It’s been another huge week at Newlands, and Book Week has been the talk of the town! Students have been busy planning and discussing their costumes for the much anticipated Book Parade, racing to the library for story time with different teachers, solving the mystery of the Secret Book Tiger, and attending a very special author visit from the incredible Marc Martin.

A massive thank you to our amazing librarian, Jess, whose passion and dedication have once again made Book Week one of the most loved weeks of the school year.

Farewells & Celebrations

Angelica – Since joining Newlands in 2019 as a Spanish Language Assistant, Angelica has shown unwavering commitment to teaching, learning, and building a vibrant Spanish language culture across the school. Her impact over the past five years has been instrumental, and she will be dearly missed. We wish her all the best in her next chapter.

Clara – Clara is heading off on maternity leave for the next 12 months. As one of Newlands' greatest finds, Clara has brought joy, energy, and positivity to her students and the staff team alike. We wish her a safe and happy journey into motherhood and can’t wait to meet the newest Moltrasio soon!

Rob – Rob is taking a short four-week leave as he welcomes a new addition to his family, in order to finally create the family band that has been a hot topic conversation at Newlands! He’ll return in Term 4. Until then, we’re thrilled to have Sole stepping in and preparing to take over Foundation in Term 4.

Official Welcome!

We can finally announce that Laura will be replacing Angelica starting on the 8th of September. We are absolutely thrilled to find Laura and have her not only become a part of the 3/4 team but the Newlands community! Laura was introduced to her classes today and will be visiting over the next few weeks to support her transition into Newlands.

District Athletics Carnival

In between all the reading and storytelling, a group of our students represented Newlands at the District Athletics Carnival. More important than the many ribbons brought home was the camaraderie and team spirit on display. A huge thank you to Raul, whose passion for participation and physical education continues to shine through.

Special congratulations to the students moving on to the Division Finals: Mia, Sage, Ari, Fletcher, and Billy!

Parliament House Excursion

Our Grade 5/6 students had the privilege of visiting Parliament House this week, joined by our local member, Nathan Lambert. Though the students returned tired, they were filled with inspiration and a deeper understanding of government and social responsibility. Who knows...perhaps a few future politicians were in the group!

A Visit from the Premier

On Tuesday, we were honoured to welcome Premier Jacinta Allan, alongside Nathan Lambert and Anthony Cianflone. They visited to celebrate the completion of our $20 million building project and to learn more about our community’s vision for the future of 'Oldlands'.

It was a day to remember, especially when the Premier joined in a 4-on-4 basketball game with students! We look forward to ongoing collaboration as we continue advocating for the school our community deserves.

Foundation: Book Week Chats

During a visit to the office with Señora Karren, our Foundation students shared their favourite books:

Rafael – Real Pigeons “because Homie calls the other pigeons pigs!”
Jude – Kit Cat Comic Club “because they say diarrhea!”
Reign – Spiral “because he always misses the bug!”
Lachlan – Pizza and Taco “they’re live food and they’re cheeky!”
Mila – Your Birthday Was the Best “I like when the cockroach eats the cakes!”

Foundation Part 2

I sat down with Allegra during lunch and asked her about her favourite part of the day. She said it was so cool to see everyone dressed up—it was funny spotting Harry Potter on the playground and Little Red Riding Hood stopping for a drink at the taps! We both shared how excited we are for the upcoming Book Parade.

I was really impressed by all the healthy food the students were enjoying. While they ate, I asked them about their costumes. Here’s the scoop:

Casper – dressed as Bin, a character from a story he wrote himself.
Sarahi – dressed as Moana, enjoying a cheeky little hamburger.
Liliiana – Belle from Beauty and the Beast, munching on a ham and cheese focaccia sandwich.
Timmy – dressed as the King, eating cheese and crackers.
Alice – dressed as herself, Alice from Alice in Wonderland.
Leila – dressed as Dorothy, enjoying sushi.
Jack – dressed as Dogman, eating a salad sandwich.
Quinton – also Dogman, having peanut-free peanut butter.
Indigo – dressed as Harley Quinn, eating a baguette.
Asher – wearing a dragonfly costume, enjoying peanut butter on two slices of bread.
Alice – munching a choc-chip muesli bar, dressed as Hazel from Hazel and the Treehouse.
Aisling – dressed as Paddington the Bear, enjoying a brown bread peanut butter sandwich.

Year 1/2: Storytelling and Costumes

Mel proudly showed off Iggy’s fantastic story, a classic tale blending Star Wars and mythology! A huge shout-out to the 1/2 teachers who dressed up as Alice in Wonderland characters. Here is what the student said about their favourite books!

Iggy – Slappy from Goosebumps “such a great character and story”
Evie – Mr Walker “who saves a hotel from robbers”
Molly – Polly from Polly and Buster “she’s friends with a monster!”
Quinn – Stickman “a stick that gets lost and goes on a wild adventure”
Saul – Harry Potter “I just love Hedwig!”
Ted – Steve from Minecraft
Emilio – Vision the Dragon “it just looks cool!”

P.S. There were lots of Collingwood supporters… I avoided them to stay safe!

Year 3/4: Costumes, Writing and Greek Gods

I visited the 3/4 space dressed as a furball with falling eyebrows, and Judy wowed me great use of prefixes and suffixes explaining how they change the meaning of base words. The 3/4 team looked incredible as Greek gods and goddesses. I asked the students who they dressed up as for book week:

Alyssa – Matilda from Matilda
Judy – Legolas from Lord of the Rings
Kalen – Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece
Winnie – Sunrise from Wolf Girl
Edi – Miss Trunchbull from Matilda
Aviva – Amanda Thripp from Matilda
Autumn – Coraline Jones from Coraline
Albertine – Nezuko from Demon Slayer
Mia – Wednesday from The Addams Family
Sebastian – Baby Shark “because I’m a baby!”
Bella – Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon
Lily – Wiz from Do Not Open This Book

5/6s

Nothing better than seeing a Stranger Things & Little Lunch homage in the 5/6s. They all looked incredible dressed while doing their work. I didn’t want to interrupt so I took photo after photo!

OSHC Update

There’s been some media attention this week regarding our OSHC (Aftercare) program, referencing a federal assessment conducted in 2022. We’re eagerly awaiting our upcoming reassessment and are confident that it will reflect the incredible work being done.

We want to thank Jill and the OSHC team for their tireless commitment to creating a safe, fun, and inclusive environment for our students. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly.

Thanks to everyone - staff, students, and families for making this week so special.

Enjoy the weekend, and we’ll see you back next week for even more excitement.

Warm regards,

Luke

3/4 Classrooms