School News

Dear parents, families and friends,

Thank you to all families who completed the recent swimming and communication survey. Your feedback has helped us make some important decisions in preparation for next year.

• Swimming Program 2027 - The swimming program is being moved to Elite Swimming on Roberts Road, Kingsville, meaning that we will travel by bus. Our swim program will now be held during Term 4 over a 5 week period with two lessons per week. We will continue to offer the program to students from Prep to Year 4. Year 5/6 children will continue to take part in a Surf Lifesaving Open Water Program at Altona Beach every two years.
• Newsletter - Our school newsletter will be published monthly, supported by a fortnightly News Update.
• School Assemblies - School assemblies will continue to be held fortnightly on a Friday afternoon at 2.30pm.

As the building project continues steadily with some major works occuring over the last few weeks, we have had to close the junior yard to allow for the delivery of large, heavy building materials and the removal demolished materials. When this happens we have had to keep all children on the senior yard. To accomodate for this increase in numbers we have been opening the hall to create extra space and disperse the students. We have also removed most of the sports equipment, only leaving the silent footies and tennis balls for the students to play with.

Opennings have been created for the ground floor and first floor lift access as well as the opennings of the doorways for the large glass sliding doors. The floors and old stumps have been removed in preparation for the new floors. This has allowed the eletricians to check and remove old and disused wiring. Plumbing work in the back corner is progressing as the new robust stormwater is installed. We will also need to have drainage installed next to the artificial turf as there is a lot of water that runs off from there and has had nowhere to go. We also have new glass and aluminium doors on either end of the corridor connecting to the courtyard, replacing the solid wooden doors.

Over the past few months myself and Alana King, who is one of our School Advisory council members, have been in consultation with Maribyrnong City Council to improve parking, drop off zones and general road safety conditions for our students and families.

The plan is to designate the school side of Avoca Street from the intersection of Birmingham Street to the end of the school property as a 2 minute Kiss & Go Zone during drop off and pick up times. No Standing Zones will also be made highly visible.

Childhood anxiety is a growing challenge for both families and schools. The below program may be of interest and benefit to your family.

We are excitedly counting down to our School Concert for 2026. We have decided to not sell tickets this year as we are not hiring a stage extension. We are also aware of the increasing cost of living placed on families, so well feel this is a small act that we can take to support our families. There will be the option to make a donation on the night which will go towards subsidising the cost of hiring lighting and a sound system, however, this is voluntary. The classes have been rehearsing already for the past few weeks, learning their lyrics and dance moves.

MACSEYE Holiday Care Program

Please see below the flier for the MACSEYE Holiday program. If you intend to make use of the service during the September holidays, please make sure you book in early to reserve your spot.

Upcoming Newletters:

• Friday 18th September

Upcoming Events:

• Friday 28th August, 4.00pm to 8.00pm - Twilight Market
• Friday 4th September, 7.30am to 8.30am - Father's Day Breakfast with Special Guest Matthew 'Richo' Richardson - Don't forget to purchas your tickets!!
• Friday 11th September - Crazy Hair Day and Donuts for Recess Snack
• Thursday 17th September, 6.30pm - School Concert
• Friday 18th September, 1.15pm Dismissal - End of Term 3

Starting next week:

• Comic & Graphic Novel Club - Wednesday lunchtimes from 11.00am to 11.20am in the library
• Cartooning Club - Friday lunchtimes from 11.00am to 11.30am in the library

Matt Stead

Principal

"Find happiness in making others happy." St. Mary MacKillop

"In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love." St Mother Teresa

“Do not be afraid. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity. Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” St Pope John Paul II

We’re excited to announce that Teeth On Wheels will be visiting our School on 12 October 2026!Teeth On Wheels is all about making dental care fun and stress-free while teaching children the importance of oral health. They specialise in working with children, offering services such as check-ups, cleans, and more- right here at the School! The team is specially trained to provide compassionate and tailored care for neurodiverse patients, ensuring a respectful and supportive experience for everyone.

If eligible under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS), your child may even receive FREE dental care.

To participate, simply complete the E-form by the cut-off date. https://teethonwheels.com.au/consent-forms/consent-eform/

Don’t miss this opportunity for your child to receive high-quality, educational dental care. Submit your form today, and the Teeth On Wheels team will be in touch to schedule your child’s appointment!

Forms Must be Completed by 5 October 2026!