Principal News

It’s time to let our community know that Sue has applied to move to a part-time arrangement, beginning next year. The application was approved late last week, and the position was advertised on the Department of Education recruitment site on Tuesday.

Sue has reached a point where she’d like to start considering life beyond work, and when the option of flexible working arose late in Term 3, she decided to apply.

For Scoresby Primary School, this means we will move to a shared principal model from next year. Under this flexible working arrangement, two principals will share the role, each working three days per week with a designated crossover day. This structure ensures consistency and provides time to meet and discuss any issues that arise.

Principal recruitment (full-time or part-time) is a full merit-based and equitable recruitment process involving a formal interview with our Senior Education and Improvement Leader (Justin Butler) and selection panel; please note Sue will have no involvement in the selection process.

Recruitment typically takes around 3–4 weeks. Once the process is complete, and a final decision has been made, the community will be informed.

Class News

Our class formation processes for next year are now well underway, and we would like to thank the parents who emailed to share their thoughts about how we can best support their children through transition and into new classes and teachers.

As always, a great deal of thought, discussion and professional consideration goes into forming classes that provide the optimal conditions for both learning and wellbeing. We carefully balance academic needs, social connections, behavioural considerations, and overall class dynamics to create cohesive, supportive learning environments for all students.

We appreciate your understanding and trust as we work to create the best possible start for every learner in the new school year.

How To Support Your Child Under 16 With The New Social Media Age Restrictions

From 10 December 2025, the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 will require social media platforms to:

· prevent children and young people under 16 from having a social media account

· deactivate or freeze existing accounts held by people under 16.

Delaying access to social media protects the health and wellbeing of young people and gives them extra time to build real world connections and digital literacy skills.

The responsibility will be on the social media platforms, not parents, carers, children or schools, to implement these new restrictions. Most popular social media platforms will be age restricted. These include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Reddit and YouTube. Messaging services and online games, as well as apps and platforms that support health and education, can still be used.

How to help under 16s prepare for the change

Parents and carers play an important role in supporting their children to be safe online.

To help get under 16s ready for the social media minimum age requirements, you can go to the eSafety website Social media age restrictions hub | eSafety Commissioner to learn more about the social media age restrictions and find tips on How to talk about social media age restrictions with under-16s | eSafety Commissioner by clicking the link.

What the change means for our school

At Scoresby Primary School, most age-restricted social media platforms are blocked for student use on the school network. Our school allows student access to YouTube in a logged-out state. However, this access is restricted so mature content cannot be viewed.

To keep up to date about the new social media age restrictions, visit the eSafety website and subscribe to their newsletter. Online safety | eSafety Commissioner

ICAS Results – Celebrating Our Students

During August, Scoresby Primary School students proudly participated in this year’s International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) Assessments. ICAS is a suite of high-quality skills-based assessments designed to recognise academic excellence. Students are challenged to apply their knowledge in authentic contexts, demonstrating higher-order thinking skills across a range of subject areas.

This year, our students elected to take part in Digital Technologies, English, Writing, Science, Spelling Bee and Mathematics.

We would like to congratulate all students who took on this challenge and represented Scoresby PS with enthusiasm and determination. They have achieved some excellent results considering these are interventional assessments.

Participants

Year 2: Rohan, William, Emily

Year 3: Laura, Hendrix

Year 4: Phoebe, Herman

Year 5: Rohith, Amir, Athena

Year 6: Eason, Noah

Results

Merit: Performed above average showing a good understanding

Credit: Strong performance solid grasp of concept

Distinction: High level achievement with very good performance

High Distinction: Exceptional performance with excellent understanding of concept

Achievements by Subject

Mathematics

William – Merit
Laura – Credit
Herman – Merit
Phoebe – Credit
Rohith – Merit
Eason – Distinction

English

Emily – Merit
Laura – Distinction
Athena – Credit

Digital Technologies

Eason – Merit
William – Merit

Science

Laura – Distinction

Spelling Bee

William – Merit
Laura – Credit
Amir – Credit

Writing

Laura – High Distinction
Phoebe – Credit
Athena – Credit
Eason – Distinction

We are extremely proud of all students who participated across the month and demonstrated commitment, curiosity and a positive approach to challenge. Well done to all our ICAS participants and award recipients!

Celebrating Staff Wellbeing Week

Last week, we celebrated Staff Wellbeing Week at Scoresby Primary School. Our staff work tirelessly each day to care for and support our students, and this was a wonderful opportunity to show our appreciation.

During the week, staff were treated to a coffee delivery and freshly made muffins for morning tea, enjoyed a lunchtime trivia session, and took part in a fun Staff vs Students netball match.

A huge thank you to all our staff for the amazing work they do every day – your dedication and care make a real difference in our school community!

Student Wellbeing Week – Week 9

We are excited to announce that next week - Week 9 - will be our Student Wellbeing Week at Scoresby Primary School. Throughout the week, students will have the opportunity to participate in a range of fun and engaging activities designed to promote happiness, connection and a sense of belonging across our school community.

Lunchtime Activities

Across the week, students can join in a variety of wellbeing-focused lunchtime activities, including:

Apple Slinkies: On Wednesday students can enjoy freshly "slinkied" apples - just BYO apple!
Chalk Drawing: a chance to get creative on the asphalt with bright and colourful chalk art.
Bubble Blowing: a calming and joyful activity perfect for mindfulness and fun with friends.

All of these activities encourage students to play, connect and enjoy time outdoors.

Colour Fun Run – Friday Afternoon 5th December

Our week will finish with a big celebration at the Colour Fun Run on Friday afternoon! Students are invited to wear free dress and bring along a white t-shirt to fully enjoy the colour experience.

Families are warmly encouraged to come along and cheer our students on. There will be music playing throughout the afternoon and - pending availability - we are hoping to have a visit from the local fire truck to add to the excitement.

SUE HARTLEY AND NICOLE RHEUMER

Scoresby Primary School Leaders

Chickens & Kitchen Garden News