Our Bilingual Fiesta was an absolute highlight of the term, filled with incredible food, vibrant dancing and so much laughter across our community. We are now officially internationally recognised as a Spanish bilingual school, and extend a huge thank you to Luisa and the Spanish Sub Committee for delivering such an outstanding event!

What a fantastic start to the year it has been at Newlands Primary School. Term 1 has been filled with energy, connection and celebration as our community came together for so many memorable events. From Book Pack Day and our classroom information sessions to Meet the Teacher and the Welcome Back Picnic, we set the tone for a strong and positive year. Students and families embraced Ride to School Day and our vibrant Bilingual Fiesta, while key milestones such as School Photos, Interschool Sport and Neurodiversity Celebration Week brought our community together in meaningful ways and ending the term with Venezuela Cultural Week. We also launched our new School Council and established our Sub Committees, strengthening community voice and engagement across the school. Behind the scenes, our incredible teachers have been working tirelessly, planning, assessing and delivering high-quality learning in both English and Spanish as part of our bilingual program. It has been a busy, productive and joyful start to the year, and one that truly reflects the strength and spirit of our Newlands community.

Term 2 is shaping up to be even bigger, with an exciting calendar of events that continue to bring our community together. We are looking forward to our Outdoor Movie Night, Mother’s Day Breakfast, and celebrating inclusion and diversity on IDAHOBIT Day. Our 2026 School Tours will also begin as we welcome prospective 2027 families into our school, alongside the much-anticipated Colour Run and the 3/4 School Camp, which are always highlights for our students.

Most importantly, Term 2 provides an opportunity for deep reflection and learning as we acknowledge Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week. These significant events are central to our commitment to respect, understanding and truth-telling, and we look forward to engaging our students in meaningful learning experiences that honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures.

Foundation Reflection

Our Foundation students have had an incredible start to their school journey, settling beautifully into life at Newlands Primary School. They experienced their very first incursion with Supreme, where they enthusiastically participated in team-building activities that built confidence and connection. Students have begun taking home readers in English, proudly sharing their learning with families, and have already learned their first sounds in both English and Spanish. It has been exciting to see them start writing their very first sentences and building their numeracy skills, including counting to 20 in Spanish.

The term has also been filled with opportunities to build friendships and a sense of belonging. Students have loved starting Facts on Fuego and connecting with their supportive Grade 6 buddies. They have explored the school and discovered their favourite places to play during recess and lunch, growing in independence each day. Most importantly, they have successfully established the routines and expectations of school life. It has truly been a fantastic Term 1 for our Foundation team!

1/2 Reflection

It has been a fantastic term for our 1/2 team, highlighted by the wonderful addition of Almendra and Bianca to the team. In Literacy, there has been a strong focus on sentence writing and recounts, alongside developing skills in editing and revising. Students have engaged in regular paired and independent reading, while also building their understanding of new spelling patterns.

In Numeracy, students have been developing their skills in counting, place value, addition and subtraction, building strong foundations for future learning. The 1/2s also participated in an incursion focused on resilience, with students bringing these important strategies back into the classroom. The 1/2 cohort is well and truly set up for a fantastic year ahead!

3/4 Reflection

The students wrapped up Week 9 by watching Charlotte’s Web, the focus of the 3/4 novel study this term. It has been wonderful hearing students excitedly say, “Hey! There is Charlotte!” every time they spot a spider around Newlands. Even better was the overwhelming response that the book was far better than the movie always a great sign of deep engagement with the text.

To bring the novel to life, students visited Bundoora Park Animal Farm, which was a fantastic success. This experience inspired rich learning, including writing narratives in Spanish based on farm animal characters, while also providing a memorable day out with the 3/4 team. Despite the interruptions of NAPLAN, students continued to build their Numeracy skills, applying their understanding of place value to solve addition and subtraction problems. Looking ahead, Tier 2 Numeracy will begin in Week 3 next term, and most excitingly, students will head off to school camp in Week 9!

5/6 Reflection

The 5/6s welcome Emma, Courtney and after a successful petition Jose into the 5/6 area. It has been a great start to the year for the 5/6s. In Literacy, the students have been reading The Last Bear, and writing narratives in Spanish about endangered animals, pollution and the impact. The students have had the best time at Interschool Sport meeting lots of other schools. They've had a Supreme Incursion which focused on Team Building and all of the school leaders have had a fantastic start to the year, making such a positive impact on our school. In Numeracy, the students have been doing lots of work on fractions, decimals, length and mass.

Building Works

As discussed last week, there is a significant amount of building works taking place over the holidays which may drag over into the first two weeks of school. We will provide a SENTRAL update during the second week of the holidays.

Annual General Meeting - 21st of April

We warmly invite all parents and carers to attend our Annual General Meeting (AGM), which will be held at 6:30pm in the staff room at Newlands Primary School. This is a wonderful opportunity to come together as a community, hear about the school’s achievements and progress, and gain insight into our plans moving forward. We encourage your involvement and look forward to your participation in supporting the continued growth and success of our school.

We hope you have an incredible holiday! We will see you ready for Term 2. We appreciate all of your support!

Thanks,

Luke

Somatic & Creative Arts Therapy @ NPS