Principal News 

National Reconciliation Week

The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2026 is All In, a call for all Australians to commit wholeheartedly to reconciliation every single day.

All In makes clear that reconciliation is not a spectator sport and that all of us must step away from the sidelines and take action to make change.

The theme also reminds us that reconciliation and advancing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ rights isn’t a passive activity, and it is not solely the responsibility of First Nations people, who have carried the weight of championing, explaining and acting for far too long.

Reconciliation will not happen by itself, and it will not happen without all of us

Presentation to Sarah Van Nieukerk 

Congratulations to Sarah on being the recipient of a 2025 School Sport Victoria Recognition Award. The award recognises Sarah’s hard work and dedication to school sport. This is a significant award, and Sarah will be presented with a trophy next Friday at our assembly. We’d love to see you there to support Sarah in receiving this wonderful recognition of her efforts in everything that she does to contribute to the development of School Sport.

Protecting against mosquito-borne diseases

Schools have been asked to share the following important information with families.

Some areas in regional northern Victoria are experiencing a longer mosquito season this year due to recent flooding. While the overall risk is currently low, some mosquitoes may be carrying diseases that make people sick. 

The best protection against mosquito-borne illness is to avoid mosquito bites. The free Japanese encephalitis vaccine is also available for more Victorians. 

Free Japanese encephalitis vaccines 

Japanese encephalitis virus is spread to humans through bites from infected mosquitoes. It can cause a rare but potentially serious infection of the brain.

The free Japanese encephalitis vaccine is available for:

1)people aged 2 months or older who live or work in eligible high-risk local government areas in Victoria 

2)until Friday 31 July 2026, people who plan to visit high-risk areas in Victoria or interstate for outdoor recreation such as hiking, camping, caravaning or boating. 

For more information:

• refer to the Department of Health’s Japanese encephalitis webpage for a list of high-risk areas
• speak to your GP or immunisation provider to check if your family is eligible for a free vaccine ahead of any planned travel during the coming months.

How to help prevent mosquito bites

To help protect against mosquito bites, families can: 

• cover up as much as possible with long, loose-fitting, light-coloured clothing  
• apply insect repellent that contains picaridin or DEET on exposed skin when outdoors 
• limit outdoor activity if lots of mosquitoes are active
• clean up and remove containers and items around the home that may hold water where mosquitoes may breed.

Families with any health concerns should see their doctor or phone Nurse-on-Call: 1300 606 024 (available 24 hours).

Find out more

For more information on protecting against mosquito-borne diseases, families can refer to the following Better Health Channel pages:

• Mosquitoes can carry diseases
• Protect yourself from mosquito-borne disease, including a handy checklist to help reduce mosquito breeding sites at home and resources translated into other languages
• Japanese encephalitis.

Athletics Carnival

On Monday (after much deliberation in the days beforehand regarding the weather forecast) we proceeded with the carnival, and it was a fabulous day! Students returned from the event just as the rain started to fall. There were smiles to match the abundance of ribbons on display and this is always a great day for everyone. 

Student Semester 1 Progress Reports

We will be providing student achievement reports for Semester 1 this year as usual.

The reports will continue to provide important details about student learning attainment, but full descriptive comments will not be included as a result of industrial action taken earlier this term by the Australian Education Union.

We will of course be pleased to discuss with you your child’s progress at our next parent-teacher interviews scheduled for Wednesday June 24th between 11:30am-6:20pm. Further booking information will be available the week prior.

OSHC will be available for those that require care. Please contact them directly for bookings on oshc@elthamnorthps.vic.edu.au or 9439 3607

Free Fruit for Students

We are pleased to share that we have placed fruit baskets in every classroom for students to choose a piece of fruit when they need it. We are receiving weekly deliveries of fresh fruit and baby carrots to refill the baskets. It has been great to hear students excited about the selection of fruit available as well as enjoying eating it.

Happy Friday to everyone and wishing you a fun weekend!