Principal's Message
Upwey South Primary School
Please take the time to read each page of our newsletter, as we provide you with information updates across our school.
TERM TWO EVENTS:
Please be aware that all Term Two events are now viewable within our Compass Calendar. We advise all families to add these events to your schedules.
Foundation Enrolments 2026- Action Required
The Department of Education has now released the statewide Foundation (Prep) enrolment timeline for the 2026 school year.
The timeline advises families when and how to enrol their child into Foundation (Prep) at a Victorian government primary school, including Upwey South Primary School.
All government primary schools will follow the timeline in 2025 to support Foundation (Prep) enrolments for the 2026 school year. You can find information and resources about the timeline, including factsheets and a poster at:
Enrolling in Foundation (Prep).
Important Foundation 2026 Enrolment Dates
- Tuesday 22nd April 2025: Online enrolments open for Foundation (Prep) 2026 at Upwey South Primary School and all government primary schools.
- Friday 25th July 2025: All 2026 Foundation (Prep) applications must be actioned through the online portal by this date.
- Monday 28th July- Friday 8th August 2025: Enrolment Outcomes- You will be notified of the outcome of your application between Monday 28 July and Friday 8 August 2025. The letter from the school will include the next steps.
- Friday 22nd August 2025: Enrolment Responses Due- If you receive an enrolment offer, you should respond to the offer by Friday 22 August 2025.
Sibling Enrolments Require Action- DO NOT DELAY
Please be aware that whilst all siblings of current students are guaranteed an enrolment at Upwey South Primary School, these enrolments still need to be actioned through the DE Enrolment Portal as outlined above.
Upwey South Primary School- leading the way
Upwey South Primary School is once again leading the way for other local primary schools. In recognition of our school's 2024 performance data, school-wide structures, wellbeing supports for students, and trauma-informed practice, our school has been awarded with Gold Accreditation for 2024.
Gold accreditation places Upwey South Primary School in the top 4% of all government schools across the state; or in the top 2.8% when inclusive of all government, independent, and Catholic schools across Victoria.
Accreditation levels are independently verified, reflecting a school’s performance and wellbeing structures from the 12-month period prior to the accreditation level being awarded.
At current, the following statistics are relevant for Victorian schools (inclusive of secondary and primary- with statistics representative of government schools only):
- number of gold accredited schools in Vic= 64 (4.07%)
- number of silver accredited schools in Vic= 37 (2.35%)
- number of bronze accredited schools in Vic= 62 (3.9%)
- number of blue accredited schools in Vic= 116 (7.4%)
In 2024, there was a total of 2294 schools in Victoria, with 1570 government schools mandated to take part in an SWPBS approach.
Seeking Input into School Council Subcommittees
In 2025, we are seeking additional parent/carer involvement in helping to shape the future direction of our school. You can become involved in this exciting opportunity by joining a subcommittee.
What is a subcommittee?
Joining a subcommittee is a great way to help support your child’s school. Subcommittees assist council in the work that needs to be done annually, and report regularly at school council meetings. They provide advice and make recommendations to school council, which has the final responsibility for making decisions.
The decision-making responsibilities of the council should not be compromised by the work of any sub-committee. The membership, purpose and terms of reference of subcommittees are determined by the council. Members of a subcommittee may be school council and non-school council members. Sub-committees must have at least three members including at least one school council member. Sub-committees should have procedures for agendas, minutes and reporting to the council.
What subcommittees are available to join in 2025?
Community Engagement Sub-Committee:
Oversee the promotion of school to the wider community, with the aim of aligning joint practices and directions to promote community engagement; overseeing fundraising initiatives; coordinating Parents Association (PA) dates with wider school calendar dates; communicating opportunities for students, families and staff to engage with the wider community. This committee will also present PA Minutes to School Council, and act as the conduit between the PA and the School Council. Source grant opportunities for the school.
In 2025, this subcommittee will action parent information evenings which are aligned with the curriculum directions of our school, with evenings to scheduled cover curriculum areas such as Auslan, Cybersafety, and Respectful Relationships.
A detailed ‘Terms of Reference’ document is available for the above subcommittee.
Governance Sub-Committee:
Oversee the governance aspects of school management, improvement targets and aspects of the strategic direction of school. Oversee the policy documents written by school to provide approval recommendations to School Council.
In 2025, this subcommittee will engage in community consultation regarding our school’s ‘Uniform Policy’ and also lead a review of School Council processes in accordance with the ‘School Council Self-Assessment Tool’.
If you are interested in becoming involved in one of the above subcommittees, please email;
Upwey.south.ps@education.vic.gov.au
School Council Membership 2025
Following our recent call for nominations, we can now announce the following membership for School Council:
Parent Members:
- Rob Shepherd (2025-2027)- School Council President
- Lonia Mitchell (2025-2027)
- Clare Stewart (2025- 2027)
- Emily Rainey (2025-2027)- School Council Treasurer
- Damien Capocchi (2024-2026)
- Jessica Arnall (2024-2026)
- Cameron Glover (2024-2026)- School Council Vice President
Staff Members:
- Llewela Humphries (2025-2027)- School Council Secretary
- Melinda Rowe (2025-2026)
- Stacey Bowles (2024-2026)
Executive Officer:
- Damien Kitch (ongoing)
In announcing the above cohort, we would also like to acknowledge and thank the following parents/carers for their valued input to School Council over the past year:
- Hazel Tindal
- Eric Burgess
- Jess Mortimer
The 2025 School Council Membership Cohort will meet for the first time on Monday 17th March, during which Executive postions will be allocated, and subcommittee formed. Following this meeting, we will be sending out a communication to call for expressions of interest from parents/carers to join various subcommittees.
Communicating with the Principal
We look forward to partnering with you in 2025, and welcome your input:
Damien Kitch
Principal
m: 0459 864 712