From the Principal

Welcome to IPS 

It has been another productive week at Ivanhoe Primary School, with learning, community spirit and major improvements to our facilities all happening at once.

Read on...

Major Building Renovations – Improving Accessibility for All

One of the most significant developments currently underway at IPS is the extensive accessibility upgrade to our Waterdale Road building.

These important renovations include:

• Widening of doorways to improve wheelchair access
• Installation of new ramps
• Construction of an external elevator on the Waterdale Road building
• A hoist in the accessible bathroom

These upgrades represent a major investment by the Department of Education and the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) to ensuring our school is welcoming and accessible to everybody. At IPS we work strategically to pursue and develop partnerships

that benefit our community. We are proud to be creating learning spaces that support inclusion and independence for all members of our community.

While these significant upgrades are not funded by the Parent Contribution, your financial commitment does enable us to resource every students learning now and into the future. If you have not already done so, please consider making your voluntary contribution to your child's education. More information on the Parent Payment Contribution 2026 page.

Year 4 Excursion to Melbourne Museum

A highlight of the week was the Year 4 excursion to the Melbourne Museum.

Students explored fascinating exhibits, engaged with hands-on learning experiences, and deepened their understanding of history, science and culture. Opportunities like these bring classroom learning to life and spark curiosity that extends well beyond the school gates. More photos on Student Voice page.

Year 1 Exploring Our Local Community

Our Year 1 students also ventured out this week, taking a local excursion to the public library and exploring our community surrounds.

These experiences help our youngest learners build confidence, develop independence and understand the rich resources available right here in Ivanhoe. Read some feedback from the students on the Student Voice page.

Sharing Our Books with Papua New Guinea

The Literacy team have been busy overhauling the home reader program to ensure that the readers being sent home align with our structured synthetic phonics program. 

A truly heartwarming initiative undertaken by IPS has been the careful culling of our extensive reserve of older books and readers. Rather than allowing these resources to sit unused, we are packaging them up to be sent to school children in Papua New Guinea who have little or no access to literacy materials. Thanks very much to Ms Lamont and Ms Di Giovine.

The books will be transported by charity Books4PNG, ensuring they reach communities where they can make a genuine difference. This is a powerful example of our students learning about global citizenship and the importance of sharing resources with those in need. More info at Book Donations | Books 4 PNG Kids | Salisbury 

National Ride Safe to School Week

National Ride Safe to School Week is almost upon us! We encourage students and families to consider riding or scooting to school where it is safe to do so.

In this week’s edition of Inside Ivanhoe, you’ll find details of a colouring-in competition — with the exciting possibility of winning a brand new bike! Keep an eye out for entry details and submission deadlines.

*There is also a downloadable PDF to help with bicycle maintenance, including changing a flat tyre, putting a chain back on and washing your bike.

Working Bee – This Saturday (3:00pm–5:00pm)

Our term Working Bee will take place this Saturday from 3:00pm to 5:00pm, and we would greatly appreciate as many helpers as possible.

Following the recent intense weather event (four days’ worth of rain falling in just a matter of hours) there is significant clean-up required around the grounds. In addition, there are many other maintenance tasks to be completed. 

As we only hold one Working Bee per term, strong attendance is vital to ensure we can accomplish what needs to be done.

Mr Bull has set up a Google Docs link where you can:

• Nominate for a specific job
• Indicate that you will be attending

This helps us plan effectively — and also ensures we cater appropriately, as we are hoping to run a sausage sizzle for our wonderful volunteers. If you can spare a couple of hours, your support will make a real difference to our school environment.

Sign up at the following link https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1kO-j4wVn20lg-kF4q2JpHe4LAyn0PJbOn2131xaOllk/htmlview 

School Council Update

Last night we held the first School Council meeting for 2026. It was a pleasure to meet and chat with our new school councillors and to begin the important governance work for the year ahead.

We are particularly grateful to Jenna for taking on the role of President, Anthony for stepping into the Vice President position, Naomi for continuing her steady and reliable stewardship as Treasurer, and Mrs Wright for retaining the role of Secretary and managing the reports, agendas and associated documentation that keep our School Council functioning smoothly.

Our next School Council meeting will be held on 25 March at 7:00pm in the Collaboration Space.

The 2025 Annual Report

The School Council meeting will be preceded by the presentation of the 2025 Annual School Report to the community at 6:00pm. This presentation will be conducted online and is open to all members of our community. A link will be distributed via Compass and included in a future newsletter.

The Annual Report provides an overview of the school’s performance in 2025 and covers:

• Learning
• Wellbeing
• Engagement
• School finance

Following the community presentation, School Council will formally endorse the Annual Report. It will then be published on the school website, and a link will be shared in the newsletter so families can access it easily.

We encourage interested community members to attend the online presentation and learn more about the work and achievements of our school.

Grade 4 pilot scheme - Wellbeing for Learning

We are really excited to have the opportunity to trial a market leading program in understanding and supporting wellbeing in schools.

Research shows us a correlation between wellbeing, mental health, social and emotional skills and academic learning for students. As such supporting student wellbeing is a key strategy not only in itself but for the benefit that it has on student learning outcomes.

This term our Year 4 teachers and students are trialling two programs designed by Pivot PL: School Student Surveys | Pivot.

The first of which is the 'wellbeing for learning' check in.

The attached infographic shows some key understandings and actions of this program.

Classroom Helpers 

We are keen for parents to be involved in their child's learning and the wider school community. We welcome classroom helpers and value the additional support they can provide to all our learners.   If you're interested in finding out more or know you'd like to volunteer, look out for information coming soon on Compass on how to volunteer to be a classroom helper.

The parenting strategies website also has a wealth of useful information for parents and carers.  https://www.parentingstrategies.net/  whilst our school values underpin everything we do at IPS.

PFA Meeting -Next Tuesday - all welcome.

IPS is proud of our wonderful Parents and Friends Association (PFA), which plays an important role in bringing our school community together. Through events, fundraising and shared initiatives, the PFA helps create strong connections between families and supports great experiences for our students. Our first meeting is Tuesday the 3rd of March at 7pm in the staffroom in the main building in Waterdale rd. All Welcome.

NAPLAN 2026 info for parents and carers

Students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 sit for the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) to provide a national benchmark of student achievement in key skills like reading, writing, and numeracy. It helps parents, teachers, and schools assess individual progress, identify areas needing support, and evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs, with results indicating how children perform compared to national standards.  Parents and Carers of Year 3 and Year 5 should read the attachment for more information. 

Finally

Volunteers play a vital role in enriching the educational experiences of students during class excursions. These trips open up new worlds beyond the classroom. Whether it’s a visit to a museum, a cultural landmark, Darebin parklands or the local library, having parent volunteers ensures these opportunities run smoothly. Volunteers provide crucial support, helping supervise the group, ensure safety, and assist with logistics, allowing teachers to focus on engaging students. Indeed, many of our excursion couldn’t happen without you.

However, it’s crucial for parents who volunteer to understand their role. Unless specifically requested by the teacher, a parent volunteer is not there solely for their own child; rather, they are part of a team that supports the safety and well-being of all children. By working together, parent volunteers help create a secure, supportive environment where every child can thrive making each excursion a success for everyone.

Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support of Ivanhoe Primary School. It is the partnership between students, staff and families that allows our school to continue to grow, improve and thrive.

Mark Kent

Principal

http://www.ivanhoeps.vic.edu.au/ 

We respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Victoria and pay respect to the ongoing living cultures of First Peoples.