Dear Parents and Carers,

Often one of the greatest experiences of being a Leader in a school is being able to acknowledge and celebrate when students have an impact beyond the classroom and into the wider community. On that note I wanted to start by acknowledging some of our current Grade 3/4 students for their work in raising awareness and several thousands of dollars to support FightMND which is a non for profit organisation that is focused on finding treatments and cure for Motor Neurone Disease.

James and Miles (Grade 3/4) spent several hours outside of school planning and coordinating an event to raise money to support this cause. As a result they not only encouraged their friends and family to go down a slide into a pool of ice but raised $2650 to support FightMND in their work. Well done to James, Miles, the other Grade 3/4 students and their families for encouraging them to support such a meaningful cause!

Freezer Angels

Last Friday we had another large group of parents join us at school for another Freezer Angels cook up. We have the following meals available for families in need:

Filo Logs with Roasted Capsicum, Feta & Basil

Vanilla Butter Cupcakes

Mexican Corn Soup

Chicken Leek & Thyme Risotto

Thank you to our parent volunteers, families who donated dry foods to be used and Tunstall Fresh who continue to support with the donation of produce. This initiative is a great example of how our parent community works together to support those who need it.

Whitehorse LGA Student Voice Forum

Today I had the pleasure of visiting Whitehorse Council with our School Captains Evie and Dhruv to take part in the student voice forum. The students were amongst a group of 40 local student leaders and were able to give feedback and input into Festivals and Events, Sustainability and Equality in our community.

Dhruv’s highlight was “Learning more about equality. The presentation was interactive and interesting”

Evie’s highlight was “Having input into the festivals in Whitehorse so we have a say in the things we like and hope to see them in the next festivals”

Student Attendance

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting with the Regional Attendance support officer in relation to attendance at our school. It was pleasing to note that in a number of cases we have had some strong improvements with a decrease the number of days students are missing in the school.

Families may have also noticed some increased follow up from staff to ensure we are aware of any concerns impacting attendance as early intervention is key. I would also like to remind families of the importance of informing the school in relation to extended family holidays to ensure this is documented appropriately. If any families require support a reminder that your child’s teacher or myself are only a call or email away.

HOW CAN I GET MY CHILD/TEEN TO SCHOOL

No matter how hard parents try, some students may be reluctant to go to school.

Addressing attendance issues promptly and setting up good attendance patterns can lead to future success and can help students feel more engaged and connected at school.

DID YOU KNOW?

· Patterns of late arrival at school or missing classes are early warning signs of disengagement from school

· Missing one day of school each week adds up to 2 months missed over a year

· Each day of absence has an impact on skill development and social connections

· Poor attendance may be associated with future unemployment, criminal activity, substance abuse, and poorer health and life expectancy.

Further information can be found at https://www.vic.gov.au/attendance-and-missing-school

Winter Solstice Festival

This Saturday our Whitehorse Family Network is hosting a Winter Solstice festival from 4:30pm - 8:00pm

We encourage all members of our community to come along to enjoy our Food Trucks, Live Persian Folk Music, Face Painting & Free drink samples from our sponsor- Hopr!

At 6pm we will feature a parade of lanterns made by our WPS students in Art!

Food options include:

*wood fired pizza *souvlaki * twirly potato sticks *greek donuts *fun!!

JSC – Walk to School Day

Last Wednesday, 11 June, Whitehorse PS celebrated Walk to School Day — and what a wonderful event it was!

A big thank you to Mrs Liberatore and the Junior School Council members for organising the day so thoughtfully. We’d also like to thank Cheryl for purchasing the delicious fruit, Miss Tia for preparing and cutting it into student-friendly portions, and Mrs Hume and Mr Den Elzen for meeting everyone at Peddler Café to begin the walk. Students enjoyed a brisk and cheerful walk to school, chatting and laughing with friends and peers along the way.

Well done to everyone who took part in making this event such a success!

ICAS

Once again in 2025, Whitehorse PS is pleased to offer external assessments conducted by International Competition and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) with the full suite of assessments available. Parents are invited to take a look at what is available and register online at ICAS.

ICAS is a historic academic competition that has been sat by over 10 million school students from 16,000 schools across 41 countries since 1981.

It recognises academic performance in a way similar to sports or the arts, with engaging, fun questions designed by psychometricians, education measurement experts and experienced teachers to test students’ higher-order thinking skills.

ICAS also provides rich insights into students’ strengths and weaknesses, helping teachers to accelerate learning outcomes and unlock student potential.

Whitehorse PS will provide further information in relation to the days and times to have students sit the assessments at school in the near future and once numbers are finalised.

If you have any questions please contact our coordinator Mrs Keating in Grade 2 for further information.

Parking - Pick up/Drop off

With the weather becoming more challenging we are having an increasing number of incidents in our pick up drop off zones around the school especially on Wakefield Drive. We remind all families to show our school values of respect and ensure they are showing consideration to our neighbours when picking up and dropping off.

Kind regards,

Andrew Den Elzen

Principal

Whitehorse Community