Principal's Report

Congratulations to all of our students who have been preparing for our Year 4 – 6 Athletics Carnival this week. We can’t wait to watch all of our talented athletes out on the track!

School Review

As many of you are aware, FNPS recently undertook its four-yearly School Strategic Review; a comprehensive process that examines all aspects of school performance, including teaching and learning, student wellbeing, and community engagement. The review provides an opportunity to celebrate the school’s achievements, identify areas for growth, and set goals and targets that will guide our work over the coming strategic period. We were delighted to receive extensive positive feedback on the school’s programs, culture, and achievements. We sincerely thank all community members, staff, and students who contributed through observations, focus groups, and discussions, sharing their insights and helping to shape the next phase of our school’s journey. Each year, the school will create an Annual Implementation Plan, using the goals and targets of the Strategic Plan to guide school improvement across the next four year period.

Some of the highlights identified by the review panel included:

• Analysis of the school's NAPLAN results and school-based assessments highlighted significant achievements and positive progress in student learning. Students performed at levels comparable to or above similar and network schools, and targeted intervention approaches were successfully supporting students to reach their potential. These strategies have contributed to meaningful growth and strengthened the school’s focus on high-quality teaching.

   

• The Panel noted the school’s strong commitment to personalised and differentiated learning and encouraged continuing to embed initiatives that build on this success. Enhancing teachers’ curriculum knowledge, pedagogy, and data literacy presents exciting opportunities to further enrich programs, ensuring every student is supported and challenged. Strengthening the maturity of Professional Learning Communities will continue to promote data-driven teaching practices and effective use of formative assessment to respond to student needs.

   

• Exploring structured ways to provide staff with constructive, specific, and actionable feedback offers a pathway to further enhance the school’s instructional practice, celebrating and extending the expertise already evident across the teaching team.

Book Week

Book Week is just around the corner, running from Friday 16th – Friday 23rd August, and we are excited to once again celebrate the joy and power of reading together as a school community. This year’s theme, “Book an Adventure,” invites us all to open the pages of a story and set off on new journeys of imagination, curiosity, and discovery. One of the highlights of the week will be our much-loved Book Week Parade, which will take place at 9:15am on Wednesday 20th August. We encourage students (and staff!) to get creative with their costumes; bringing favourite book characters to life in fun and imaginative ways. Book Week is a special opportunity not only to dress up and enjoy the festivities, but also to celebrate the role literature plays in fostering creativity, empathy, and a lifelong love of reading. We can’t wait to see our school transformed into a vibrant world of stories, characters, and conversations about books.

Science Week

Last week we celebrated Science Week, a highlight on the school calendar and a chance for our students to immerse themselves in hands-on, inquiry-driven learning. This year’s national theme, “Decoding the Universe – Exploring the unknown with nature’s hidden language,” invited students to discover the ways mathematics, patterns, and codes help us understand the world around us. Across the week, classrooms were alive with curiosity as students took part in a range of fun and engaging activities designed to spark wonder and deepen their connection with science. One of the standout experiences was our intriguing scavenger hunt, where students followed clues, solved puzzles, and uncovered hidden links between science and everyday life. It was a week filled with discovery, collaboration, and excitement; bringing science to life in memorable ways for our learners.

FNPS 2025 Production

Rehearsals for our 2025 school production “The Cupcake Mistake” are now well underway, and excitement is building across the school. This year’s production promises to be a truly special event as it takes us on a journey all the way back to 1875, the year FNPS first opened its doors. Together, we will travel through time, revisiting key moments in our school’s story and celebrating the people, places, and events that have shaped our community. With 2025 marking our 150th anniversary, this production will be both a celebration of history and a showcase of the incredible talent and creativity of our students. We can’t wait to share this milestone performance with our community later this year.

Curriculum Days

A reminder that Friday 29th August is scheduled Curriculum Days at FNPS. This day have been dedicated to the delivery of Professional Development delivered by Dr Ryan Dunn around the 2025 implementation of the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model. TheirCare will be offering supervision for students across these two days – please contact TheirCare directly to make a booking for your child/ren.

Parent / Carer Opinion Survey

This year, the Parent / Carer Opinion Survey will be open to all members of our school community, providing a valuable opportunity for everyone to share their perspectives. The survey gives us important insight into the pulse of our community and helps guide our ongoing growth. With the school build now complete and following the outstanding results we received from our students earlier this year when they completed the Attitudes to School Survey, we are very much looking forward to hearing from our parents and carers as they share their insights and experiences.

A link to the survey will be provided to families in the coming days via Compass.

Go gently,

Tania