Acting Principal's Report

Hello DPW Community,

With the arrival of some beautiful warm weather this week, we would like to remind families to ensure that their child attends school dressed appropriately for the conditions.

On warmer days, students are encouraged to wear their school uniform t-shirt and shorts, or their school dress. We also ask that all students bring a named water bottle to school each day to help them stay hydrated.

We have noticed a number of students are continuing to wear jumpers during the warmer weather. As a result, we have had several students feel unwell due to the heat, including feeling overheated or suffering nosebleeds. We have also seen an increase in unnamed jumpers finding their way to our lost property collection.

As the weather continues to warm up, your support in ensuring that students are dressed comfortably for the conditions and that all clothing is clearly labelled with their name is greatly appreciated. This will help students remain safe, comfortable, and ready for learning throughout the day.

A few date reminders:

• Friday 23rd October (tomorrow) Curriculum Day (NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS)
• Tuesday 27th October Year 2 Dinner
• Tuesday 3rd November Melbourne Cup Public Holiday (no school)
• Wednesday 11th November DPW Remembrance Day Commemorative Service
• Tuesday 17th November Wellbeing incursion ‘The Protectors’ for all year levels

Sausage Sizzle

Our School Council has been hard at work organising fundraising opportunities for our school. We are incredibly grateful to Bunnings for generously donating a beautiful new BBQ, and we thought there was no better way to put it to use than with a whole-school sausage sizzle!

To participate, sausages must be pre-ordered and paid for by Friday 30 October. An order form containing all the details will be sent home today.

Pre-ordered sausages will be distributed to Foundation-Year 2 students before recess and to Years 3-6 students during lunch eating time.

SPARK Reading Program

We are extremely pleased to be participating in the SPARK Reading Program this year. This wonderful initiative brings volunteers from the corporate sector into schools to read regularly with students who would benefit from additional reading practice.

We are fortunate to have volunteers from Westpac mentoring 20 of our students. Over six weeks this term, they will visit the school each week to read, discuss texts, and encourage a love of reading. The first session was held last week, and it was fantastic to see the excitement and enthusiasm shared by both the students and mentors. There was plenty of reading, questioning, learning, and smiling throughout the session.

The program also provided a very special and unexpected moment for me personally. One of the volunteer mentors presented me with a beautiful bunch of flowers and asked if I remembered him. As soon as he told me his name, I did. Twenty years ago, I taught him when he first arrived in Australia unable to speak English while I was working at the Western English Language School. 

He thanked me for helping him get a great start in his new country. I was incredibly proud to see all that he has achieved through his hard work and determination, and deeply grateful to hear that I had played a small part in his journey. It was a powerful reminder of the lasting impact that education and strong relationships can have on young people’s lives.

End of Year Concert and Time Capsule Opening

Our annual School Concert is scheduled for Wednesday 9 December. Not only will we be treated to fantastic performances from all of our students, but we will also be opening a time capsule created by students and staff 25 years ago.

This promises to be a very special occasion as we reflect on our school's history and celebrate how our community has grown over the years. If you were a student or staff member at DPW 25 years ago, or if you know someone who was, please contact the school office. We would love to invite them to be part of this memorable moment as we open the time capsule together.

Kind Regards,

Deanne Scott

Acting Principal