Principal's Message 

A Huge Congratulations on Our School Production!

What a fantastic few nights we had last week with our school production of Zoom by Craig Hawes! Our students shone on stage, captivating the audience with their talent, energy, and enthusiasm. A special shout-out to our wonderful 5/6 students, who not only delivered their lines with confidence, but also supported the younger grades throughout the entire process. Your hard work truly paid off - well done to all!

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the dedication and support of our amazing staff. Behind the scenes/stage, they worked tirelessly to support the students and ensure everything came together smoothly. A heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you for your commitment. 

A special mention must go to Ashleigh Smith, who directed and produced her first-ever school production. Ashleigh, you’ve done an outstanding job, and your vision truly brought Zoom to life on stage. Thank you for your leadership and creativity - what a fantastic achievement!

Parent and Community Appreciation

We are incredibly fortunate to have such a supportive community of parents and families who helped make this production a reality. A special thank you to our parent and past student helpers: Leanne Beeson, Michelle Carmusciano, Jayde Fahie, Leah Bromage, Danielle Marriott, Tegan Martin, Tim Welten, Gabby Smarrelli, Jade Mafodda, Keely Pfander and Ruby Pfander. Your time and efforts are so appreciated, and we couldn’t have done it without you.

A big thank you to Kate and Doug Amey and Jason Ockotnicki for all the amazing props. Doug, your creativity in designing and constructing the props and sets truly enhanced the magic of the production. The quality of the stage sets was top-notch, and we are incredibly grateful for your ongoing support.

We’d also like to express our gratitude to Yarra Valley Grammar and the George Wood Theatre for allowing us to use their outstanding facilities. Your generosity provided the perfect setting for our students to showcase their talents.

Our New Basketball Court Is Complete!

We are thrilled to announce that our brand-new basketball court is now complete! This has been a true community project, and the results are already making a huge impression on students and families alike.

A special thank you to Chris Beasley from Elite Courts & Rings, who led the way in laying the tiles, and to all the community members who lent a hand, including our very own School Council President. Volunteers from local companies also contributed by providing workers to assist with the project, showing just how much our community comes together for the benefit of our school.

A massive thank you to everyone who played a role in making this dream a reality. This court will be a fantastic asset for our students, providing a great space to play and exercise for years to come.

We also want to give a special shout-out to our hardworking Parents Association (PA) for their unwavering support behind the scenes. Their efforts throughout the year have been instrumental in enhancing our school community, and we are so grateful for everything they do.

Wishing Everyone a Wonderful Holiday!

As Term 3 comes to a close, we want to wish all of our students, staff, and families a well-deserved and relaxing holiday break. Thank you for all your hard work, support, and dedication throughout the term. To those who still have teams competing in football finals, best of luck to you!

We look forward to seeing everyone back in Term 4, refreshed and ready for more exciting opportunities for our students.

School Council President

As another term comes to an end, I would like to take the opportunity to communicate on behalf of the school council.

Basketball Court

Well, after much anticipation, the tiles have been laid and the surface of the top court finalised!! I am sure Ken has put some further detail about this, but I would like to express my gratitude to all those who have been involved in the lengthy journey, which has resulted in a wonderful improvement to our school.  Whilst impossible to mention everyone, the key players being Meriden and Dan Quick, who initiated the grant application and did the groundwork on what we could achieve, and then Ken Darby’s leadership and tenacity to get the best outcome for the school in the end, need to be acknowledged. Thank you.

And finally, the outcome you can see today is largely due to the fundraising activities over the past 18 months – a huge thanks to the PA for running the events and raising so much in that time.  Also a massive thanks to everyone who has contributed by attending events or buying raffle tickets etc – every little bit counts and it all results in the incredible upgrade for everyone to enjoy now.

100 Years of Yarra Road Primary School

Planning for our milestone year is progressing with a number of people coming together in a committee to discuss ways to mark this historic occasion.

School Councillor, Pam Jones, has stepped up to lead this planning work, and once the events are approved, there will be plenty of opportunities for all those who want to be involved to get their hands dirty in the execution of these activities.

It will be an exciting and historic time for the school, so get on board and be part of it – there will never be another chance!!

2025 Enrolments

Just to remind you that your recommendation to others about Yarra Road is a very powerful support for building enrolments.  The 2025 Prep enrolment process is well under way, so please take the opportunity to spread the great work of our school to your network.

Enjoy the upcoming school holidays, and once again, feel free to contact me if you have any questions or issues to raise relevant to school council and the role in plays in the governance of the school – best contact is via email: markkenn@bigpond.net.au

Parents Association

Colour Run

The PA have decided to organise the Colour Run within the school committee, so it will work a bit differently this year! 

Please wrap your heads around the new fundraising platform, 'Go Raise It', and the new incentive scheme. 

Why have we made this decision? In previous years we have worked through Australian Fundraising, which has allowed us to offload most of the organising through their fundraising platform. By them doing so, they take 40% of the total profit for each event. The PA has decided that 40% is a loss to the school community, so this year will be trialling it on our own. 

The PA would also like to give a big shout out to Michelle Leckie, who is leading the charge and taking the lead on the Colour Run this year. Thank you for all of your hard work and commitment to this very big task! 

Footy Day This Friday

Students are encouraged to come to school wearing their AFL/AFLW/Soccer/Rugby colours or clothes tomorrow (Friday 20th of September) to celebrate Footy Day. They do not need to bring or wear school uniform. 

Lost Property

We have slightly changed our lost property procedure to hopefully help lost items be returned to students quicker. 

Now, all nameditems delivered to the office will be directly taken back to the child's classroom within 1-3 days. All unnamed items will be stored in the First Aid room. 

So, to help make sure your child's items are returned, please name all of their belongings. 

Whole School Swimming Program - Save the Date!

Our annual whole school swimming program will be a little different this year. Due to renovations taking place at Aquahub, our week long program will now be held at Aquanation in Ringwood.  The dates for the program also had to change. Our program will now run in Week 9 of Term 4, from Monday 2nd to Friday 6th December 2024. 

As the ability to be safe around water is a vital life skill, we encourage every student to participate. The Department of Education provides funding directly to the school to support our swimming program. This is shared equally with all students, subsidising the cost to families. It is expected that the cost, per student, for the upcoming five-day program will be about $40.

Full details will be provided to families early in Term 4.

As school holidays approach, and the weather warms up, it is timely to consider water safety.

To help your families stay safe around water in the school holidays, please take time to look at the following resources:

• Life Saving Victoria’s Water safety tips
• Surf Life Saving Australia’s Beachsafe website, also available in an app. It shows which beaches have lifesaving clubs and when lifesavers and lifeguards are present.

PA - Feed Our School Initiative

The Parents Association are requesting expressions of interest for a fundraising initiative by Farmers Pick. 

Please read the information below and click on the button to express your interest.

Library Parent Helpers Wanted

We are looking for some parent volunteers to help contacting library books at home. 

Please contact Kerry, our school librarian, at kerry.graham@education.vic.gov.au, if you are able to help.