Acting Principal's Report

Hello DPW Community,

As we approach the end of the school year, we’d like to remind parents and carers that students are expected to attend school each day.

If your family is planning a holiday before the end of term, please notify the office as soon as possible. This helps us ensure that:

• All assessments are completed,
• Your child’s belongings are ready to take home (especially if they will not return until 2026), 

• They have an opportunity to say goodbye to their friends.

   

If your family is moving to a different school next year, please let the office know as soon as possible. This assists us with planning classes and resources for 2026.

Craft sand contamination update

You may be aware of a recent alert about craft sand products that may contain asbestos. For current information about the recall, including a list of products, visit the ACCC website.

At our school, we are taking the steps set out by the Department of Education to collect and dispose of the products. Current advice from national and Victorian health authorities is that there is a low risk to human health from these products.

If you have the product at home, however, the advice from the health authorities is that you should stop using it and follow the safety advice published here: Safe disposal and health information for consumers with recalled sand products | ACCC Product 

Respect

At Deer Park West Primary School, respect is more than just a word on our values list—it’s something we expect to see and hear every day. We know that our words matter, especially when it comes to how we talk about each other’s backgrounds and cultures.

Lately, we’ve noticed some students using language in the playground that isn’t respectful, sometimes even mocking others’ cultures or using racist words. This isn’t who we are, and it’s not what we stand for.

We want every child at our school to feel safe, valued, and proud of who they are. Let’s keep working together, as a community, to make sure our playground and classrooms are places where respect is always spoken.

Being an Upstander means calling out racism (and any disrespectful behaviour) and showing others how to treat everyone with kindness and respect—even when it’s not easy. This is a timely reminder that we do have our Upstander Award. This special recognition goes to students who speak up when they see or hear disrespectful behaviour. I am pleased to share that I have had a number of students nominated for this and the winners will be announced at our next assembly. 

Parent Payment Arrangement for 2026

Two weeks ago, we sent home a letter with the students for our families advising of our Parent Payment Arrangement for 2026. This letter explained DPW’s voluntary financial contribution to assist with the purchasing of your child’s classroom equipment (such as pencils and books), resources for Art, Music and PE as well as to support learning using enhanced digital opportunities such as Mathletics, Reading Eggs and Seesaw. If you did not receive your letter, please check your child’s bag or pop into the office for a copy.

Kindest Regards,

Deanne Scott

Principal