Principal's Report

In this week’s newsletter:

News and Appreciations

• Mother's and Special Person's Day Stall
• Purchasing Persimmons
• Education Support Staff 
• Marco and My's Lovely News
• Bike Safety and Courtesy
• Soccer Play on the Oval Before School

Coming Up Tomorrow

• IDAHOBIT Day
• New Facilities Works
• Prep 2027 Tour and Enrolment Information Session
• Winter Interschool Sport Competition - Round 3

• Assembly

   

Coming Up Next Week

• Student Free Day
• Year 6 Winter Sport - Round 3 Next Friday
• Walk and Ride Safely to School Day

News and Appreciations

Mother’s and Special Person’s Day Stall

We are fortunate to have such an active Parents’ Association and community members who generously volunteer their time for one-off events. Their support allows us to provide memorable opportunities for our students and families, such as the highly organised and successful Mother’s and Special Person’s Day Stall held last Friday.

We sincerely thank our Parents’ Association for creating such a special event. A very big thank you to our main organisers, Wes Jackson (mum of Isaac and Ezra) and Hilary Simmons (mum of Felicity in PAC), along with everyone who assisted with wrapping gifts, setting up on Thursday afternoon, and staffing shifts on Friday.

We also hope that all FWPS mums and special people felt appreciated and acknowledged last Sunday.

Please note a detailed list of appreciations and some important PA news is in the dedicated PA section in today's newsletter.

Purchasing Persimmons

The Environmental Team raised $148.00 through sales of the persimmons harvested from our orchard. Funds raised will support new gardening purchases.

Thank you to our community for your support, as well as to our student helpers and Environmental Team conveners, Caity and Mikala.

Education Support Staff Day

Today we celebrated our fantastic Education Support (ES) team. Whether assisting with student integration, classroom support, or working as part of our dynamic office team, their contribution is invaluable and integral to the success of our school.

Teachers and the principal team also showed their gratitude by providing a special morning tea during lunchtime today.

Marco and My’s Lovely News

We are delighted to share the wonderful news that Year 4 team leader Marco Pitisano and his partner, My, recently welcomed their first child, Connor, weighing 2.9kg and measuring 52cm.

Bike Safety and Courtesy

I recently received thoughtful communication from a current parent who, like many of us, is pleased to see the increased use of bikes and scooters for student transport. However, she also raised the valid concern that while many students ride courteously on local paths (the right of all primary-aged children) some students are riding too quickly for the location and conditions.  Unsurprisingly, this tends to be our older students who arrive unaccompanied by adults.

She described an example where one child rang their bell and gave pedestrians time to move aside, while others following behind did not ring their bells and made walking feel unsafe.

This provides an excellent reminder with our acknowledgement of Walk (Ride) Safely to School Day next Friday.  

Soccer Play on the Oval Before School

We really dislike banning activities at FWPS; however, my request at last week’s assembly that students playing soccer before school avoid the path exiting onto Blandford Street has not been consistently followed.

There is a steady stream of people using this path at around 8:50am, and they should not have to duck, weave, or become accidental goalkeepers!

I will continue to monitor the situation regularly and, if students do not follow this simple and reasonable expectation, the “offending” ball may spend a day or two in my office.

Coming Up Tomorrow

IDAHOBIT Day

We live in a wonderfully diverse and inclusive community, and our acknowledgement of IDAHOBIT Day provides an opportunity for us all to show our care, support, and appreciation by wearing a “splash of colour”.

Although the official day falls on Sunday, 17 May, we encourage all members of our community to wear a splash of colour tomorrow if you are visiting the school, as a sign of support and celebration.

We will also hold our first lunchtime disco in the new gym — a great opportunity to test out our new speakers with some fantastic music!

In addition, the 3CG class assembly presentation will help us learn more about the importance of recognising and acknowledging this special day.

New Facilities Works

Tomorrow, safety mesh will be installed on the car park sliding gate and the adjacent fence line next to Dumbo. Following an unexpected gate opening that raised concerns for a local family, they contacted us to seek a solution. We appreciate that our Eagle Building construction partners recognised the potential risk associated with the sliding gate and stationary fence with vertical bars and have supported the installation costs during the 12-month defects liability period.

Prep 2027 Tour and Enrolment Information Session

Our second tour will be held tomorrow. Tours have already proven very popular, with strong bookings across all sessions.

Prospective Prep parents may book here: https://www.fwps.vic.edu.au/page/283/Prep-2027-Tour-and-Enrolment-Information-Sessions

Remaining Sessions

• Tuesday 26 May 2026, 9:30am – 11:15am
• Wednesday 27 May 2026, 6:00pm – 7:30pm

Winter Interschool Sport Competition – Round 3

Tomorrow, selected teams from our Year 6 cohort will take on St John’s PS in a home fixture. As always, we encourage parents and carers to attend and provide encouragement.

Matches will take place at school (netball and AFL) and at Johnson Reserve (soccer and T-ball) between approximately 12:15pm and 1:30pm.

Assembly

Tomorrow’s assembly will feature:

• 3CG presenting the assembly item
• Sports reports from last week’s second round of winter competition
• Other relevant reports

• Our Pupil of the Week awards

   

Please be seated prior to 2:50pm. Gates will open after students return to class following the end of recess at 2:30pm.

Coming Up Next Week

Student Free Day

A reminder to our community that next Monday, 18 May, is a student-free day, designated as a Professional Practice Day for staff.

Teachers will primarily focus on student assessment and reporting. As teachers rarely have the opportunity to work from home, they may choose to do so on this day. Class-based Education Support staff, administration staff, and the principal team will remain onsite.

Our OSHC provider, TheirCare, has opened bookings for a fully supervised all-day care program for families wishing to access this service.

Year 6 Winter Sport – Round 3 Next Friday

Next Friday will be an away fixture, with our Year 6 students competing against Footscray PS.

Walk and Ride Safely to School Day

Next Friday, we will acknowledge Walk and Ride Safely to School Day as part of National Road Safety Week, encouraging families to swap car travel for walking, riding, or scooting where possible.

Travelling actively in a busy community requires awareness and care - using our senses, anticipating potential hazards, and remaining alert to risks such as reversing vehicles and distracted drivers.

We encourage families to discuss what safe travel looks like and to promote healthy, active habits together.

Please join us next Friday, and on as many days as possible, by leaving the car at home and supporting the health and wellbeing of both your family and our wider community.

Best regards,

Brendan

Repeated and Revised Messages

Family Voluntary Contributions

Thank you for your continued contributions via Compass. We greatly appreciate your ongoing support in helping sustain our curriculum programs.

While the principle of “free education” remains, the politicisation of parent contributions has had a significant impact on government schools. FWPS previously received contributions from approximately 95% of families; this figure now typically sits between 65% and 70%.

Although we have worked hard to keep contributions low and ensure value for money, a reduction of approximately 25% in revenue has a real impact on our ability to provide the quality and range of resources we believe are necessary.

In recent years, we have introduced programs such as Spelling Mastery, the Explicit Maths Program, and Inform and Empower, all of which carry a per-student cost. When contributions are not received, funding must be sourced elsewhere.

We understand that some families may be experiencing financial hardship. Contributions may be made in part rather than in full. If you are able, we encourage you to support the school to the best of your capacity.

Photographing, Filming and Recording Students

This is our annual reminder that if you wish to change your current permission settings regarding photographing, filming, or recording your child, please contact the school office.

Further information is available on the Policies page of our website:

https://www.fwps.vic.edu.au/page/222/Policies-and-Child-Safe-Standards

Annual Privacy Reminder

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions, or where permitted by law, as outlined in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and Privacy Collection Notice.

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy (available on our website) explains how we collect and use images, videos, and recordings of students, including when parent consent is required and how it can be provided or withdrawn.

We also encourage parents to review our guidance on the safe use of Google Workspace for Education (G Suite Information for Parents & Guardians) and how you can further protect your child’s information. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s use of Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, please contact the school.

For more information, refer to the Schools’ Privacy Policy: Information for Parents, available in multiple community languages, including Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Gujarati, Mandarin, Somali, Sudanese, Turkish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)

Please refer to the flyer in this newsletter regarding CSEF applications for 2026. Applications close in June and provide valuable financial support for families.

This year, the amount has increased to $400 per child. If you are eligible — don’t miss out!