Principal Report
Happy Thursday parents and carers of NLPS,
Hopefully you have all survived flu season, and the spring sun and blossoms are putting a smile on your face. The jam-packed Term 3 school community events calendar has also been smile worthy and it was great to see so many of your faces at last week’s Book Character Parade Day. We appreciate that school events are not always easy to get to, especially if you work full time, and want you to know there is no pressure to attend all the events we have on offer - we offer as many as we do as a way to ensure that one or two might fit into your busy schedule.
We still have two whole school events for our student cohort to look forward to this term - the Year 5 Market Day next week and the beloved Footy Colours Day on the final Wednesday of term.
Update on Yard Upgrades
After much anticipation, and a lot of patience, work will begin on our new ‘Quiet Yard’ and outdoor classroom over the upcoming holidays. The designs for these yard areas were finalised last year and can be found below. The fundraising we’ve done last year and this year (including our upcoming Colour Run) has all contributed to the design and building of these new, interactive play spaces, and we thank the school community for their efforts. Depending on the weather, the build is expected to run into early Term 4, so the existing play area may be affected for a short period of time. However, I am sure you will all agree that the new yard will be worth the wait.
On top of this, a new ‘work pod’ will be assembled in the last week of Term 3, as a way to provide much needed meeting/intervention group space. The new pod will be placed adjacent to the MPR, over the top of the old ‘cat keyboard’ that has now been repainted on the north side of the MPR. Temporary fencing will be installed for a short time in the area and it should all be completed prior to the upcoming school holidays.
Parent Opinion Survey – Now Open
A reminder that all families are invited to take part in the 2026 Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us understand your perceptions of school climate, student engagement, and wellbeing.
The survey is online and only takes around 20 minutes to complete. It will remain open until Friday 18th September 2026.
To access the survey, please follow the link and instructions that are listed in the Compass note I sent out to the community on Monday 24th August titled ‘Invitation to participate in the 2026 Parent / Carer Opinion Survey’. If you are having difficulty finding it, please contact the school for support.
Thank you in advance for your time and insights.
End-of-Term Reminder – Early Dismissal
Term 3 concludes on Friday 18th September with an early dismissal at 2:15pm.
We’ll be holding a whole-school assembly on the oval at 1:45pm, and families are warmly invited to join us for this celebration. Students will be dismissed from their classrooms at 2:15pm.
If your child requires care after dismissal, please contact our out-of-school care provider, via TeamKids, https://www.teamkids.com.au/venues/newport-lakes-primary-oshc/ to make arrangements.
Planning for 2027
As we move deeper into the year, the leadership team is busy with planning for 2027—including class structures and staffing.
To assist with this process, we kindly ask that any families who will not be returning next year notify the school as soon as possible. Please note this does not include Year 6 students transitioning into Year 7.
Please inform us via email at newport.lakes.ps@education.vic.gov.au and include your child's final day at NLPS, the name of their new school, and a forwarding address if applicible.
Father's and Special Person's Breakfast
Don’t forget our Father’s Day/Special Person’s Breakfast is on tomorrow, Friday 4th September. This event is a wonderful chance to celebrate the important men and special people in our lives - dads, uncles, grandfathers, father figures, and beyond. We hope to see many of you there! More details are available on the Parents' Club page in this newsletter. Happy Dad’s Day for Sunday, too!
As I wrote in the last newsletter, I am on long service leave from tomorrow (4th September) until the last Friday of the upcoming holidays. I will be visiting Portugal for the very first time, and doing my best to eat my body weight in pastel de nata whilst I am there! Mat Williamson will step up and be Acting Principal for the next month and Carol Martins will be Acting Assistant Principal. Have a wonderful month in my absence.
Carly Bannon
NLPS Principal