Education Week 2026

Showcasing Surfside

Our school has been celebrating Education Week 2026 in the only way we know how and that is through going about our daily work.

This year’s theme is ‘Showcase your school’, encouraging school communities to celebrate what’s great about their school. A big thank you to Ms Patterson who celebrated with each of our year levels at our most recent assembly. Each year level presented some recent highlights and it was a great to see our preps up sharing.

Below are some recent snapshots which definitely showcase what has been happening at Surfside Primary School and how we are supported by an amazing community as well as some important communication points for families.

As we come toward the last 3 weeks of term 2 there is plenty in store for our students so please continue to keep an eye on our dates for your diary page as well as compass updates as required. Below is a snapshot of the last few weeks ahead:

June

Fri 5th - Curriculum Day - Students Not at School

Mon 8th - Kings Birthday Public Holiday - Students Not at School

Tues 9th - Year 5 Sovereign Hill Excursion

Wed 10th-Fri 12th - Year 4 Camp - Burnside, Anglesea

Thu 11th - Breakfast Club @ 7.45am in the kitchen

SSV Division Netball

Fri 12th - Assembly @ 2.30pm - courtyard

School Council 5.00pm (Finance 5.30pm)

Thu 18th - Breakfast Club @ 7.45am in the kitchen

Thu 25th - No Breakfast Club

Year 4 Incursion (EcoLinc - Circle of Life)

Fri 26th - End of Term 2 - 2.30pm dismissal

Assembly @ 1.45

Casual Dress (gold coin donation)

End of Semester Reports go live

Gymnasium and Refurbishment Community Engagement and Updates

Our school has received $11.6 million in State Government funding to upgrade and modernise the school, including the construction of a new competition grade gymnasium. We want to hear from our parents and carers about what you’d like to see in your school with the addition of new buildings and spaces.

The results of this survey will help to shape our school’s new upgrades.

Have your say - complete the survey HERE before Friday 12th June.

Stages of Development and Construction

We will continue to update our school community of stages of development and relevant timelines through newsletter articles, compass posts and parent/carer information sessions.

Currently we are undertaking the process of Asset Management Plan 1 (AMP1).

The Asset Management Plan (AMP) identifies the educational needs and priorities of the school, and the functionality of current buildings to plan for school infrastructure upgrades. The documents developed during the asset management planning process describe how the $11.6 million of capital funding will be used to support long term educational goals within the scope of works:

AMPs have 2 distinct stages:

Asset Management Plan 1 outlines the school’s educational directions, educational specification, and a basic facilities analysis (which considers functionality, condition and spatial analysis)
Asset Management Plan 2 (part of the design and construction phases) involves developing a more detailed master plan/spatial analysis in addition to broader site and project requirements.

Below is an estimated timeline from planning through to construction and we will communicate more specific timelines as they become available.

Annual Report to School Community

The Annual Report provides an opportunity to share Surfside's achievements and progress with the school community.

The Annual Report is prepared in 2 parts:

the performance summary, which details the school’s performance from the past year and trends over time. This is compiled by the department of education.
the ‘About our school’ commentary, which is prepared by the school and outlines the achievements of the school in the previous school year (2025).

The Annual Report is presented to and endorsed at a meeting of school council and attested to by the school principal and audited and approved via VRQA (Victorian Registration and Qualification Authority)

The Annual Report is presented to the school community via the newsletter, compass and we provide a public meeting. Parents and carers are welcome to attend the following sessions for a presentation of the annual report in the staffroom on Tuesday 16th June:

9.00am
5.30pm - school council (first 15 minutes)

Please refer below to a copy of the 2025 Annual Report to School Community

Updated School Policies

Department of Education (DET) school policies establish the mandatory operational and behavioral frameworks for Victorian government schools. These guidelines, cover critical areas ranging from student safety and digital learning to attendance and enrollment. Policies require review from 1-4 years and cover 3 areas of approval:

School council approval
School council recommendation
School council consideration

The following school policies were up for review in 2026 and were presented at our most recent school council meeting. These policies have been updated on the school website and via the school newsletter. All school policies are also available via these platforms.

Spotlight on Excellence: Project 26

Project 26 Continues to Grow

This week marked the second Project 26 session, bringing together students from Surfside Primary School and Bellarine Secondary College's SEAL Program for another engaging day of mathematical exploration and collaboration.

The focus of this session was the Fibonacci Sequence, a fascinating mathematical pattern that appears throughout nature, art and mathematics. Working in mixed groups, students investigated how the sequence is generated, explored the relationships between consecutive numbers, and applied their reasoning skills to a range of challenging mathematical tasks.

Project 26 forms part of Surfside Primary School's commitment to supporting high-achieving students through a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). While high-quality classroom instruction remains the foundation for all learners, Project 26 provides a targeted Tier 2 and Tier 3 extension opportunity for selected Year 4 and 5 students. Through exposure to rich mathematical investigations, collaboration with secondary students and engagement with advanced problem-solving tasks, students are challenged to extend their reasoning, communication and critical thinking skills beyond the core curriculum. The program aims to ensure that students requiring additional challenge are provided with opportunities to learn at an appropriate level of complexity and depth.

One of the highlights of Project 26 continues to be the opportunity for students from both schools to learn alongside one another. Through collaboration, discussion and problem-solving, students shared strategies, challenged their thinking and developed a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts.

The partnership between Surfside Primary School and Bellarine Secondary College provides a valuable opportunity for students to engage with rich mathematical tasks while building connections across year levels and school settings. It has been wonderful to see students embracing challenges, demonstrating persistence and showcasing their mathematical thinking.

We look forward to our next Project 26 session and the exciting learning opportunities that lie ahead.

Ryman Intergenerational Project

The year 5 RYMAN Intergenerational Project is underway at RYMAN Aged Care Facility in Ocean Grove. Over the last few weeks, some of our Surfside students had the opportunity to meet the residents and start to build friendships, share stories and play games with their new senior friends . Lots of fun and laughing occurred while teaching our elderly buddies to play Jenga, Connect 4, Uno and Guess Who?

This Program helps to close the intergenerational gap and provides benefits for our students like building empathy, care, respect, social and communication skills, and learning form the life experiences and wisdom of older generations. The students really look forward to our weekly visits to RYMAN.

Below are some recent reflections from our year 5 students:

'My Favorite thing about visiting RYMAN is buddying up with Judy and talking about the olden days and what she did when she was a kid.' - Ethan D
'I really enjoy spending time with the elderly people at RYMAN, they like having us because some of them don’t have many visitors to keep them company. I also like teaching the elderly people how to play games like UNO.' - Ivy P
'I’m excited to go to RYMAN each week and see all the elderly people that live there.' - Nellie S
'I like going to RYMAN each week, I enjoy telling them stories about me and asking them questions about their life.' - Grace S

Year 6 Camp - Roses Gap

Our year 6 cohort enjoyed an amazing week at camp up in the Grampians at Roses Gap. We were very lucky with the weather as we faced cold mornings and evenings but they were replaced with dry and still days that allowed our students a variety of positive experiences outdoors, in a challenging environment and being out of their comfort zone and working together as a cohort on our school values of Respect, Honesty, Teamwork and Achievement. The students and staff had fun filled and new experiences, developed new relationships and faced challenges with activities that included; abseiling, canoeing, bush walking, raft building, crate stacking, hut building, archery, the flying fox and the ever popular giant swing. The night activities, food and campfire are always a highlight with plenty of games, walks and plenty of reflection and laughs. A big thank you to the Surfside staff and the Roses Gap Recreation Centre staff who always provide such a positive and worthwhile experience for the students.

Somers Camp 2026

We had 16 year 5 and year 6 students attend Somers Camp. Somers School Camp is a school camp run by the Victorian Education Department and the staff are highly qualified teachers who as passionate about teaching and learning in the outdoors. They offer 9 Day residential programs for Year 5 & 6 students who attend Victorian State Primary Schools. Each program consists of 160 students who are drawn from various school within each network across the state of Victoria. Nine Visiting Teachers from each network of schools also attend each program. We were thrilled but challenged to just choose 16 students and glad to provide the opportunity for Mr Finlay Florence the opportunity to attend and support the students. The students participate in a variety of activities that include:

Archery, art, bike activities, boating, bush craft, giant swing, drama, flying fox, high ropes, initiative activities, orienteering, rock climbing and abseiling.

We met with our representatives from Somers Camp and asked them to reflect on the following questions:

What was the best thing about Somers Camp?
What did I learn on Somers Camp?
What is some advice you would give for future kids who want to go to Somers Camp?

HIGHLIGHTS

Making new friends, including friends from other schools.
Enjoyed participating in activities, particularly adventurous experiences such as ziplining and boating.
Spending time with peers and getting to know others
Participating in exciting activities such as:
- Rock climbing
- Archery
- Challenge swings
- Ziplining
- Boating
- Learning about wildlife (including flying foxes)
Spending time outdoors and being in nature.
Challenging themselves and attempting personal goals or records.

LEARNINGS

Students learned how to make friends and build friendships.
They discovered that they can make friends while still being themselves.
The experience helped them understand the importance of being open and connecting with others.
How to make and maintain friendships.
How to look after themselves.
New skills such as archery and outdoor activities.
More about the beach and the natural environment.
To keep an open mindset and be willing to try new things.
Appreciation for their parents and the hard work they do.

ADVICE FOR OTHERS

Give everything a go, even if you feel scared or nervous.
Be yourself when meeting new people.
Try new activities, foods, and experiences with an open mind.
Enjoy the experience and stay in the moment.
Be yourself and make the most of every opportunity because you may not get another chance.

On reflection the students valued the opportunity to make new friends, try new activities, and challenge themselves outside of their comfort zones. The camp experience helped build confidence, resilience, independence, and social skills. A strong message throughout the reflections was to embrace every opportunity, stay open to new experiences, and enjoy the time spent with others and in nature.

The Legend of Mr Florence and Bear Grylls

We were lucky to be able to send Mr Florence to Somers Camp and we have received news from the Somers Camp crew that Mr Florence is now part of Somers Camp legend. This was a story that one of the campers shared. 'Mr Florence was walking along the beach with his group of campers when he saw a dolphin skimming along the water and he pointed it out to the kids. Mr Florence went into the shallows and put his hands into the water and he pulled out this fish with his bare hands. The kids couldn't believe it!'

Reconciliation Week - All In - Snack Shack

National Reconciliation Week 2026 runs from 27 May to 3 June, offering a time for all Australians to learn about shared histories and contribute to reconciliation. The 2026 theme, "All In", calls for active, daily commitment from all sectors of society, emphasizing that reconciliation is a shared responsibility rather than a spectator activity. These dates annually mark two major milestones: the 1967 referendum (27 May) and the 1992 Mabo High Court decision (3 June).

Our Snack Shack were keen to join in on recognising Reconciliation Week through making a Reconciliation Slice and posing discussions around Reconciliation.

Student Reports Semester 1

We will be providing student achievement reports for Semester 1 this year as usual.

The reports will be distributed on Friday 26th June as scheduled.

The reports will continue to provide important details about student learning attainment, but full descriptive comments will not be included as a result of industrial action taken earlier this term by the Australian Education Union.

We will of course be pleased to discuss with you your child’s progress at our next parent-teacher interviews scheduled between Monday 20th July to Wednesday 22nd July, or, as always, you can contact your classroom teacher to discuss student progress.

The Department of Education is making changes to Report formats to support parent friendly formats and place a greater emphasis on the parent/carer/student/teacher conference and this will be explained further prior to the release of our semester 1 reports via Compass and our upcoming newsletters.

Student Reports Format Update for 2026

Semester Reports and Term 3 Parent-Teacher Interviews Update

This semester, our student reports have been simplified following recommendations from the Department of Education to make them more parent-friendly, simplified and easier to understand. The revised format is designed to provide clear and accessible information about your child's learning and progress.

Written personal comments are not required this semester, as advised by the Department of Education due to ongoing Industrial action. Instead, families are encouraged to book a Parent-Teacher Interview next term to discuss their child's progress in more detail with their teacher.

Parent-Teacher Interviews will be held in Week 2 of Term 3, with bookings opening in Week 1. These interviews provide an opportunity to celebrate your child's strengths, discuss their progress, and work together to set personal learning goals for the coming semester.

To help families become familiar with the new reporting format, we have included an example report below. We encourage you to look at the sample report to better understand the information that will be presented and how your child's achievements and progress will be communicated.

For information about the specific learning taking place in your child's classroom, please refer to the fortnightly learning statements. These provide an overview of the topics, skills and concepts being taught throughout the term and are a valuable way to stay informed about your child's learning journey. An example of a fortnightly learning statement is also included below for your reference.

Example Semester 2 Report

Trivia Night 2026

A massive thank you to all who attended our 2026 Trivia Night. It was a night full of fun, laughter, games, competition, dancing and challenges. All monies raised goes toward supporting our amazing Kitchen and Garden program.

2027 Sibling Enrolments

We recently welcomed approximately 60+ families through Surfside over the past 2 weeks as part of our 2027 enrolment tours. Families experienced an overview of the school program and a tour of classrooms and school facilities. It is a great opportunity to allow new and prospective families an opportunity to develop a feel of the school and it's community. Enrolments for 2027 are now open and close on Friday 31st July. Please check out our Enrolment Time at Surfside page in our newsletter.

School Council 2026 - June Meeting

Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday 16th June

Finance Meeting - 5.00pm
School Council Meeting - 5.30pm

Student Attendance

Regular attendance at school is very important for your child's learning and social development. Very good attendance for a child is 95% and above.

It is important that children are at school as much as possible to ensure the BEST opportunity for learning growth. We need to utilise every available minute to ensure student growth academically, socially and emotionally, in and out of the classroom.

If early collection for a shopping trip or to beat the traffic happens on a regular basis this can take away from valuable learning time throughout their schooling life. Please take the time to read the graphic below and to understand the long term affect this can have on student development. We understand that students are impacted by illness, injury or other ailments. If your child is going to be absent you are required by legislation to notify the school by:

Logging onto Compass and
Enter the absence for full days only
If your child/children arrive late or are being collected early, the office staff will enter this onto Compass for you.

Teaching & Learning Page

Ms Charleston & Mr Chapman (Learning Specialists)