Assistant Principals Report

Update from Narelle

Hello Whitehorse community!

My name is Narelle Sime, and I’m delighted to be joining the Whitehorse Primary School team for Term 4 as Acting Assistant Principal. I will be splitting my time between two schools this term, holding a similar role at Templestowe Park Primary School. I bring experience as a Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader (MHWL) where I work to support student wellbeing, strengthen inclusive practices and build positive school-wide systems.

During my time at Whitehorse, I’ll be working closely with Andrew and Megan to review whole-school structures and processes, with a focus on strengthening existing practices and developing structures and priorities for 2027. I’m also looking forward to working with student focus groups to hear their ideas and perspectives and identify ways to build on the many wonderful things already happening across the school.

It has been lovely to experience the strong sense of community at Whitehorse and see the positive connections between students, families and staff. With the sunshine making an appearance, it’s been especially wonderful to see the children out enjoying the fresh air and making the most of their time together.

I’m looking forward to getting to know the students, staff and wider community over the term and contributing to the continued growth and success of this wonderful school. My work days at Whitehorse will be Monday and Tuesday. Please come say hello if you see me in the playground, or feel free to contact me if you have any concerns you would like to discuss.

Kind regards,

Narelle Sime

Assistant Principal

Update from Megan

What a great start we have had to Term 4! It has been lovely being back with our students, staff and wonderful community. 

Wellbeing at Whitehorse Primary School

Restorative Practices

At our school, we recognise that mistakes and conflict are a natural part of learning and growing. How we respond to these moments can help children develop empathy, resilience and a sense of responsibility.

When supporting students to navigate challenges and ‘friendship fires’ we use the Past, Present, Future (PPF) model, inspired by Adam Voigt’s Restoring Teaching. PPF provides a simple way to support children reflect on their behaviour and repair relationships.

When teachers facilitate a PPF restorative discussion we discuss the following: 

PAST – What happened?We ask students to list all the behaviours or actions that have led to the problem. 

PRESENT – How did people feel?We ask and acknowledge how students feel. How did they feel when the problem happened? How do they feel now? 

FUTURE – What will you do to fix this?We support children to list ways they can ‘make it right’ or repair the relationship. This could be apologising to their friend for hurting their feelings, remembering to keep their hands and feet to themselves or finding a yard duty teacher or peer support leader for help in the yard.

After students agree on what they need to do to make it right there may be a consequence for behaviour in line with our behaviour matrix (e.g. time out of the yard, written apology, communication to family). Students are monitored and the PPF agreement is then revisited if further problems arise. 

The use of ‘PPF’ is in line with our School Wide Positive Behaviour Support approach. When students feel safe to be honest about their mistakes, they are more likely to seek help, take responsibility and work towards positive solutions.

Education Support 

We are excited to introduce Zac to Whitehorse Primary School.  Zac joins our strong Education Support team and works with students across the school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to support their learning and wellbeing needs. Please say hi if you see him in the yard or one of our classrooms! 

Teaching and Learning Update 

Whitehorse Primary School Playbook

We have been working on developing our Whitehorse Primary School Playbook, which brings together the key teaching practices that support high-quality learning across our school.

The playbook establishes a shared approach to teaching, creating consistency across classrooms and ensuring students know what successful learning looks like. By building a common language and clear expectations, we aim to maximise student engagement, build confidence and support every child to achieve their full potential.

The playbook will also guide our ongoing professional learning for staff and support consistency of teaching and learning across our school! 

Mini Whiteboards

One teaching technique we have been focusing on across the school has been the use of Mini Whiteboards. Mini Whiteboards are used from Foundation to Year 6 in lessons such as Phonics, Maths or Writing to provide students an opportunity to respond in the lesson. This approach increases responsive teaching and helps teachers meet the needs of all students.

We have developed the visual below to support students in using the Mini Whiteboards effectively.  

Reaching out for support 

If you have any questions about our wellbeing or teaching and learning approaches at Whitehorse Primary School please do not hesitate to reach out. We are always here to support our families!

Have a wonderful week. 

Megan Goldenberg 

Assistant Principal