Principal's Message
Upwey South Primary School
Please take the time to read each page of our newsletter, as we provide you with information updates across our school.
Parents Association 2024- a huge success!!
We are such a lucky school, throughout 2024 our PA have been extremely active and successful in achieving their major goals of:
- working to create engaging and fun school-wide events for students of all ages
- providing a welcoming environment in which parents/carers can form connections and become involved with the school
- supporting annual school-wide events
- raising funds to support student learning and engagement.
In 2024, PA funds have contributed toward the following projects across our school community:
- installation of a new netball ring within the Morris Road play area
- installation of tiered outdoor seating within our community performance space/stage area
- upgrading of board games for students to access during wet day timetables
- support for second-hand uniforms and learning materials for families.
The overall revenue of the PA in 2024 was a whopping $25,141.90 with a net profit of $5,169.25 to further support projects occurring in 2025.
In 2024, our PA supported the following events which were a huge success:
- second-hand uniform shop
- termly special lunches for all classrooms
- Mother's and Father's Day Stalls and events
- Grandparents/Special Persons Day event and Bake Sale
- Halloween Disco
- Parent/Carers Disco Bingo Evening
- Christmas Raffle and icy-pole stall
- Weekly Breakfast Club
Beyond funds raised for our immediate school community, our PA have proudly extended their engagement beyond the school gates.
We proudly donated $1089 to Upwey CFA from funds raised at the Grandparents/Special Person Day Bake Sale.
Let’s not forget the $20, 000 raised for Foodbank from the Colour Run in Term One.
Thank you to all the generous volunteers for your time, baking, face painting skills and much more!
In 2025, the PA will be working alongside School Council to focus upon further improvements to our community performance space/stage area, support improvements to expanded play spaces, and support the refurbishment of the breezeway toilet facilities.
Fresh Air Youth Radio- 97.1FM
As part of our Community Engagement Electives Programming, students in Year Three- Year Six have the opportunity each Friday afternoon to engage in an elective of their choice. Electives vary from semester to semester, and involve all facets of learning beyond that of a traditional classroom environment.
One of these electives is our 3MDR DJing and Radio Production elective. Each semester a group of students take part in weekly session covering aspects of radio and music production such as sound engineering, production techniques, podcasting, voice projection, listener engagement, and broadcasting production.
Take a listen to this semester's radio show- which went to air on 97.1Fm at 2:00pm Wednesday 18th December. The online link below will remain active over the Summer break for students to listen on-demand.
https://soundcloud.com/3mdr-97-1fm/upwey-south-primary-school-fresh-air-18-dec-2024
Facilities Upgrade Grant awarded to our school
Throughout this year, our School Council have been engaging in a lengthy grant application with the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA).
We are pleased to say that, last week, our school was informed that we have received a significant financial grant to upgrade and refurbish the breezeway toilets. Whilst this is an exciting outcome for our school, we must be mindful that the project will be VSBA managed (with school input) and is part of a series of grants across the state of Victoria.
Indicative timelines indicate that building works will occur at some stage in late 2025.
We will keep our community informed of progress, as information is provided to the school.
Please refer to an extract from the letter of notification, authored by the Deputy Premier The Hon. Ben Carroll MP.
2025 Continuous Improvement Structure
On 4th December 2024, we provided our community with information regarding staffing and school placement; known as our Continuous Improvement Structure.
The information from this post, is duplicated below:
In 2025, we will be expanding to a 14-class model of delivery.
This will consist of 2 x Foundation, 3 x Year One, 2 x Year Two, 4 x Year Three/Four, 3 x Year Five/Six.
We also welcome the following staff to our school team:
- Tanya Howell (Class 1C)- joining us from the Dandenong Ranges Network
- Rebecca Hobson (Class 2B)- joining us as a mature-aged graduate from Mountain Gate Primary School
- Katherine Jones (Class 34C)- joining us as a mature-aged graduate
- Hellen Lloyd (Foundation)- joining us as a Learning Support Officer.
Please refer to the attached introductory letters for the above listed classroom teachers only.
We also acknowledge and thank the following staff who will be leaving our school at the end of 2024. We wish these staff all the best with the next stage of their career:
- Amy Ryde (2024 Class FC)- moving to Warragul Primary School in 2025
In 2025, we are also expanding our school’s executive leadership profile with the following appointments:
Assistant Principal (1.0FTE)
Following a rigorous recruitment process, Llewela Humphries has been appointed to the substantive position of Assistant Principal for 2025- 2028.
Ms Humphries will be responsible for student wellbeing and inclusion, strategic development of our wellbeing curriculum, and daily operational aspects of the school.
As Assistant Principal, Ms Humphries can be contacted on 0428 959 358.
Please save this mobile number, which you are welcome to utilise for matters related to your child’s emotional wellbeing and sense of inclusion.
Llewela Humphries’ email address is Llewela.Humphries@education.vic.gov.au
Acting Assistant Principal (1.0FTE)
Following a rigorous recruitment process, Melinda Rowe has been appointed to the position of Acting Assistant Principal for 2025.
Mrs Rowe will be responsible for overseeing our high-abilities practice programming, strategic curriculum development, instructional pedagogies, and assessment and reporting.
As Acting Assistant Principal, Mrs Rowe can be contacted on 0467 290 948.
Please save this mobile number, which you are welcome to utilise for matters related to your child’s curriculum learning and teaching practice.
Melinda Rowe’s email address is Melinda.Rowe@education.vic.gov.au
Attachments:
Notification of 2025 curriculum (school closure) days
The following Curriculum Days have been allocated as per Department of Education Guidelines. Please add these dates to your family calendar:
Term One
- Tuesday 28th January (Week One, Term One) - Focus: Statewide Curriculum Day
- Friday 7th March (Week Six, Term One)- Focus: Instructional Pedagogies and the Victorian Curriculum 2.0
Term Two
- Friday 6th June (Week Seven, Term Two)- Focus: Victorian Curriculum 2.0 Assessment and Reporting
Term Three
- Monday 25th August (Week Six, Term Three)- Focus: Instructional Pedagogies and Learning Science
Term Four
- Friday 31st October (Week Four, Term Four)- Focus: School-Wide Professional Practice Assessment & Reporting
Notification of 2025 Victorian School Terms
Term One
- Year One- Six students commence 8:50am- Wednesday 29th January 2025
- Foundation students commence 9:10am- Friday 7th February 2025 (2:00pm dismissal)
- Term One concludes for all students: 2:30pm- Friday 4th April 2025
Term Two
- All students commence 8:50am- Tuesday 22nd April 2025
- All students conclude 2:30pm- Friday 4th July 2025
Term Three
- All students commence 8:50am- Monday 21st July 2025
- All students conclude 2:30pm- Friday 19th September 2025
Term Four
- All students commence 8:50am- Monday 6th October 2025
- All students conclude 2:30pm- Friday 19th December 2025
We encourage all families to stay informed with our Compass Calendar, as there are a number of exciting events occurring throughout December.
We look forward to sharing an exciting 2025 partnering with our community, and we thank you for your ongoing commitment of our school.
Exciting News for our Math Curriculum
Upwey South Primary School has recently been selected as one of only six schools nationally to take part in a three-year active research trial, partnering with Macquarie University to develop an evidence-based pedagogical approach to what (in the future) will be known as "The Science of Mathematics".
This is a wonderful opportunity for our school, and builds upon previous strong gains in both our English and Mathematics curriculum.
In 2025, the research trial commences with our new intake of Foundation students, with the initiative being closely monitored by both federal and state education departments.
This is another great win for our school, and is a reflection of the strong professional commitment shown by our teaching staff and School Council.
Stay tuned for more news in early 2025.
Communicating with the Principal
We look forward to partnering with you in 2025, and welcome your input:
Damien Kitch (Principal) damien.kitch@education.vic.gov.au