Planning Ahead for 2026

As we begin to turn our attention towards 2026, we are starting the early stages of planning for our teaching team, education support staff, and classroom structures. While it may seem far away, thoughtful preparation now ensures we are well-positioned to meet the needs of all our students and families in the years ahead.

We know that families move for a variety of reasons - whether due to work, lifestyle changes, or schooling choices. If your family is considering a move or change of school before 2026, we would greatly appreciate a conversation. Even an early indication, though not final, will help us in our planning and ensure a smooth transition for your child if needed.

Please don’t hesitate to send me an email or give me a call. I’d welcome the opportunity to speak with you and better understand your family’s plans.

Large Number of Absences

We have had an increased number of student absences this week due to illness. This serves as a timely reminder for us all to maintain strong hygiene practices at school. The use of air purifiers in classrooms and the regular use of hand sanitiser continue to support the health of our students and staff. We are grateful to families who are helping minimise the risk to others by keeping children at home when they are unwell.

Student Leadership Stands Strong

(Friday 1 August)

Last week we proudly recognised our Semester 2 student leaders with the presentation of badges to our new Sustainability Agents and Junior School Councillors. We were honoured to have the Member for Jagajaga, Kate Thwaites, join us for the occasion, highlighting the significance of this important milestone in our students’ leadership journeys. It was wonderful to see our students step enthusiastically into their new roles, ready to contribute positively to our school community.

A special thank you to FORPS for providing catering on the day and for hosting parents, helping to make the event such a warm and welcoming celebration.

Introducing Rubbish Free Lunches (Starting Monday 11 August)

We are excited to launch Rubbish Free Lunches as part of our school’s commitment to supporting the environment, reducing litter in our classrooms, and promoting sustainable habits. An effective way to cut down on waste is by reducing the amount of packaging in lunchboxes.

Our new Sustainability Team has set a fantastic challenge for all students - to make Term 3 a Rubbish Free term! We encourage families to support this initiative by packing lunches in reusable containers and avoiding single-use plastics.

Make sure to check the post on Compass for helpful tips and ideas on how to pack a rubbish free lunch. Let’s work together to make a positive impact on our planet!

5/6 Students Join Hoop Time

(Monday 11 August)

A group of students from the 5/6 Learning Area will participate in a round-robin basketball carnival. While we hope they will do well we are even more eager to see them sharpen their skills and demonstrate the school values as they take other schools in the district. We wish them well.

URStrong Visit the 3/4 Learning Area

(Tuesday 12 August)

We are thrilled to have URStrong lead students in Year 3 and Year 4 through fun role-play exploring the theme of friendships. Students will be introduced to a range of understandings and strategies that will support relationship building with friends. These include;

the 4 Friendship Facts
the WWW strategy to support a strategic approach to friendships
the Friend-o-Meter, they reflect on healthy (Green-Zone) and unhealthy (Red-Zone) friendships.
learning to negotiate difficulties and differentiate between Friendship Fires & Mean-on-Purpose moments
students practising putting out Friendship Fires
considering how friendships change by looking at the Friend-o-Cycle,
exploring when and how to use a Quick Comeback.

This will experience will continue to resource students in understanding friendships and relationships.

Book Fair Open

(Open until Tuesday 12 August)

There has been great excitement with the Annual Book Fair. All are invited to drop in after school to make a purchase or two. You will find the Fair located in the Prep end of the Lower Building. The Book Fair will be open from 3:30pm to 4:00pm until Tuesday 12 August. Card payments preferred. All profits will be used to purchase to enhance the library collection.

Book Character Parade

(Tuesday 12 August at 2:30pm)

While we had hoped to have our annual Book Character Parade on Monday afternoon, we have shifted it to Tuesday afternoon to avoid a clash with the recently announced Hoop Time on Monday.

We’re excited to invite all students to take part in our upcoming Book Parade, celebrating the wonderful world of book characters and the richness of literature! Students are invited to come dressed as their favourite character and reminded not to forget to bring the book they appear in. Parents are invited to watch the parade (weather permitting) on Tuesday afternoon at 2:40pm. We can’t wait to see the creativity and love of reading on display!

Sum It All Up Excursion

(Wednesday 13 August)

A group of high achieving maths students in the 5/6 Learning Area have been selected to attend a unique maths extension program offered by Quantum, the centre for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Students will apply their knowledge of chance, measurement, geometry and numerical computation to work their way through a series of mathematical puzzles and games. These will challenge their reasoning, problem solving and logical thinking.

School Council Update

(Monday 4 August)

Monday saw the initial School Council for the term. Here’s a little of what was discussed.

The Principal’s Report noted changes to the staffing profile as the school moved into Semester two. We welcomed back Hayley Murray from family leave and Jamie Rodgers who was appointed in an Education Support role. The report noted the success of the recent Three Way Conferences and noted the recent Professional Learning of our Prep Teaching team. It noted conversations with Banyule Council concerning planned changes to traffic management along Davies Street as part of the Bike Facilities Program.

Camp planning continued to be focus. A range of risk assessments related to the upcoming 5/6 Alexandra Camp were received ensure the safety of all students. Planning documentation related to the Year 1 Dinner and Year 2 Snooze detailing staffing, risk assessments and budgets were also received.

The Council noted the work of the Out of Hours School Care Review. It noted the publication of the Expression of Interest for a provider over the coming two years. Tenders were invited to visit the school and/or submit EOIs prior to the next School Council meeting. It noted a survey to parents will be shortly distributed to parents regarding services provided.

The Education Sub Committee presented two policies that they reviewed that will be circulated to parents in the upcoming newsletter.

The School Council received the Annual Implementation Plan Mid Year Monitoring Review. Discussion focussed on the targets set at the start of the year. While teacher judgement data has not met the targets as yet, it noted an increase in the percentage of students who are achieving strong and exceeding relative growth from Year 3 to Year 5 in NAPLAN in Reading, Numeracy and Writing. It also noted that the number of students at the proficiency 'Needs Additional Support’ was not achieved in Year 3 Numeracy but achieved in Year 3 and Year 5 Reading and Year 5 Numeracy.

The meeting discussed recent NAPLAN data. It noted the strong relative growth of student performance between Year 3 and Year 5. In Reading, Writing, Numeracy, Spelling as well as Punctuation and Grammar student growth were higher than school similar to Rosanna Primary School.

Data received from the Attitudes to School Survey were shared and compared with 2024. It noted that that some items had increased such as ‘high expectations for success’ and ‘Learning Confidence’ and a range of ‘student safety’ indicators such as ‘respecting diversity’ and ‘managing bullying’. It also discussed drops in the area of ‘Motivation and Interest’, ‘Stimulated Learning’ and ‘Effort’. Teachers and students are currently exploring the data and developing actions within classrooms that respond to the information.

The Finance Sub Committee present a range of reports focussed its responsibilities.

FORPS reported on the recent Disco and plans for the Bunning BBQ scheduled for Sunday 17 August. Plans continue to take place for the upcoming Fathers’ and Special Others’ Day.

The Grants and Promotions Sub Committee celebrated the announcement from the North East Community Link that resulted in $75 000 to develop a creative play space on the oval and $1900 to develop a mural celebrating 85 years of life and learning at Rosanna Primary School during the School Fair.

The Facilities Sub Committee discussed the ongoing works around the school. The painting of the canteen, Chandler Hall and the Music Room has made a significant improvement in that space. Further quotes for the re carpeting of the space have been sort. Works on the ramps continue and have been staggered to minimise disruption and ensure the safety of students. The Committee noted that it had made an application to the Victorian Schools Board Authority (VSBA) for a grant to renew the student toilets attached to the Chandler Hall. Plans are underway to redistribute the mulch on the oval.

Students & Learning

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