Principal's message

Hi Solway Community, 

Welcome back to Term 4. I hope everyone had the opportunity to enjoy a restful break and spend some quality time with family and friends. It has been great to see so many smiling faces around the school this week as our students have settled back into their routines and started the final term of the school year.

Thank you to everyone who took an interest in following my hockey over the holidays at the National Championships on the Gold Coast. I was very fortunate to have a supportive family who allowed me to pursue something that I really enjoy and to spend some time doing it over the holidays. Our team finished second after the round robin stage, which meant we played Queensland for the gold medal last Sunday. Unfortunately, we went down 3 to 2 in a very close final. While it would have been nice to come away with the gold, finishing with a silver medal at a National Championship was a pretty good way to finish the tournament.

Language of Friendship Workshop

Thank you to all the families who joined us last night for our Language of Friendship workshop with Tyson from URSTRONG Friendology. It was great to see such a strong turnout, with so many parents and students getting involved in the activities and conversations throughout the evening.

I would also like to thank the teachers who gave up their evening to attend. Having our staff and families learning together is important as we support our students to navigate friendships, disagreements and the many challenges that can come with growing up.

One of the things I particularly value about the Friendology program is the opportunity for school and home to develop a shared language. When we are using the same language and approaches, we can better 'coach' our children through their friendships and help them develop the skills to manage these situations for themselves.

We will soon share a video covering many of the same topics discussed last night for families who were unable to attend. We look forward to continuing to implement and embed the teachings from Friendology into our daily work and supporting our students to build positive and respectful friendships.

Planning for 2027

We are working through our staffing and class structures for 2027 and need to have a clear understanding of which students will be returning to Solway.

I understand that families have choices when it comes to their child’s education. Ideally, I would love to see all our students remain part of the Solway community through to the end of Grade 6, but I also understand that sometimes families decide that a different pathway, including an independent or other school, is the right choice for their child.

If you already know that your child will not be returning to Solway in 2027, I would appreciate you letting the office know. Please contact the office or email solway.ps@education.vic.gov.au.

Thank you for your continued support and let's all strive to be “our best always”. 

David Rosser