the details.
Accident Insurance: Personal Goods brought to school at the ‘Owners’ risk
The Department of Education and Training (DET) does not provide personal accident insurance for students. Parents are generally responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including any transport costs. The Department of Education states that reasonable low-cost accident insurance policies are available from the commercial insurance sector. Similarly, DET (which includes the school) does not offer replacement of personal items which are brought to school and are lost, broken or stolen. Sentimental or expensive belongings and toys, including sports equipment and electronic devices, are normally best left at home. Where students have a BYOD (iPad) it is recommended that parents have the device insured.
As the year unfolds, we look forward to sharing learning highlights, celebrating student achievements and continuing to strengthen the strong sense of community that makes Whitehorse Primary School such a special place.
Thank you for entrusting us with your children’s learning. We are excited for the year ahead and look forward to working in partnership with you throughout 2026.
Warm regards,
Andrew Den Elzen
Principal