Principal's Report

In this week’s newsletter:

Appreciations 

• Staff appreciation
• Well done 

News

• Report on our Curriculum Day on Monday
• Katie Hall visited to our construction site today
• Facilities improvements
• National Reconciliation Week

Coming Up - Tomorrow

• Final Prep 2025 information session and tour will be held tomorrow
• First Nations celebration
• Assembly tomorrow

Coming Up - Next Week

• Prin team attending statewide conference Tuesday and Wednesday
• The Environment team incursion on Thursday morning
• The Prep readiness session on Thursday evening

Appreciations

Thanks to FWPS staff

Our curriculum day (see below) highlighted the positive culture that has been created amongst our staff team even through substantial staffing changes over recent years.   I was personally pleased to receive feedback from the presenters who commented on this evident positive aspect of our school staffing culture.

Well done 

Well done to Anasemos in grade 2CW for the outstanding portraits of Lionel Messi which he proudly shared with me this morning.

News

Curriculum Day 

Monday saw the conclusion of our Berry Street Education Model program training that has been spread over 4 separate curriculum days this year and last. As many of you will now be familiar, BSEM is an educational approach that helps children feel safe, connected and ready to learn. By focusing on building strong relationships, promoting emotional regulation and creating consistent class and school routines, we can better prepare our young people for the complex world we must navigate.  

Over the 4 days we focused on the following elements:

• Day 1: Body – Helping students feel physically calm and safe through routines, movement, and regulation strategies.
• Day 2: Relationships – Building trust between teachers/staff and students so kids feel cared for and valued.
• Day 3: Stamina – Supporting students to persist with learning tasks, even when they find them difficult, and 
• Engagement – Making learning meaningful and fun, while helping students manage distractions and stay focused.
• Day 4: Character – Encouraging strengths like kindness, fairness, and resilience.

Along with our 2024 launch and active support of our school values of Belonging, Respect, Responsibility and Resilience, our BSEM, Respectful Relationships and Inform and Empower programs allow us to be better placed to maintain a highly consistent, school based approach to academic, social and behavioural growth.

Reconciliation Week 

This week we have had a focus on Reconciliation week in classes and the library program.  3TM plan to bring it all together with their assembly item tomorrow.

Construction Site Visit  

Today we were delighted to host a visit from Ms Katie Hall, our State Government Member of Parliament for Footscray for the purpose of viewing our rapidly developing building project. Many months have passed since I received the call from Katie confirming that $9.4 million had been set aside for the construction of a fantastic new facility to benefit our school and the wider community - money secured through Katie’s drive. Katie and her electorate manager, along with captains; Madi and Indi (stepping in for the tour), FWPS leaders and representatives from our contract partners, viewed the plans and visited the construction site. Katie marvelled at how big it will be and even for those of us familiar with the plans, seeing is believing! 

Buddy Bus Stop and Cubby Makeover 

We are delighted by the works completed over the weekend by the staff from Easy Turf who came in on Saturday to prepare and install the new surface at the Buddy Bus Stop area near the Prep courtyard. Pictured on Monday’s curriculum day is Eva from 4MK checking out the very real appearance of the newly laid artificial grass surface. 

Come Wednesday, it looked like Londoners in Hyde Park in summer with the number of younger students sitting, lying and rolling on the new surface.

Whilst on site, the install team also did sterling work repairing our basketball court. These repairs will stretch the life of the surface through until next year, when after our new stadium construction is completed. We will then focus on replacing the entire surface. In the meantime, it will be safer and more usable.

Coming Up - Tomorrow

Assembly 

This week we will feature 3TM’s assembly item with a Reconciliation Week theme. Members of the Marrung Team will accept a ceremonial cultural gift from John, the founder of Books ‘n Boots, the local group that has partnered with FWPS over recent years supporting the literacy and sporting opportunities for indigenous communities. While we will not have winter inter school sports reports due to the cancellation of sport last Friday, we will feature a report on Wednesday’s Divisional Cross Country Event. As winter approaches, the fantastic run we have had with dry weather enabling our preference for outdoor assemblies must be due to end (in fact those who attended last Friday will know that it was a close run thing!) We will be prepared to swing into action for an indoor assembly in the gallery space attended by participants and parents and carers with specific interest and the live presentation webcast to the classrooms.

First Nations Celebration

At recess tomorrow, Tess and her Marrung leaders will be firing up the outdoors PA for a fabulous dance party to acknowledge and celebrate Reconciliation Week.

2026 Prep Enrolment Information Sessions and School Tours 

The remaining session will be held tomorrow morning. The session is fully booked.

Coming Up - Next Week

Government Schools' Principal Conference

The Principal team will be attending the annual Government Schools’ Principal Conference on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mabo Day

Tuesday is Mabo Day and concludes Reconciliation Week.

Environment Team CERES Incursion

The Environment Team incursion program next Thursday morning coincides with World Environment Day. The dual focus will be on ways to reduce waste and restore ecosystems. This is being provided free of charge thanks to Maribyrnong Council and the students will be accompanied by our conveners, Michelle and Caity.

Ready, Set, Go Prep Readiness Presentation

The Prep Readiness presentation ‘Ready, Set, Go’ will be held in the gallery space next Thursday.  Please see the link below to book for this event: 

Recycled Junk Instruments' Workshop

The grade 1 team will be highly engaged in their Junk Beats workshop next Friday.  The in class incursion will immerse the students in recycling items to make and play musical instruments.

Grade 6 Interschool Sports

Grade 6 Interschool sport returns next Friday with a home fixture playing against Dinjerra PS.

Warm regards,

Brendan

Reminders and Repeated Messages