Principal's Report
Principal: Brendan Millar
In this week’s newsletter:
Appreciations
- Awesome art - congratulations to this arty pair
News
- School Council met on Monday
- Grade 6 Graduation News
Coming Up - Tomorrow
- Brooke’s final day
- Interschool sport - catch up round at home
- Assembly tomorrow
- Semester one student reports
Coming Up - Next Week / Fortnight
- Student Learning Conferences after school Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday over 2 weeks
Coming up - Next Term
- Trivia Night
Appreciations
Awesome Art
We love sharing student work. Showcased are two outstanding efforts. Susie offered the creators an opportunity to show me during this week.
Jack from 2EP was delighted to share the fantastic shading he has achieved with this life-like still life.
Abi from 5HL worked with her friend Scout (who created the facial outline) and then started the process of developing this amazing visualisation of her twin brothers (Jarvis and Rory in PBD). By seeking feedback from Susie, she was able to further develop this work into an outstanding and memorable piece. Straight to the pool room I say!
News
School Council met on Monday
Following our Council meetings held twice per term, I like to share some of the achievements, planning and reasoning behind the collaborative decisions that we make.
Jill English, (the new) Principal of Footscray High School, John Box, Barkly Street Campus Principal and Ash Duggan, the Project Manager of the Footscray Learning Precinct, were special visitors to our onsite School Council meeting on Monday. The team provided an update on Footscray High School’s leadership and vision for the coming four years, shared some highlights of the school’s performance, curriculum, enrichment, and extra-curricular programs, and sought our feedback. We appreciated hearing about how staffing challenges during the pandemic have been resolved over the past two years and how the school has addressed the perception that this remains an issue. The school has conducted many daytime tours this year and are delighted with the feedback they have received. They stressed that families may also wish to tour the main Year 10 to 12 Kinnear Street campus, as well as the Barkly Street campus, the location most of our students are zoned for from Years 7 to 9. What is more, they encourage families not to wait until grade 5 or 6, but visit at a time that suits during their children’s primary years. Due to the popularity of the recent regular tours, Jill informed us that they will be extended into the second half of the school year.
To book a school tour: https://footscray.vic.edu.au/book-a-campus-tour/
Our Facilities sub committee reported back on recent Wallaby roof repairs that have solved an ongoing issue with water egress in the corridor of the Wallaby building. The building project is on track. We will see cladding and roof panels installed for the basketball stadium over June and July. The specialist classrooms, bathrooms, meeting room, office space, PE storage and canteen are also taking shape with wall divisions for these rooms currently being installed. Reverse cycle cassette style air conditioning has been approved and will be contracted to be installed in the gallery space and library areas of the Dingo building during the term holidays. We will liaise with the TheirCare team and our contractor due to the gallery space being a high use area during this time.
We discussed recent community concerns raised about local development, as I have been communicated to by a passionate local member of the community, as well as a follow up conversation with Pradeep Tiwari, our local ward councillor and current Mayor of Maribyrnong. It is clear that along with other sought after areas in Melbourne, housing density and traffic pressures will continue to cause concerns and provide opportunities locally. These include the Woolworths development in Barkly Street, the apartment developments on Essex Street between Argyle Street and the dog park, The Market Street closure and the Shorten Reserve development. The discussion specifically relating to the Market Street closure received a mixture of views from within our Council and we deemed that this was not a matter that we have suitable reason to provide a collective School Council position on.
We spoke about some changes in our swimming and camp program for next year. We have provided three choices of swim dates, with a preference to combine our programs for grades where it is practical to do so in order to reduce the weeks of disruption over the school year. We will not know until next term what are the actual dates that we will be provided with. While in recent years we have returned (post pandemic) to providing a successful camp program, it too is not without issues. Endeavours to run term 1 programs (recent years there have been both grade 3 and grade 4 camps held in term 1) has been problematical. The requirement for the programs to be planned the year prior and for families to make payments coming up to Christmas and in January has been really challenging. Hence next year 3 and 4 camps will continue to be overnight camps, however there will be significant change, as we have adjusted both our venues and the times when the camps will be held.
The grade 3 camp will be held at Campaspe Downs. This is the location that has been the site of our previous 2 grade 4 camps. It will be held on Thursday 5th and Friday 6th November 2026. The grade 4 camp will move to Lord Somers Camp on the Mornington Peninsula. It will be held on Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th December 2026.
Finance sub committee met last week and as with all sub committees it reports to the Council meeting. A major concern is the paucity of parent payments for our school programs. What we once may have referred to as fees or levies. As of last week we had payments at just over 60% for students in grades 1 - 6 and just under 70% for prep students. Please check whether you have paid the less than $300 figure per child, as every payment increases our capacity to meet student needs in what is unequivocally an underfunded system.
- Parents’ Association reported on their busy plans. The Bake Sale is due to be held next Friday, 27th August and the Trivia Night on Friday, 15th August (for more information on these events see below).
Grade 6 Graduation News
In news that has just been confirmed, due to the inability to hold our grade 6 graduation at Quin Auditorium, Caroline Chisholm because of a structural defect (reported in the newsletter early this term), I am pleased to share the news that we will be holding our graduation event on the same evening (Monday, 15th December) in the gymnasium at Footscray North Primary School. I would like to acknowledge the support of my principal colleague, Kay Willmott for her support. Many details are yet to be organised. Grade 6 families and the students will be apprised of relevant details at the appropriate time.
Coming Up - Tomorrow
Farewell Brooke
Tomorrow will be Brooke Danaher’s final day of teaching PBD prior to going on family leave to start her family. All who have worked with, been taught by, or have had their children taught by Brooke will appreciate what a wonderful teacher and person she is. We know she will make a wonderful mum. Staff will wish Brooke all the best at a staff morning tea tomorrow.
Semester One Student Reports
All families will receive a post tomorrow informing you how to access your child’s semester one student report. The timing enables parents and carers to be familiar with the content prior to attending your child's Student Learning Conference over the next two weeks (see below).
Interschool Sport - Catch up Round at Home
The grade 6 sports teams will play a home based catch up game opposing Dinjerra PS tomorrow. This is the final round in the competition with finals being played at FWPS and surrounding grounds on Friday of next week.
Coming Up - Next Week / Fortnight
Student Learning Conferences after school on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday over 2 weeks
All grades (with the exception of PBD and 6ML) will hold their end of semester Student Learning Conferences Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday after school during the final 2 weeks of term. Thank you to the many parents and carers who have completed this process over the last couple of weeks since bookings were opened. For any family yet to do so, bookings may be made via the pinned post on your Compass newsfeed. Parents and carers will have access to their children’s semester 1 student report from tomorrow (Friday). Reports may be downloaded from the Compass post that will be sent towards the end of the school day. As a reminder, this may be a good time to back up all your child’s report PDFs, as once your child graduates to secondary school, or you leave the FWPS community, you will lose that opportunity.
Parents’ Association… have been busy
Thanks to the families of students in grades 3 to 6 who have signed up for the Bake Sale following assembly on Friday of next week (27th June). Please register if you can donate at: volunteersignup.org/JKHT4.
Cash or card facilities will be available for all families wishing to start the weekend with a fabulous sweet treat!
Coming up … Next Term
Trivia Night
Save the date for the Trivia Night - Friday, 15th August. Start your own, or join a table of 10. Bookings at the cost of $50 per person (including a meal) will open next Wednesday, 25th June via CompassTix and will remain open until tickets are sold, or bookings close on 3rd August.
Warm regards,
Brendan
Reminders and Repeated Messages
