Thanks For the 'Getting Ready’ for the New School Year

While I write to express my gratitude to all who have been part of the preparations to ensure that 2025 starts with a bang! Teachers have been in and out over the holidays preparing classrooms and shaping a welcoming space for students, lawns have been mown and bushes on pathways have been pruned, the chickens have been cared for by a remarkable team of volunteers, and a diverse range of administrative tasks have been completed to enable the year to begin. Without such commitment by staff and volunteers of the school, we would be stumbling into the new year.

A special thanks to those who have prepared by;

shining school shoes
preparing rooms and shuffling furniture
pruning branches and blowing the yard clear of leaves on the long weekend
purchasing and preparing uniforms
shaping sleeping routines
mowing the lawns
…. and much more

Students from Year 1 through to Year 6 entered calmly on Wednesday and are beginning to build the routines and rhythms that support learning. All classes will have an initial startup two weeks, where students will be welcomed and begin their learning routine.

Welcome 2025 Preps

A very special welcome today to our newest of new students, our 2025 prep students. Thanks to our prep team and parents for making sure that the transition into the first year of primary years went so well. Starting primary school is a significant step in a lifetime's journey of education. We look forward to getting to know our new arrivals and welcoming them into our community over the coming weeks.

Thanks to FORPS for providing a morning tea for parents and welcoming them so warmly into the year. Already, each Year 6 Buddy has built a significant relationship that is supportive and encouraging. It has been wonderful for the Year 6 students to support preps through recess and lunch. These friendships will continue to weave our newcomers quickly into the fabric of our community.

Generous Contributions Received for Basketball Court Resurfacing

Late last year, I shared that we had received a grant of $20,000 towards resurfacing the basketball court with synthetic turf. We are grateful that it will combine with the $20,000 fundraising efforts of FORPS over 2024. I noted that we were still $15,000 short. Since then we have received numerous contributions from our parent community. A super Christmas gift indeed. Thanks.

Looking Ahead to Curriculum Days

Curriculum Days are valuable opportunities for teachers to collaborate, share in professional learning and shape rich and responsive learning experiences for students. While one is mandated at the start of each year, there are four other days that individual schools place in the calendar. These dates may be important to families planning holidays over the coming year!

Tuesday 22 April, is first day of Term 2 and will be a Curriculum Day where students will not attend school. TheirCare will be providing a program of supervised care if required. Staff will be exploring the recent literacy changes and ensuring a consistent practice in the teaching of reading across the school.

Later in the term, another two days appended to the King’s Birthday long weekend provides a possible holiday break for families while minimising any disruption to the rhythms of teaching and learning. These dates are as follows;

Friday 6 June - Curriculum Day 3

(Students Not at School)

Monday 9 June - Public Holiday for the Monarch’s Birthday

Tuesday 10 June - Professional Practice Day (Students Not at School)

These dates and many others can be found on the Compass Calendar or in the 2025 Significant Dates that has been circulated at the start of term.

Stay Connected with Compass

A reminder to all families to stay connected to Compass. Compass is our primary source of communication as well as the source of a range of information regarding reports, attendance summaries, conferences and regular news updates. A quick tip is to enable notifications on your mobile device, to ensure that you are updated instantly regarding changes or news relevant for your child. A simple call to the office can easily reset forgotten passwords and ensure that you don’t miss out on the latest.

Staying Connected with FORPS (Friends of Rosanna Primary School)

Wednesday 26th February

As usual, FORPS continues to provide support for a range of school projects and upgrades. Last year’s fundraising effort will help with the costs of resurfacing the basketball court this year. Funds raised this year will continue to be invested in the life and learning at Rosanna Primary.

All are invited to join the Annual General Meeting coming up on the evening of Wednesday 26 February.

This year we have our School Fair planned for Saturday 15 November and are eager to have as many collaborators as possible. Come along to get to know other parents and give back to our school community. Every hand helping is greatly appreciated.

FORPS Welcome Back Picnic

Friday 28 February from 5:00pm

Many will recall the relaxing and celebratory December picnic on the oval last year. I encourage families to welcome back the year with each other by attending the Welcome Back Picnic on Friday 28 February from 5:00pm. Bring along a blanket and join in the fun. Keep an eye on FORPS News in this newsletter to find out more.

Qkr! Update

Qkr! quickly provides an opportunity to make payments for excursions, pay school fees, etc. It also allows you to conveniently sign notes and permissions without having to return paper forms. Download the App to your mobile device to make it easy for yourself.

Please make sure that you update your child/ren’s class information to reflect the 2025 year.

Consents, Permissions and Notes on their Way

A range of forms and notes are about to be published as we kick off the year. Some of these notes are sent home in hard copy, while others are sent through on Qkr! to be signed digitally! They are due out in the coming days. These include but are not limited to …

2025 ICT User Agreement for Students (hardcopy)
2025 T1 ‘Meet the Teacher’ Information (hardcopy)
2025 Publishing Consent (online via Qkr!)
2025 Local Excursion Consent (online via Qkr!)

Road Safety Reminder

As we step into the new year, I encourage all visiting our site to adhere to the highest standards of safety while driving or moving around our school.

As pedestrians, please utilise the staffed crossings in the morning and afternoon periods. It will mean a little bit of a further walk and an opportunity to provide significant modelling experiences for your child/ren.

As motorists, please do not park in our drop off zone during morning and afternoon periods. Our ‘Kiss and Go’ zone provides for quick pickups or drop offs and enable the congestion of traffic that occurs on Grandview Grove to flow more smoothly.

Everyone has a part to play as we ensure the safety of our whole community.

Attendance: Every Day Counts

Schooling is compulsory for children and young people aged from 6 to 17 years unless an exemption from attendance or enrolment has been granted.

Daily school attendance is important for all children and young people to succeed in education and to ensure they don't fall behind both socially and developmentally. Children who regularly attend school and later complete Year 12 or an equivalent qualification have better health outcomes, better employment outcomes, and higher incomes across their lives. It is important that children develop habits of regular attendance at an early age.

School participation is important as it maximises life opportunities for children and young people by providing them with education and support networks. School helps people to develop important skills, knowledge and values which set them up for further learning and participation in their community.

Conversely, limited school participation is associated with a greater chance of dropping out of school, disruptive and delinquent behaviour and may lead to a cycle of rebellion against authority. These outcomes have later implications for employment, a range of health risk behaviours (drug and alcohol abuse), homelessness, poverty, welfare dependence, and involvement in the justice system.

Welcome to New Teaching Staff

A special welcome to three new teacher who are joining us over 2025. Michael Taylor (56T) has a rich experience in performing arts and teaching, Julia Patatsos (2J) who comes from Bundoora Primary and Lauren Vigliotti (34V) who people might know from her periods as a casual teacher over 2024. We welcome Anna Dodd (Prep D) who has stepped from an Educational Support teacher role in 2024 into a classroom teacher role in 2025. We welcome back Taya Eddy (56A) and Caitlin Tyler (Prep D) We are excited about the days ahead and look forward to their contribution and getting to know them further over the year.

Our 2025 teaching teams are

PS Sophie Cartelli & Emily Seing

PD Caitlin Tyler & Anna Dodd

PT Krystal Rosbrook & Bron Taylor

1S Kylie Smith

1W Lisa Wilson & Nicole Baillargeon

2P Eli Phillips & Nicole Baillargeon

2J Julia Patatsos

2K Hannah Konstantinidis

34R Natalie Richardson

34Y Heidi Yule & Kara Perna

34V Lauren Vigliotti

45B Bronnie Brasch

56D Daniela Darling & Kara Perna

56T Michael Taylor

56A Kate Arnot & Taya Eddy

Reminder School Savings Bonus

The School Saving Bonus continues to provide cost-of-living relief to thousands of Victorian families, paying for uniforms, textbooks and activities ahead of the 2025 school year.

The School Saving Bonus can be used to buy school uniforms and textbooks or can go towards school activities such as camps or excursions. Around 700,000 students statewide will benefit from the Bonus.

Any unspent Bonus money will automatically transfer to a family’s school account once the uniform and textbook voucher period expires on 30 June, with parents able to use the remaining funds on future school activities. Any funds which remain unspent by the time a student leaves the school can be transferred to a sibling at the school or will be absorbed by the school to benefit other students.

We hope this will help with the easing cost-of-living pressures. It builds on many programs such as free school dental checkups through the Smile Squad program.

For more information about the School Saving Bonus, visit vic.gov.au/school-saving-bonus

Website Update

Unfortunately, late last year, our website was hacked and taken down. We are using the time to refresh and update the site and look forward to republishing it shortly. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Significant Dates

Please find attached the final update of Significant Dates as we head into the year.