Principal's Report

NAPLAN Results

The National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) results were released recently.

The 2025 Year 3 and 5 NAPLAN results for Spring Gully Primary School are set out below. 

The first two tables below set out the % of students who achieved ‘Exceeding’ or ‘Strong’ results in the NAPLAN proficiency levels. To enable our results to be effectively compared, I have them alongside the Similar School % for 2025 and the Bendigo Network % for 2025.

The final table sets out the % of students who achieved ‘Exceeding’ or ‘Strong’ growth in the NAPLAN proficiency levels between Grade 3 (2023) and Grade 5 (2025). To enable our results to be effectively compared, I have again placed them alongside the Similar School % for 2025 and the Bendigo Network % for 2025.

YEAR 3 STUDENTS - % EXCEEDING OR STRONG

YEAR 5 STUDENTS - % EXCEEDING OR STRONG

RELATIVE GROWTH - YEAR 5 % EXCEEDING OR STRONG

Cyber Safety at Our School – Special Event on December 1

As a school, we are deeply concerned about the way many of our students are using technology, particularly social media platforms. The consequences of making poor choices online can be significant and far-reaching.

To support our students and families in navigating the online world safely, we are excited to announce that Susan McLean, one of Australia’s leading experts in cyber safety, will be working with our school community on Friday, December 1.

On this day:

• Grades 3–6 Workshops: Students will participate in engaging sessions focused on respectful online behaviour, understanding cyberbullying, and making safe, informed choices.
• Parent Workshop (Evening): Susan will provide practical advice on how to support children in managing their digital lives, staying safe online, and keeping communication open at home.

Further details, including the venue and session times, will be shared with families later this year.

We strongly encourage all parents and carers to attend this important session. We understand that parenting in a digital age can be challenging—no one has all the answers. But by working together—parents, teachers, and students—we can help our children develop healthy online habits, stay safe, and thrive in a supportive learning environment.

Parking Concerns at the Back of the School

I would like to raise an important safety concern regarding school pickup at the back of the school. Recently, we have observed some parents parking in No Standing zones, particularly on the crest of the hill, as well as performing U-turns across solid lines in this same area.

These actions significantly increase the risk of accidents for students, parents, and other road users. The crest of the hill is a blind spot, making it difficult for drivers and pedestrians to see oncoming traffic. U-turns over solid lines are not only illegal but also extremely dangerous in this location.

The safety of our students is everyone’s responsibility. Thank you for doing your part to ensure a safe and smooth school pickup for all.

Parent, Caregiver and Guardian Opinion Survey

On Monday, 18 August, approximately 130 randomly selected families received an invitation to participate in our Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey.

A big thank you to those who have already completed the survey! For those who haven’t had the chance yet, there’s still time—the survey will close at the end of Term 3, on Friday, 19 September.

Your feedback is incredibly important to us as it helps shape the future direction of our school. The survey takes only 10 minutes to complete, and we’d love to hear from as many families as possible.

Father's and Special Friends' Day Breakfast & Gift

A Compass alert has been released regarding our upcoming Fathers’ and Special Friends’ Day Breakfast, which will be held tomorrow - Friday 29th August. The alert also include details about a special gift that students have been working on in Art.

Please note, our breakfast is being held a week earlier than usual to ensure all of our Prep students can attend, as they will be on excursion the following week.

Father’s Day gifts will be sent home during the week leading up to the official Father’s Day date.

Thank You for a Wonderful Book Week!

A huge thank you to all our students, teachers, and families for helping make Book Week such a fantastic success!

Our students (and staff!) looked amazing, dressing up as their favourite book characters with so much creativity and enthusiasm. The parade was a highlight, and it was wonderful to see our school community come together to celebrate the joy of reading.

Thanks to all of our staff, students and families for making this such a fun event.

Early School Finish End of Term

Term 3 concludes on Friday 19th September. Students will be dismissed at 2.15pm. An assembly is scheduled for 2.00pm and students will be dismissed from there. Term 4 commences on Monday, 6th October.