Hello parents and carers,

Welcome to the last weeks of summer 2025/26 here at Newport Lakes PS. With the occasional very hot day popping up in Term 1, I am reminded of my own time at school, particularly in Year 10 in the mid-1990s when I had most of my English classes in an old 1960s portable that was full of windows but had no air conditioning, just a squeaky old fan! How lucky we are now that all our rooms are air conditioned, have fans, and window coverings. Did you know that each school is responsible for maintaining their split systems and organising window coverings as part of the physical grounds and maintenance budget? I often wonder what my high school spent the money on instead!

With temperatures staying regulated (indoors at least!) and routines, agreements, and expectations all made clear as part of our Start Up Program, the beginning of 2026 has been a truly impressive one here at NLPS. A big WELL DONE to families and staff for supporting our students to click into school so quickly. A special congratulations to our new Foundation students (and their parents!) for being extra brave and resilient as they started their full-time school routine last week. It’s been a genuine pleasure to visit them each day, see their beaming faces, and hear about what they’ve been doing in class and in the yard.

The Lakes Code

Both Mat and Sam referred to the importance of strong routines in their newsletter pieces last time, and I’d like to double down on that sentiment. In the short time we’ve been back and introduced our new ‘Lakes Code’ to the students as part of our First 13 Days program, it’s been clear that expected behaviours are clearer and there is less confusion among students about what is required of them. As a result, students are making safer decisions in the yard, we are seeing fewer incidents, and we are saving time when transitioning back into the classroom or into specialist sessions.

Although some expectations may seem a little regimented to some students or families, it is important to remember that we have close to 600 students and staff moving around our relatively small space. Decisions therefore need to be based on reducing risk to a manageable level for that number of people, as well as maximising learning time. We often frame expectations as the difference between home behaviour and school behaviour. We are currently refining the final points of the Code and will share the visuals with families soon, so our entire school community is aware of expectations. Thank you for your support.

2026 Annual Implementation Plan (AIP)

Semester 1 of 2026 will be the final phase of our current School Strategic Plan (SSP), and therefore this year’s AIP is largely about consolidating existing good practice, particularly in embedding the updated Victorian Model of Teaching and Learning and ensuring inclusion. This year’s AIP visual is below. Note that the three selected Key Implementation Strategies are listed, along with their related activities, under the theme, ‘Harvesting Impact’.

If you would like to have input into the next SSP, Mat and I will be meeting with community members next week (see details below). We will also be speaking with staff and students over the coming weeks to gather their opinions as well.

Upcoming Community Events – Week 5

All families are invited to our Open Afternoon on Thursday 26th February, 3:15–3:45pm. This is an opportunity to view your child’s new learning space, see some work they are particularly proud of, and connect with other parents.

During the Open Afternoon, and as part of our School Review (held every four years), Mat and I will be available in the Library from 3:15–4:00pm on Thursday 26th February to hear from families about the highlights of the past four years and the direction you would like NLPS to take over the next four years. We warmly encourage you to drop by and share your thoughts.

We will also be holding our annual Foundation and New Families Picnic on the same day, following the Open Afternoon. This is a BYO picnic, and our wonderful Parents' Club will also be running a Bake Sale and Second-Hand Uniform Stall, to help welcome new families to our community.

Important Policy Reminders

Mobile Phones & Devices (Including Smart Watches)

A friendly reminder that, in accordance with the Education Department’s Mobile Phones – Use by Students Policy, personal mobile phones are not permitted to be used at NLPS during school hours, unless an exception has been granted—usually for medical reasons. For the purpose of this policy (available on our website), a mobile phone includes any device that can access a cellular network, with or without a physical connection. This means tablets and smart watches with mobile connectivity are also covered.

We understand that many parents provide their child with a phone for safety when travelling to and from school. In these cases, students must switch off their phones, or disable smart watch connectivity, while at school (including school grounds) and store them safely for the entire school day. Students should not turn their devices on until they have left the school grounds. At this stage, we are hoping to avoid moving to a system where phones and devices are collected and stored by the school, as occurs in many other settings.

Please note that mobile phones, tablets, and smart watches brought to school are considered valuable items and are brought at the owner’s risk. Students are encouraged not to bring these devices unless they have a compelling reason. NLPS does not hold accident insurance for loss, damage, or theft, and any item brought to school remains the responsibility of the owner.

If you need to communicate with your child during school hours, please use the official channels, in line with DET policy. Contact the school office by phone or email, and staff will ensure your message is passed on. Thank you for your cooperation on this matter.

Annual privacy reminder for our school community

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ privacy policy and the Schools’ privacy collection notice.

Our Photographing, Filming, and Recording Students policy (found here), describes how we collect and use photographs, video, and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn.

We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use Google Workspace for Education safely at the school, and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using Google Workspace for Education, please contact the school.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ privacy policy: information for parents. This information is also available in eleven community languages:

Amharic
Arabic
Chinese
Dari
Gujarati
Mandarin
Somali
Sudanese
Turkish
Urdu
Vietnamese

Curriculum Day – Friday 27th February

A reminder that there will be no school for students on Friday 27th February, as staff will be working with Mark Corrie from Strength Based Approach.

Our OSHC provider, TeamKids, will be offering care on this day. Please contact TeamKids directly to arrange your booking.

Enjoy the last weeks of summer - may your air conditioning remain in good working order!

Carly Bannon

NLPS Principal

Resilience Survey Project 2026

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

Student resilience, mental health, and wellbeing are key factors to ensure a happy and fulfilling future for our young people.

This year we have again chosen to partner with Resilient Youth Australia who have surveyed more than 900,000 Australian school students from grade three and up and over 3,500 schools since 2013.

We will administer the survey again online and in class time in the coming weeks.

Students typically take 20-30 minutes to complete the survey.

This survey is completely voluntary and anonymous, and no individual student can be identified.

The survey collects the self-reported resilience, mental health, and wellbeing of students and will provide us with valuable information to support key strengths and address challenges for NLPS.

The data from the survey is reported in aggregate descriptive form only, by year level and gender.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s participation in this survey project, please contact Samantha Meddis, our Mental Health and Wellbeing leader.

We thank you for your support.

Carly Bannon

NLPS Principal

Out of School Hours Care Update

TeamKids Newsletter Week 3-10