As we approach the end of our first term of 2024, I would like to thank all of our staff and members of the school community for your support and positive energy throughout what has been, at times, a challenging term. I believe that together we have managed to face these challenges with a community resilience that has ensured our children have continued to learn and grow.

Our build continues to progress, and we believe that the southern end of the main building will be delivered to the school early next term.

We can reassure our families that it is our intention that, whilst the build continues, we will continue to deliver a strong teaching and learning program that is centred in child and affords every student the opportunity to be the best they can be.

I continue to believe that 2024 will be an exciting year for us, with our children continuing to receive a wonderful education here at Fitzroy North, whilst also enjoying the unique opportunity of witnessing their future school unfold before their very eyes. The result is a sense of anticipation and ownership over the spaces they will enjoy in the years to come.

I would like to thank the our BESI team: Melissa Lim, Susi Schmitz, Joe Norster, Joe Dykes and Refi Balla for their continued support throughout the build process. I would also like to thank each and every staff member for their ongoing commitment to your child’s education and every community member who has supported our school throughout this process. Whilst we continue to wait in anticipation and, at times, frustration, we lift our gaze in the knowledge that our current pain will be out shadowed by the promise of future gain very soon!

Harmony Week

With Harmony Week celebrations occurring at FNPS throughout last week, it was a great time to reflect on the diversity of our community, and how this diversity enhances our school and our community.

Harmony Day in Australia has its roots grounded deeply within the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and serves as a reminder of the inequity that exists for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The ideas around Harmony Day further extend beyond cultural diversity, through acknowledgement that age, gender and gender expression, socio-economic background, sexuality and religion can all impact health, education, pay and social outcomes.

We are proud of our diversity, passionate about inclusion and strive to ensure that everyone feels a sense of belonging. At Fitzroy North Primary School, we believe that students, staff and community members have the right to know themselves, show themselves and grow themselves by creating a safe space where our identities are not only accepted but learnt about and celebrated. This ensures each and every member of our community feels connected and safe.

So, let’s look at some facts about our community. Of our 282 families, 34 staff and 385 students, we have more than 22 different language groups represented in our community, with many of our students speaking multiple languages at home.

We have students, staff and families who have their ancestral roots planted in Iceland, Spain, South America, Hungary, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine, Somalia, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Philippines, New Zealand, Japan, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Albania, Canada and many, many more!

It is always wonderful to bring our community together; united in happiness and learning about each other’s cultures, our similarities and our points of difference. The more inclusive we can be, the more we all belong, and we love that everyone in the FNPS community belongs here!

NAPLAN

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge our Year 3 and 5 who completed their NAPLAN assessments over the past two weeks. Thank you to our teachers and community for creating a supportive environment in which our students saw NAPLAN as a no pressure opportunity to share their knowledge and understanding and do their best. Results will be published later in the year and will be shared with the community at this time.

FNPS 4 RCH

It has been amazing to see our community come together yet again to celebrate the lead up to the end of term through our FNPS 4 RCH fundraiser.

To each and every family that has donated to this cause, we thank you. If you haven’t already done so and would like to make a tax deductible donation to the Good Friday Appeal through our virtual shaker tin, please head to the link below.

RCH Good Friday Appeal

2025 Year 7 Enrolments

Early next term, the enrolment process for students transitioning from Year 6 – 7 begins for students enrolling in Victorian Government Secondary Schools in 2024. This will include the distribution of a Placement Information Pack from the first week of next term.

Further detailed information regarding the enrolment process can be found by accessing the attached factsheet:

Moving from primary to secondary school | vic.gov.au (www.vic.gov.au)

The factsheet is available in English, Arabic, Chinese, Dari and Vietnamese.

2025 Prep Enrolments

Do you or someone you know have a child starting school in 2025? We are now accepting enrolments for next year, with school tours being held fortnightly on Tuesday mornings at 9:30am.

Additionally, prospective families are invited to join us on Wednesday 8th May, 2024 at 6:00pm for our Prep 2025 Information Evening. The evening will provide families with information about our school, our curriculum, our community and the 2025 enrolment process.

Please follow the link below to book yourself into the Information Session or one of our fortnightly school tours:

Tours

Information Evening

I wish you all a safe and restorative Easter break and look forward to seeing you all back in Term 2.

Go gently,

Tania

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