Dear Whitehorse Primary School families,

Term 4 is an important time as we celebrate our students’ progress, strengthen our learning routines and begin planning for the year ahead. There is much to be proud of at Whitehorse, and I am pleased to share the following updates with our community.

Staffing Updates

We warmly welcome Ebony Dijk, who is teaching Visual Arts to our Grade 3–6 students, and Narelle Sime, who joins us as Acting Assistant Principal for Term 4. Narelle will work alongside Megan Goldenberg to support our school’s mental health and wellbeing leadership. We also welcome Karen Geddes as Business Manager whilst Cheryl is on extended long service leave. Karen brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the role and we are excited to have her as part of our team.

We are also delighted to welcome back Belinda Zelazny, teaching Grade 1/2, and Sabrina Chin, teaching STEM. Both are familiar members of our Whitehorse team and have returned to take on these roles following Catherine Kelly’s commencement of family leave.

I would also like to inform our wider community that Sara Hudson will finish at Whitehorse at the end of October, as she and her family make the move to regional Victoria. Sara will be replaced by Annie Morrison another returning member of our Whitehorse staff.

Sara has been a highly valued leader and an important part of Whitehorse since the school’s inception. Her care, commitment and support have made a lasting contribution to our students, staff and families. On behalf of our community, I sincerely thank Sara for everything she has given to Whitehorse. We will miss her and wish her and her family every happiness as they begin this next chapter.

Parent Forums

Thank you to the many families who joined us last term for parent forums to support ongoing an open dialogue between the school and our wider community. We plan to again run these through Term 4 with a mix of times to cater for different families. We will commence our first forum for the term next Friday 30th October at 2:00pm in the Kitchen. Further information and dates will be sent out via Compass later this week.

School Performance Report 2026

We are proud to share that Whitehorse Primary School has again been recognised by the Department of Education as a high-performing school, with our academic performance identified as a particular strength.

This recognition reflects the collective efforts of our dedicated staff, the commitment our students bring to their learning and the strong partnerships we share with families. It is encouraging to see this work recognised, and we remain focused on helping every student make progress and experience success.

Please see the accompanying images highlighting our school’s performance.

Ready to Learn: Morning Classroom Entry

To support our Ready to Learn focus this term, all classrooms will now open at 8:50am, with supervision provided for students to enter, organise their belongings and settle before learning begins at 9:00am.

This ten-minute settling period provides an opportunity for students to connect with their teacher, prepare their materials and feel ready for the day ahead. Morning music will signal that classrooms are open.

Please take some time to look through the attached Ready to Learn placemat and morning entry process with your child. Using consistent routines and language across our school will help students understand expectations and start each day confidently.

Friday Breakfast Club

Our Breakfast Club is commencing each Friday morning after Run Club on the Village Green. All students are welcome to stop by and collect a piece of fruit, a fruit cup or a small milk, which make up our current offerings this term.

Students do not need to participate in Run Club to access Breakfast Club. It is a lovely opportunity to connect with others and enjoy a nourishing start to the school day, ready for learning.

Classes for 2027

We will soon begin the process of creating classes for 2027. This is a thoughtful and detailed process, with staff working together to establish balanced classes that support students’ learning, wellbeing and relationships.

The following information explains how families and students can contribute, and the factors we consider.

What can parents and carers request?

Families may share information about their child’s educational or wellbeing needs that should be considered when placing them in a class. This may include a request for their child to be placed with, or separately from, another student because of learning needs, a past incident or an ongoing relationship concern.

Sometimes families request that their child be separated from a close friend to support concentration, independence or opportunities to develop new friendships.

All requests will be carefully considered alongside the needs of the whole cohort. We cannot guarantee that every request can be accommodated.

Where should requests be sent?

Please email requests directly to the Principal at andrew.denelzen@education.vic.gov.au by 5:00pm on Friday 30 October 2026.

Please include your child’s name, current class and the educational or wellbeing reasons for your request. Late requests may not be able to be accommodated once class planning is underway.

How are student friendship preferences considered?

Students will be invited to identify peers they would work well with in a class next year. We encourage them to think about positive learning partners as well as friends.

We aim to place each student with at least one of their nominated peers wherever possible; however, this cannot be guaranteed. Friendship preferences form one part of a broader process, and we recognise that relationships can change throughout the term.

Creating new class groups also gives students opportunities to broaden their friendships, develop confidence and build connections across their year level. Students will continue to have opportunities to spend time with friends during breaks and other school activities.

Who creates the classes?

Classroom teachers and specialist teachers contribute their knowledge of students to the process. The Principal Class Team then reviews all proposed classes before they are finalised and shared with families.

What factors are considered?

When developing classes, we consider:

Students’ academic strengths and learning needs.
Social connections and positive learning partnerships.
Wellbeing, behaviour and individual support needs.
A balanced spread of students across each class, including gender balance wherever possible.

We do not stream classes by academic ability. Our aim is to create balanced learning environments in which every student can feel connected, supported and appropriately challenged.

Thank you for trusting our staff’s professional judgement and supporting your child to approach their new class with a positive outlook.

Will Your Child Be Leaving Whitehorse?

Accurate enrolment information helps us plan our staffing and class structures for the year ahead.

If your child is currently in Foundation to Grade 5 and will not be returning to Whitehorse Primary School in 2027, please notify the school office in writing or email me as soon as possible.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership and support as we work together to make the remainder of 2026 a positive and successful time for our students.

Kind regards,

Andrew Den Elzen

Principal

Student of the Week