Principal's Report

What a jam-packed week we have ahead!

This Thursday and Friday we are excited to move through our IB PYP Authorisation visit. This milestone marks the culmination of two years of deep learning about the PYP philosophy and how the IB can further enrich the experience of every child. I am incredibly proud of the learning taking place in every classroom and am excited to showcase our work to the authorisation team later this week. This has truly been a mammoth effort, and I would like to offer a special thank you to Joe and Hannah for their leadership, commitment, and dedication in ensuring we are so well prepared.

Last week finished on a high with some wonderful Professional Development delivered by Dr Ryan Dunn from the University of Melbourne, focusing on the FNPS Instructional Model, the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0 and Explicit Teaching. These sessions provided staff with a deep dive into the theoretical foundations of Explicit Teaching: what it is and, just as importantly, what it isn’t. It was also a chance to celebrate the exceptional Explicit Teaching practices already happening at FNPS, while expanding our knowledge of how we can continue to enhance our approaches. Many of our teachers commented on how energising it was to collaborate with colleagues and explore new ways of strengthening teaching and learning for their students.

Last Thursday also saw a large group of Year 4–6 students proudly represent FNPS at the District Athletics Carnival, following on from our very successful school carnival. Our students displayed outstanding sportsmanship, supporting one another throughout the day and representing our school with pride. We are thrilled that 11 of these students have now progressed to the Divisional stage of the competition. From sprinting and long-distance running to hurdles, relays, discus, shot put, high jump and triple jump, we wish all of our competitors every success in their upcoming events.

Student Arrival and Pick-up

We have noticed an increasing number of students arriving at school very early each morning. Please be reminded that staff supervision begins at 8:45am, and children are not supervised in the yard before this time. For the safety and wellbeing of all students, we ask that parents and carers ensure children are not left unsupervised prior to the commencement of supervision.

This is also a timely reminder about safe practices during drop-off and pick-up times. In the interests of keeping all children safe, we ask families to avoid double parking. Double parking not only causes congestion but also creates dangerous blind spots for children and families trying to cross the road. While we understand the challenges around parking in our area, accidents can happen in a moment. We ask for everyone’s cooperation in refraining from this practice to ensure the safety of our school community.

Animals on School Grounds

A reminder that animals, other than service animals, are not permitted inside the school gates. We have recently noticed an increase in pets being brought into the grounds. Given the large number of children in the yard, we ask that all animals remain outside the gates during drop-off and pick-up to ensure everyone’s safety and comfort.

Bikes, Scooters, Skateboards etc.

We also remind families that once inside the school grounds, both children and adults are required to dismount bikes, scooters and skateboards and walk them to the storage areas. Drop-off and pick-up are particularly busy times, and it is important that we maintain a safe and orderly environment for our whole community.

Hats are Back!

As we head towards Spring, it is once again time for students to wear their hats during outdoor play. In line with our FNPS SunSmart Policy, children are required to wear hats whenever they are outside from today. Hats are available for purchase at the front office if needed.

Parent Opinion Survey

As you know, FNPS is conducting the annual Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey and is seeking your feedback. The survey, offered by the Department of Education, is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement. 

We sent you an invitation to complete the survey. If you cannot find the invite (it may have ended up in your Junk Mail folder…), please reach out and we can resend this invitation to you.

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will remain open online until Friday 19 September 2025.

Your opinions are important to us and will contribute to identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies. The department will use the results from the survey for research purposes and to improve outcomes for students.

The survey is being conducted online and only takes 20 minutes to complete. 

If you require assistance in completing the survey, please reach out to your child’s teacher, or the school if you require assistance in another language.

Go gently,

Tania