Assistant Principal's Address

WEEK 8 | TERM 4

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL'S AWARD

Ms Gavin

Mrs Zappia

Dear Parents, Guardians, and School Community,

As we move through the second half of Term 4, there’s a lot happening around the school! Thank you for your ongoing support as we prepare for an exciting end to the year filled with learning, celebrations, and community events.

Attendance and Being On Time Matters

As Term 4 continues, regular attendance and punctuality are especially important. Students benefit from consistent routines, steady learning progress, and full participation in key end-of-year events — including Step Up Day and transition sessions.

Our Attendance Ambassadors have been busy surveying students and creating videos to share with our community to promote consistent attendance. We look forward to showcasing their fantastic work soon.

Arriving on time helps your child:

✔ Start the day calm and confident ✔ Receive all morning instructions and learning opportunities ✔ Feel connected to their class from the beginning of the day

📍 Reminder: If your child arrives after 9:00am, parents/carers must sign them in at the office.

Teachers will continue monitoring attendance and may contact families needing additional support.

👉 Every minute matters — lateness adds up quickly and impacts learning.

Prep Transition for 2026 Students

We are excited to welcome our 2026 Prep students to Deanside Primary School!

Our first two transition sessions have gone extremely well — it has been wonderful seeing children exploring classrooms, meeting teachers, and forming new friendships.

We now look forward to:

• The final transition session on Tuesday, 2nd December 
• Followed by our whole-school Step Up Day on Tuesday, 9 December

These final opportunities will help ensure students feel confident, familiar with their learning environment, and ready for a positive start to school next year.

NDIS Support for Students in 2026

A notice was sent home last week regarding NDIS-funded support in 2026.

We are collecting information from families who have NDIS support, and would like it to continue next year. This helps us plan staffing, therapy schedules, and appropriate support spaces.

Important Information:

• An NDIS Therapy Pack will be sent to families before the end of the year.
• This must be completed and returned to begin or continue therapy in 2026.
• Students currently receiving therapy will not automatically continue — a new agreement must be completed.

• This process aligns with Victorian Government policy and ensures supports are reviewed annually.

   

Melton Council — Vacation Care Program (Summer 2026)

Melton City Council will be offering a Vacation Care Program for primary-aged children during January.

🗓️ Program Dates: Monday 5 January – Friday 23 January 2026

📅 Bookings open: 8:30am, Monday 8 December 2025 

⏰ Bookings close: 5:00pm, Friday 19 December 2025 (Late bookings may be accepted but may incur a fee.)

This program offers children opportunities to:

• Discover, create, and explore
• Participate in creative arts, cooking, sports, imaginative play, themed days
• Enjoy incursions, excursions, and outdoor learning
• Build confidence, friendships, and independence

The program is run by qualified educators and is designed to support student wellbeing, fun, and engagement.

Families are encouraged to download the flyer and explore available activities.

Social Media Age Restrictions — What Families Need to Know

From 10 December 2025, new regulations will prevent children under 16 from creating or keeping accounts on certain social media platforms.

The eSafety Commissioner is offering a series of free 30-minute webinars to help families understand the new rules and access guidance for supporting healthy and safe online behaviour.

More information and registration links are available via the eSafety Commissioner website.

Regards, 

Bianca Gavin

Assistant Principal         

Hello everyone,

It has been wonderful to see so many of our students riding and scooting to school each day. A big well done to everyone who is remembering to wear their helmets—this is an important safety requirement and helps ensure all students arrive safely and ready to learn. Please continue to encourage your child to follow road rules, use crossings, and wear their helmet correctly every time they ride.

We would like to remind all students who use the school bus to continue showing our Deanside Primary School values of Excellence, Respect, Responsibility and Care when travelling to and from school.

This includes:

Respect: speaking kindly to the driver and other students, using inside voices, and keeping hands and feet to yourself.

Responsibility: staying seated at all times, keeping your bag and belongings with you, and following the driver’s instructions.

Care: looking out for younger students, helping others if they drop items, and making sure the bus environment stays safe for everyone.

Excellence: representing our school proudly by making positive choices and being a role model in the community.

We also encourage families to join us at our weekly school assemblies each Friday from 2:45pm. It is always lovely to see families there, and your presence helps make these celebrations even more special for our students. Assemblies are a wonderful opportunity to recognise achievements, celebrate our values in action, and come together as a school community.

Warm regards,

Racheal Zappia

Assistant Principal