Aaron Cox

Principal

What a way to finish a term. Fifty years. One school. One remarkable community.

As Term 3 draws to a close, I want to pause and reflect on just how much our students, staff and families have achieved together. This term has been full and busy. It has also been one of the most joyful and memorable terms in our school’s history. This week we celebrated Kingswood’s Golden Anniversary, and in doing so we celebrated every child, family and staff member who has walked through our gates since 1976.

Being connected to community is at the heart of who we are. This term, we lived it.

Open Day

Thank you to everyone who came along to our Open Day on Saturday 12th September. It was wonderful to welcome current families, prospective and past families and members of our wider community into our classrooms to meet our staff and students and see what Kingswood looks like up close.

A special thank you to Team Kids, who generously supplied a coffee cart for the day. Their support helped create a warm and welcoming atmosphere, and we are very grateful. We also can’t forget Sonia and her team in the kitchen cooking pizza’s!

Relationship-based Education with John Hendry OAM

This term we have been fortunate to work with John Hendry OAM through his Relationship-based Education program. John has worked with our staff, our students and our parents, exploring a simple but powerful idea: children learn best when they feel known, safe and connected, and when the relationships around them are strong.

His sessions were thoughtful, practical and deeply affirming of the partnership between home and school. We sincerely thank Parents Victoria for supporting Kingswood to make this work possible. It is a genuine investment in our children and in our community.

Celebrating 50 Years – Our Golden Anniversary Week

This week, Kingswood turned 50. Established in 1976, our school has been part of the fabric of the Dingley Village community for half a century, and this week we celebrated in style.

It was a massive week. Every event was made possible by staff who gave their time, energy and creativity, and by families who came along and joined in. Thank you. You made it special.

Welcoming Back Our Former Principals

On Monday 14 September we were honoured to welcome back former principals of Kingswood Primary School for our Principals’ Day. Thank you to Rosemary Cosentino, David Cook, Julie Ford, David Schmidt and Rex Wythe for returning to celebrate with us and Jenny Eaton the first administrative staff member.

Our whole-school assembly was a moving reminder that every leader, every teacher and every family has added a chapter to the Kingswood story. It was a privilege to hear their memories and to see the pride they still hold for this school. Each of our former principals has also recorded a short reflection for our school archive and the Dingley Village Historical Society, so their stories will be preserved for generations to come.

A Pin Badge and a Cupcake for Every Student

To mark the occasion, every student received a commemorative Golden Anniversary pin and a celebratory cupcake. We hope the pins become treasured keepsakes, a small reminder that each of our students is now part of Kingswood’s 50-year story.

Our 50 Year School Photo

This week we gathered the whole school together for a special 50th anniversary photo. It captures Kingswood exactly as it is in 2026, and one day it will sit proudly alongside the photographs of the decades that came before it.

Past, Present and Future – Our Time Capsules

One of the true highlights of the week was displaying our original time capsule. Its contents offered a fascinating glimpse into school life from years gone by, and our students were captivated by what they found.

We then turned our eyes to the future, burying a new time capsule filled with items that capture Kingswood today. We can only imagine the reactions of the students who one day open it and discover what school life looked like for us.

Historical Displays in the Library

Our library has become a window into the past, with historical displays celebrating our school across five decades. It has been a joy to watch students, families and visitors pause, point and share stories as they explore. Thank you to everyone who contributed to and prepared these displays.

Our Expo

On Tuesday 15th September we celebrated our Expo. Our students shared their learning with pride and confidence, and it was wonderful to see so many families come along to celebrate their achievements. Thank you to our staff for the preparation behind the scenes, and congratulations to our students on a fantastic effort.

A Positive School Review

On Thursday 17th September, Kingswood completed its School Review. Every Victorian government school undertakes a review every four years to reflect on its progress and set the direction for its next School Strategic Plan.

We are proud of the positive feedback shared on the day. It recognised the hard work of our staff, the engagement of our students and the support of our families. The review will now shape our new School Strategic Plan for 2027 to 2030, and we look forward to sharing more with our community in Term 4. Thank you to our School Council President, Arosh Fernando, who represented our families on the review panel.

Celebrating All Things Australiana and Footy Day

We celebrated the week in true-blue fashion, with a focus on all things Australiana. Our Footy Day was a highlight, with students proudly showing their team spirit. And of course, no Aussie celebration would be complete without a sausage sizzle. Our heartfelt thanks to Free Agency, who generously supplied the BBQ, sausages and bread.

Choir Evening Concert

Our choir capped off our celebrations with a beautiful evening concert. Our singers performed with confidence and joy, and it was a fitting way to celebrate fifty years of our school community coming together. Thank you to our choir members, their families and the staff who supported them.

Our New Mural

We are proud to celebrate the completion of our new mural. It is a vibrant and lasting addition to our school grounds, and one that our students will enjoy for many years to come. Thank you to everyone involved in bringing it to life, especially Sharon Lomas for gaining a grant from Bendigo Bank Dingley Village.

Below is my interpretation:

When I first stood back and took in the mural from across the basketball courts, the familiar things jumped out. The garden beds and the chickens, a proud nod to our Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program. The girl breathing in the scent of a red waratah, echoing the emblem that sits at the heart of our school logo. The wellbeing dog, resting calmly, as our dogs do every day in our classrooms. At first glance, it is simply a portrait of Kingswood. And that alone would have been enough.

But then I walked closer. And I looked harder.

The girl sitting against the tree is reading a book. And flowing out from the pages of that book is everything else in the mural. The garden. The children working together. The trees, the sunshine, the chickens, the flower. None of it is simply there. She is creating it. These are the words on the page coming to life in her mind.

That, to me, is the real heart of this artwork. It is a picture of thinking. She is using her imagination, drawing on what she already knows and applying it to something new. These are her Habits of Mind at work. It is the building blocks of her thinking, painted large enough for all of us to see. For Victoria's only government Cultures of Thinking school, I can't imagine a more fitting image to greet our students every morning.

And she is not doing it alone. Beside her sits the wellbeing dog, steady and calm. Look closely and he appears to be gazing at the world she is imagining, as if he can see it too. Learning flourishes when children feel safe, supported and settled. That dog says it better than any policy document ever could (and with considerably fewer pages).

There is one detail I keep coming back to. The chickens seem, at first, to belong entirely to the girl's imagined world. But one of them has stepped out. It is walking across into the real world, heading towards the dog. I love that. It is the moment where imagination and reality blur, where the picture in our minds becomes something we can reach out and touch. That is what great learning does. It doesn't stay on the page.

Finally, there is the joy. Every face in this mural is happy. The children in the garden. The reader under the tree. The girl with her eyes closed, savouring the scent of a native flower. It is a comforting wall. It celebrates the power of a good book, and it celebrates the things that make Kingswood what it is today, in our 50th year.

This mural lives our values. It shows a school that is here for the students, a place where every child's imagination is given room to grow. It is a place to shine, stimulating imagination and a love of learning. The children tending the garden together show us what it means to thrive in a team culture. And in a garden, a dog, a native flower and the families who made this project possible, we see a school proudly connected to community.

Now it's your turn.

That is my reading of the wall. But the best artworks, like the best books, don't have just one meaning. I'd love you to take a few minutes to study the mural yourself, with your child if you can, and try one of our favourite thinking routines: What do you see? What do you think about that? What does it make you wonder? Then tell us. I'm genuinely curious to find out what I've missed.

Looking Ahead to Term 4

Term 4 begins on Monday 5th October. At eleven weeks, it is the longest term of the year, and it is always a big one.

Our Year 3 and Year 4 students will head off on camp, a highlight of their primary school journey. Our whole school will take to the stage for our concert nights, held onsite at Kingswood. And the term will culminate in our Year 6 Graduation, as we celebrate our oldest students and farewell them to secondary school. Dates and details for all events will be shared with families early in the term.

Enjoy the Break Together

Thank you to our entire school community — students, staff and families — for your support and partnership this term. It is this shared commitment that makes Kingswood such a special place to learn and grow.

Please enjoy the school holidays with your children. Slow down. Play, rest, read and simply enjoy each other’s company. Whether you are travelling, relaxing at home or spending time with loved ones, we hope the break brings you time to recharge together.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday 5th October.

Kind regards,

Aaron Cox

Principal

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