PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Dear Parents and Carers,

We’ve certainly enjoyed a busy few weeks at Lucas PS with highlights such as the Book Fair, Book Week celebrations, our Grandparents and Special Friends afternoon and a variety of excursions and incursions. The momentum continues in the weeks ahead with Japanese Day, the Dental Van visit, Planning Week and our very first Maths Mania Day. Please keep track of our events on the Term 3 Calendar which can be found on the front page of each newsletter. 

While these events add colour and excitement to school life, the core focus remains on learning in the classroom, where students continue to build on their educational journey. These opportunities take careful planning from our dedicated staff and the support of our wonderful families. We are truly grateful for everyone’s efforts in creating valuable and memorable learning experiences for our students.

Playground and Master Plan

At last week’s School Council meeting, we agreed to progress with the development of our new playground in the coming months. As you can imagine, projects of this scale are a significant investment and Council is eager to explore ways to reduce costs while still creating an engaging space for our students.

One way we can achieve this is by drawing on the skills, expertise and resources within our Lucas PS community. Whether it’s planning, labour, resource connections or access to machinery, every contribution can make a real difference.

If you are willing and able to assist, please complete the Insight Notification on your Compass homepage to share your details. Your support is greatly appreciated as we work together to make this exciting project a reality.

Attendance

Regular attendance and punctuality are essential for every child’s learning and wellbeing. Arriving on time each day ensures students can participate fully in morning routines, build strong connections with peers and receive important instructions to set them up for success. Missing even a small portion of the day can disrupt learning and impact progress. It is also a legal requirement to record all absences, so we ask parents and carers to notify the school promptly through Compass, by phone, or via email. 

Together, we can ensure every child makes the most of their school experience.

Morning routine:

·       8.45am – Arrival

·       8.50am – Music plays & line up at classroom doors

·       8.55am – Welcome Circles

Absences

All absences must be registered. You can:

1.     Record them on Compass

2.     Contact the office

3.     Email: lucas.ps@education.vic.gov.au

We’ve had above-average unexplained absences this term, your support in addressing this matter is appreciated. 

School Review - Parent Forums.

The School Review will take place in Term 4, giving us the opportunity to reflect on the past four years, celebrating our achievements while also identifying areas for growth. The review looks at all aspects of our school’s processes and systems, and importantly, draws on feedback from parents, students and staff.

We invite you to share your voice at our Coffee and Chat sessions on Tuesday, September 2 at 9.00am and Thursday, September 4 at 2.45pm in the Admin Building. These informal sessions will be guided by a few key questions and will play an important role in shaping the future direction of Lucas PS.

Come along, enjoy a free coffee and be part of planning the next chapter for our school.

2025 Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey

Our school is conducting the annual Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey offered by the Department of Education and is seeking your feedback. The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage and appreciate your participation.

Our school will use the survey results to assist in identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies. 

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open online until Friday 19 September 2025.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete and can be accessed at any convenient time on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones.

The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese. Resources are also available in additional languages to assist parents / caregivers / guardians who speak a language other than English at home. Please reach out to the school office for survey guides in your language.

The link to the survey will be sent out via a Compass Notification this week. Your feedback is valuable to the school and assists to plan for the future. 

Fathers/Special Friends Day

We are very excited to announce that our celebration of fathers and father figures will be taking place on Monday September 8from 1.15 - 2.30pm. Students have the opportunity to invite a special guest to share a sausage lunch and participate in some games at lunchtime. This was a very popular event last year and highlighted the importance that fathers and father figures play in the lives of our students. Please see the flyer for more details.

Evacuation Drill

Last week we held an evacuation practice that required all students, staff and visitors to assemble on the oval. This drill simulated an emergency situation that occurred at break time. The students responded extremely positively to the drill as we were able to account for all personnel and secure the facilities calmly and efficiently within 10 minutes. The challenge with this simulation was to gather students while they were outside during a break.  Well done to all involved.