I hope this newsletter finds you well and that the recent high winds didn’t cause too much disruption for you. We were fortunate that the weather wasn’t quite as severe as first anticipated, though I know there were still plenty of fallen trees around. It’s always better to be safe than sorry!

School Values

INTEGRITY – RESILIENCE – PERSONAL BEST – RESPECT – KINDNESS

Focus Value for Weeks 3 and 4: RESILIENCE

We are continuing to explore the concept of resilience with our students, focusing on the many ways it supports us in overcoming challenges and working towards our goals. Building resilience not only helps students persevere through difficulties but also empowers them to grow in confidence and develop a positive mindset when faced with setbacks. Each morning at 9am, our classes begin with open discussions during morning circle time, where resilience remains our key value in focus.

We’d like to congratulate the following students who have been recognised for demonstrating outstanding resilience: Marlon, Indigo, Callum, Violet, and Darcy.

Well done to each of you for showing perseverance, positivity, and strength in your learning and daily school life.

Regional Athletics

A HUGE congratulations to Eilidh (grade 5 – 100m dash) and Issy (grade 4 - discus) for competing today in the Regional Athletics competition at the Tom Kelly Athletics Track in Doncaster. It is such a great achievement to make it this far, and we are very proud of your efforts! 👏👏

Rotary Speech Competition

Next Tuesday evening, Menzies Creek Primary School will be proudly hosting the Dandenong Ranges Rotary Speech Competition. This special event brings together two Year 5 or 6 representatives from each of our network schools, who will write and present speeches on a given topic before an audience of family, staff, and Rotarians. This year, River and Maya will be representing our school. We are incredibly proud of both girls and wish them the very best as they take part in what promises to be a fantastic evening.

World Teacher’s Day

World Teachers’ Day honours the incredible work of teachers whose passion, care, and dedication make a real difference in students’ lives every day. In Victoria, we will celebrate this special day on Friday, 31 October.

Next Friday, we’ll be celebrating the amazing teachers at Menzies Creek Primary School, recognising their commitment, hard work, and the lasting impact they have on our students and community. Parents and carers are warmly encouraged to take a moment to thank their child’s teacher. A small gesture that means so much and is always deeply appreciated.

Hats

We’re already in Week 3, and we’ve noticed a few students still heading out to play without their hats. As the weather warms up, it’s important that every student wears a hat when outside to stay sun safe. Please make sure your child brings their hat to school each day. If you need a new one, they’re available from the school office for $9.50. 🤠

2026 Planning

To assist us in our planning for the 2026 school year, it is helpful to have confirmed numbers of enrolments for next year. It is important to know if any families of children currently in Prep to Year 5 are leaving Menzies Creek in 2026, so it would be greatly appreciated if you could please inform the office as soon as possible if your child/ren will not be returning next year.

We have begun developing our 2026 school structure and staffing. Following that exercise, our staff will begin the task of allocating students to classes for 2026. As per the norm, our staffing allocations and final class structures will then be announced in late December.

As with our teaching teams, class groups are developed after careful consideration, balancing a range of needs. These include factors such as academic abilities, social skills and learning styles.

A valuable part of the process is also stakeholder feedback. In the coming weeks students will be given the opportunity to list friends they would like to be with for the following year. They will be placed with at least one friend on that list.

Parent perspectives can play an important role in supporting our class placement process. If you have any valuable information regarding your child’s class placement for 2026 that goes beyond what we already know, please email it to the school office at menzies.creek.ps@education.vic.gov.au by Friday, 7th November. It is essential that all requests are submitted by this date to assist with planning, staffing, and organisation for the upcoming year. Unfortunately, late requests cannot be considered.

All information received will be carefully reviewed, however, please note that while we do our best to accommodate family input, specific teacher requests will not be accepted in order to maintain fairness and balance across all classes.

Halloween Dress-Up Day! 👻🎃

On Friday, 31st October, students are welcome to come to school in a suitable Halloween costume to join in the fun! Dressing up is completely optional, if your child prefers not to wear a costume, they’re welcome to come in free dress instead.

After school, families are then invited for a picnic in the Green Space before heading off for the traditional trick-or-treating along School Rd. It’s a great way to celebrate together and enjoy some community fun! Please note that families will be required to supervise their children after school.

If your children will be continuing their Halloween fun in Menzies Creek along School Road, we’d really appreciate any treat donations to help support this wonderful community event. Donations can be dropped off at the school office, where they’ll be collected and shared out for the evening. This is a community-run event and not school-funded, so your support makes a big difference.

For further details, please see the flyer attached.

Reporting Feedback

We are currently reviewing our reporting process and would appreciate your feedback. Please click in the following link to access the Google Form: Parent Reporting Feedback

Assembly

Our next assembly will be held tomorrow, 24th October at 3:00pm

Icy pole day is back!