A Big Week at Newlands!

Tuesday was a huge day for our 1/2 students as they headed off to Healesville Sanctuary to experience the wonderful fauna, flora, and the incredible Birds of Prey show. The excitement was palpable, with students eagerly sharing their adventures with their families afterward. Meanwhile, Gabby and I took 20 of the 1/2 students into the city to join the other 40 Newlands students from Grades Foundation - 6 for a spectacular Boite performance at the Town Hall. The students performed with energy and choir sophistication. A special shout-out to our foundation students who sang their hearts out and completed the full 10-song set, which finished at 8:00 pm without any naps. Huge thanks to Katherine, Connie, Lizzie, and Gabby for their incredible work preparing the students for such a fantastic show. We look forward to participating in the choir again in 2026!

Science Week Fun

Raema has organised a series of fantastic lunchtime activities for all students during Science Week. One day, students worked through puzzles trying to escape the steam room; on another, they examined animal footprints around the school grounds, deducing which creatures had been visiting. Many thanks to Raema for her hard work and creative ideas that have made this week so engaging!

Homework Presentations

This afternoon at 2:30, teachers presented to families on the importance of homework and how it’s approached at Newlands Primary School. This is part of our ongoing effort to support students, teachers, and families in meeting academic goals. We recognise there is conflicting research on homework benefits, and while we offer homework opportunities, we respect each family’s beliefs and values. For those interested, Chalk and Talk – Homework That Works with Dr. Jo Castelino is a great podcast I recently listened to on the topic.

Read-A-Thon Update & Thank You!

Our students continue their marathon of reading, raising money to enhance our growing library. A huge thank you to Marisa and Andrew, our incredible foundation parents—who generously donated two huge boxes of brand-new books to our library. We truly appreciate your support and connections!

Classroom Snapshots

Foundation

Jess has been thoughtfully minimizing my walking by keeping me close to the Foundation classroom to observe the amazing learning happening there. As one of our Learning Community Leaders, Jess runs small literacy and Tier 2 math groups to give students targeted support. Recently, she was working with five of our top Foundation students on CVC words and reading. Their voices blended beautifully, just like the Boite choir! When asked about learning with Jess, students shared:

Aisling: “I think my reading has gotten better; I blend sounds better.”
Izzah: “I love the reading cards and saying all the words.”
Alita: “I like that it’s a small group with my friends.”
Lockie: “We love reading with Jess. We get timed on how many words we can read in a minute.”

Grades 1/2

I joined Moira’s Tier 2 Numeracy lesson today where students tackled daily reviews, drawing number lines, solving time problems, and practicing addition and subtraction. They were truly smashing it! When asked about their favourite part of Tier 2 Maths with Moira, students said:

Indigo: “My favourite thing was learning how to tell the time.”
Maleeka: “I like learning with Moira because she is the best!”
Wintah: “It’s fun learning maths with other students.”
Misha: “Moira always makes it super fun.”
Catalina: “I’ve learned new things and I’m better at addition and subtraction now.”
Ari: “I like doing all the word problems in Maths!”

Grades 3/4

I had the pleasure of team teaching with Lisa for the 3/4 literacy block on Thursday. We read, wrote, developed vocabulary, and practiced determiners—all while learning about Greek gods. While I’m no expert like Mala, I can confidently chat about Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. If you want to hear more, catch me out front before or after school in my hi-vis vest—just be warned, I might keep you for an hour! When asked about their favourite Greek gods/goddesses, the students in Lisa's Tier 2 maths group enthusiastically shared their thoughts.

Ines – Athena, because she is creative and has a lot of brain power.
Isla – Demeter, as she is the goddess of crops and grows all of her own food.
Holly – Aphrodite, because she is pretty and the goddess of love and beauty.
Issac – Poseidon, since he is the god of the ocean, and the ocean is really cool.
Vera – Athena, because she is strong and brave.
Romy – Persephone, for her bravery.
Savannah – Aphrodite, because her story is interesting—partly disgusting—and she is the goddess of love and beauty.
Amami – Hera, the queen of gods and goddesses, and goddess of marriage and childbirth. I think she handles it really well.

Grades 5/6

In the staffroom, I caught more Tier 2 Maths in action, this time with Graeme’s 5/6 group preparing for an assessment. I asked students to rate their maths learning over the past two weeks:

Malakai: 7 — “I’ve learned a lot; sometimes it gets hard but easier with practice.”
Pepa: 10 — “I’ve learned strategies for short and long multiplication.”
Eloise: 8.5 — “I’m smarter, more fluent with multiplication and bigger numbers.”
Zoe: 8 — “I learned new strategies like distributive properties for double-digit multiplication.”
Naoki: 8 — “Not a 10 because I didn’t give everyone soft drinks, but I’m planning to bring pizza!”
Haadiya: 10 — “I don’t know why!”

Next Week!

Monday — No School

Teachers have their annual Professional Practice Day. While students have the day off, Jill and the amazing OSHC program have arranged a fantastic day of activities for families in need. Please contact Jillian as soon as possible if you require this service.

Tuesday

Local firefighters will visit Newlands for an incursion with our Foundation families at 2:30 pm (unless there’s an emergency). Expect sirens, hoses, and hard hats—a real treat for the students!

Wednesday

Grades 5/6 head off on their excursion to Parliament House, tying in with their Inquiry topic. Fingers crossed they find the missing mace!

Thursday

District Athletics! Students who placed first and second at last week’s Newlands Athletics Carnival will represent our school. We wish them the best and encourage families to come along and enjoy the fun.

Friday

Book Week wraps up with a big parade in the Gymnasium at 2:30 pm. We can’t wait to see the creative costumes! We’ll also say farewell to Angelica and wish the best to Rob & Clara as their families grow.

Sunday

The famous Newlands Working Bee returns from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Join us for a morning of beautifying our school grounds. It promises to be better than Lollapalooza!

Finally, a quick shout-out to Taylor Swift for confirming the orange door on the last show was a sign of a new era. I can finally rest easy—and I’m excited to hear the gold she brings next!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Luke

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