Kyneton Primary School Newsletter

Principal's Message to the School Community

We have begun working with Project Rocket.

 

Project Rocket’s approach is built on the simple premise that young people can create positive change in the world around them. Their job is to cultivate the skills, confidence, and connections needed to do exactly that. We also work with parents and educators to wrap support around the whole school community.

 

Early next term our Year 5 & 6s will have a session called SYNC delivered by Project Rocket staff and as a bonus, we are able to access the free Parent Session below named Gaming & Your Family.

 

SYNC is an empowering introduction to the digital world, exploring the opportunities and challenges of online communication, as well as providing strategies to navigate conflict online.

 

Gaming & Your Family

 

When: Wednesday 26th March 2025, 7pm-8pm AEDT

Timing: 40 minutes + Question Time

 

In this session we will help you bridge the gap between gamers, parents and professionals through education and intelligent gaming strategies.

 

You will learn why your kids are gaming instead of doing other activities, understand the culture and psychology of gaming, discover where the line blurs between healthy and unhealthy gaming, and build resilience and life perspective.

 

Parent & Carer Education Sessions are designed to support educators by empowering families to tackle cyberbullying and digital challenges effectively. 

 

Each session is led by Daniel Donahoo, our Manager of Digital Innovation, who brings over 20 years of experience in enhancing student outcomes through technology and ethical practices. 

 

All sessions for parents are free

                                               

RESERVE A SPOT

 

Alistair Rayner

Principal

School Council President's Report

School Council Parent Member Category Nomination Result

 

After the closure of the nominations for the Parent Member Category of School Council at 4pm today Thursday 6th March 2025 there has been two nominations.

 

Zanna Moran and Elisha Matthews have been elected to the KPS School Council for a two year term.

 

Congratulations Zanna and Elisha who will join Caryn Wright for a two year term and the following parents who have 12 months remaining of their term on School Council in the Parent Member Category - 

• Andrew Young

• Katy McGrath

• Lauren Richardson

• Steven Sheppard

 

Welcome to the 2025 School Year

On behalf of School Council, I’d like to welcome all families, both returning and new, to the 2025 school year. We’re looking forward to another fantastic year of learning, growth, and community engagement. School Council plays an important role in supporting the school’s strategic direction, and we encourage families to stay informed and involved.

Below are some key highlights from our first meeting of the year, held last week.

 

Annual Implementation Plan Priorities

All Victorian government schools follow a four-year strategic planning cycle to support continuous improvement. Each year, schools develop an Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) that outlines key focus areas and strategies for the year ahead.

 

Mr. Rayner presented a summary of the 2025 AIP, confirming that KPS will continue its strong focus on student learning, teacher development, and wellbeing.

  • A key priority is feedback — ensuring meaningful communication between teachers and students, between students themselves, and between school leadership and the wider community.
  • Our dedicated Education Support staff had expressed interest in being more connected to the AIP and have already engaged in targeted professional development to support this.
  • Staff are aligning the school’s instructional model with the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0, reinforcing existing strong practices while refining some of terminology used.

  • The new Mental Health in Primary Schools initiative will see our Mental Health and  Wellbeing Leader, Michelle Thompson, focusing on upskilling staff so they can further embed high-impact wellbeing strategies into their teaching and support of students.

     

    Financial Update and Enrolments

With 56 Year 6 students graduating last year and 46 Prep students enrolling, there has been a small drop in enrolments, which impacts school funding. However, rather than reduce class numbers, the school has chosen to maintain small class sizes to support student learning.

 

The Student Enrolment Census was in the last week of February, which will provide a clearer picture of the school’s financial position for the year.

 

We are incredibly grateful for the generous donations from local community groups, including the Kyneton RSL and Country Women’s Association, who each contributed $1,000 to support the Breakfast Club and other wellbeing initiatives. The Preloved Pedlar continues its generous contributions, helping to lower the cost of school camps for families.

 

Parents and Friends (P&F) Update

The February Working Bee was another successful event. Thank you to Duncan Cocking for organising and to all the families who volunteered their time. A special thank you to chef Ben for the delicious wood-fired pizzas that fuelled our hardworking volunteers!

This year, the school has asked P&F to support:

  • Applying for a grant to fund a sunshade near the double doors to the Prep classrooms.
  • Purchasing pop-up gazebos for sports and other school events.
  • Continuing to support the purchase of additional decodable readers.

Sustainability and Grounds Improvements

The school’s sustainability efforts continue to grow:

  • Dedicated eating areas have been introduced to improve waste management.
  • A new recycling initiative — collecting milk bottles and juice boxes for the Victoria Container Deposit Scheme at Mollison Fish and Chips — has started to generate a modest but steady stream of funds while increasing student awareness of proper recycling practices.
  • Each classroom has recycling, FOGO, worm food, soft plastic, and landfill bins to reinforce sustainability habits.

The veggie gardens have thrived over the warm summer, with some further irrigation adjustments to be made to ensure optimal watering. Year 3 and 4 students have been using fresh produce in their weekly cooking sessions.

 

The school oval remains in its 12-week maintenance period, with reseeding and irrigation improvements in progress. The bore has now been turned on to water the oval moving forward. The project will be signed off once the school is satisfied with the condition of the oval. This is expected to occur Week 1 of Term 2.

 

Canteen Update

School Council approved canteen pricing adjustments late last year, which have already led to a small improvement in revenue:

  • Sandwiches, rolls, and wraps are now more affordable.
  • Sushi prices saw a slight increase to ensure the sustainability of this popular option.

Sarah Lockhart was commended for her fantastic canteen initiatives, which have:

  • Given students a voice in choosing menu options.
  • Supported the school’s sustainability goals through how food is served.
  • Provided an informal but important support for student wellbeing

School Communications

Compass now provides insights into how many people read each newsfeed item, and the strong engagement confirms that it is an effective way to communicate with families and staff.

 

Looking Ahead

We are excited for the year ahead and look forward to welcoming our new School Council members at our next meeting. 

 

Katy McGrath

School Council President