Dear Solway Families,

Attendance

A reminder that regular school attendance is vital for student learning and wellbeing. Every day and every minute really do count. Missing even a small amount of school can add up over time, missing just one day a fortnight equals four full weeks of school across a year. Students who attend regularly are more likely to stay engaged, achieve their learning goals, and feel connected to their peers and teachers. So far this year, 30% of our students have a 95% attendance rate or higher. This is on par with schools within the Boroondara LGA. It would be great to see this rate continue or even increase across the remainder of the year. Regular attendance also helps children develop resilience, routines, and strong learning habits. Families can check their child’s attendance rate anytime through the Compass App.

I am mindful that there is currently illness within our school community and understand that staying home is the best place for children when they are unwell. At the same time, I encourage families to make attendance a priority whenever possible and to reach out if you need support in getting your child to school.

Book Week

We have had a fantastic week celebrating Book Week 2025. Monday’s parade was a wonderful highlight, with students and staff embracing the joy of storytelling by dressing up as their favourite characters. Thank you to all the parents and carers who joined us on the morning to cheer on the parade and support the occasion. A special thank you goes to Sarah Watkins for her outstanding coordination of events throughout the week, and to author Cristy Burne, who ran engaging sessions with our students. Cristy’s workshops inspired our learners to think like writers and to see themselves as creators of stories worth sharing.

This year’s theme, Book an Adventure, reminded us of the journeys that stories can take us on, opening new worlds, sparking imagination, and helping us explore big ideas together. It was wonderful to see our students’ curiosity and creativity shining so brightly throughout the celebrations.

NAPLAN

I am very proud to share Solway Primary School’s 2025 NAPLAN results, which highlight the strength of our teaching and learning programs and the commitment of our students and staff. The results show that our students are consistently achieving well above state averages and performing strongly compared to similar schools.

Some highlights include:

Year 3 Writing: 96% of students achieved in the Strong & Exceeding bands (compared to 91% in similar schools and 79% statewide).
Year 5 Writing: 87% of students in the top bands, above both similar schools (84%) and the state (72%).
Year 5 Reading Growth: 87% of students demonstrated medium to high growth from Year 3 to Year 5, compared to 68% statewide.

Across all areas—including spelling, grammar & punctuation, and numeracy—our students are showing excellent outcomes, reflecting their hard work, the support of families, and the dedication of our teachers. These results align strongly with our school vision of empowering curious and caring learners to thrive in an inclusive community and our values of Respect, Responsibility and Resilience. Congratulations to our students and staff on this outstanding achievement!

2026 Planning

Although we’re only partway through this year, planning for the 2026 school year is already underway. To help us with class structures and staffing, we ask families who already know that their child will not be returning to Solway Primary School next year to please notify Karen in the office as soon as possible. Early notification helps us ensure a smooth transition for all students and supports our planning to best meet the needs of our school community.

Thank you for your continued support and lets all strive to be “our best always”.

David Rosser

Principal

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