Principal's Report

The Great Australian Road Trip

On Thursday night, we were treated to a wonderful evening of singing, dancing and much more as our Year 1 and 2 students took to the stage for ‘The Great Australian Road Trip’. 

There was lots of excitement throughout the day, with the students heading off to Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School for their rehearsals in the morning, in preparation for the big night. All of their practice paid off as the students performed with energy, style and flair. The Year 1 and Year 2 concerts were both captivating, heart-warming and fun – the audience’s reaction said it all!

Congratulations to all of our students who were brave and confident under the bright lights. Thank you to the staff who supported the rehearsals and who assisted on the night of the shows. A special mention to Keri, our Performing Arts teacher for the junior years, for putting together such a memorable event. 

Book Day Parade

Our Book Day celebration took place on Thursday 22nd August where a vibrant sea of colour and creativity was on display. Many of our students revelled in the opportunity to transform into weird and wonderful characters from the glorious world of books. Every year level, from Foundation to Year 6, embraced the opportunity to dress up and get into the spirit of this whole-school event as we welcomed characters including Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, Mr Bump, and the Gangster Granny. As always, the FPS teachers joined in the fun and proudly paraded their outfits.

After the parade, students worked in multi-age groups on a range of book-related activities, as well as reading the books from the Children’s Book Of The Year Awards. The theme of this year’s Book Week was ‘Reading is Magic’; we think that our Book Day was magic!

Thank you to teachers Kelly McKeown and Cathy Turner for coordinating the event. A special mention to the Year 6 students, Mabel F, Billy, Charlie and Ramona for the fabulous job that they did as MCs. 

Father’s Day & Special Person's Breakfast

Another notable event over the last fortnight was our Father’s Day and Special Person's Breakfast. The sun was shining as we welcomed these special people on Friday morning to enjoy a bacon and egg sandwich and a coffee. This was once again a well-attended event which gave the grown-ups the opportunity to spend time with each other and the children before school started.

Every year we hold a number of community events, and every year we are grateful for the high levels of volunteerism which allows these events to happen. It seems as though life gets busier and busier, yet parents still find and make the time to help with these FPS events. You are amazing!

A special breakfast thanks to Jennifer Clarke for her event coordination and all those that staffed the BBQs, set up, packed up, and sold rolls; Erin Giles, Carolina Osorio, Milly Kempen, Jess Geldart, Sarah Dobson, Georgina Barraclough, Fiona Downing, Carol Vance, Nicole van Dijk, Ayaka Iwasaki, Kathy Sandiford, Rachael Hough, Caroline Barlow, Phuong Phan, Kelly Haywood, Patricia Stanton, and Mitali Bravo.

ART FOR ALL – The Clock is Ticking!

Three days until Opening Night

Four days until Gala Night

Five days until pARTy Day

Our ART FOR ALL committee have been tirelessly planning for this three-day extravaganza. All of the details have been communicated in the expertly written ART FOR ALL newsletters. The latest edition is here. Have a read of what’s on, how to purchase tickets, and how to volunteer – we need you!

Looking forward to seeing you at the big event!

Art Studio Flood

You might be aware that the art studio was flooded a couple of Mondays ago. I didn’t include this in the previous newsletter as we didn’t want Marjie to find out while she was enjoying her well-deserved long service leave.

The flood was caused by the hot water system bursting, causing a significant level of water to flow from the system. At 8am there were a number of staff grabbing mops and brooms to divert the water away. At 9am there were a number of parents assisting in the removal of art and furniture to minimise the damage. Thank you to everyone who assisted – it would have been much worse without your help.

As a result of the damage, art classes took place in classrooms for a week and half. The room has now dried out, furniture has been returned, and the art studio is back in play! 

Nicole Rettke on Leave

Our Assistant Principal, Nicole Rettke, will be on leave for the last three weeks of the term, During Nicole’s absence, our wellbeing leaders will be available to support students and families with any student welfare issues that may arise:

• Foundation – Year 2 Wellbeing Leader: Grace Clark 
• Year 3 – 4 Wellbeing Leader: Cathy Turner
• Year 5 – 6 Wellbeing Leader: Prue Middleton

Friday – Welcome to Country & Assembly

This Friday at 9am we have our rescheduled mid-term assembly. We will open the proceedings with the Djirri Djirri Wurundjeri Women's Dance Group and an Welcome to Country.

SunSmart Hats Required

Students are required to wear SunSmart hats from the start of September, to comply with our SunSmart Policy. 

See you around the school.

~ Paul Wallace, Principal