Over the past two weeks, Menzies Creek Primary School has been full of energy and connection. We've had Friendship Ninjas roaming the school grounds, our Mother's Day Stall and Mother's and Special Person's Event, as well as our students working together in Care Groups to make gifts for the special people in their lives. Our students have embraced every opportunity with kindness, respect and a commitment to their personal best, bringing our school values to life in meaningful ways.

Friendology Launch

The launch of our Friendology Program was a huge success. From staff dressing up as Friendship Ninjas, to friendship scavenger hunts, the design of our friendship garden, daffodil planting, shared lunches, and an ice-cream dance party, it was a beautiful celebration of friendship, kindness, and belonging.

We’re excited to embed the Friendology curriculum across our school, giving students practical tools to build healthy relationships, manage conflict with kindness, and strengthen their resilience, bringing our values of Kindness, Respect, Integrity, Personal Best and Resilience to life every day.

Read more about the launch in the Wellbeing section of the newsletter and be sure to ask your child about the 'Friend-o-Meter' and the 'Four Friendship Facts', so you can learn more about what we are doing here at school.

Hot Chocolate and P.J Day

Our Student Voice Team have organised a Hot Chocolate and Pyjama Day to raise money for the Royal Children's Hospital. Students are invited to wear their favourite pyjamas to school on Monday 18th May and indulge in a hot chocolate. The Student Voice Team have nominated the Royal Children's Hospital as the charity they are raising money for, therefore students are asked to please bring a gold coin donation along on the day.

Year 6 into 7 Transition Packs

Our Grade 6 families should have received their Year 6 into 7 Transition Packs at the beginning of Term 2. These forms were due back to the school on Friday 8th May. Please reach out to the school if you have any questions or need any support with forms.

School Photos

School photos are scheduled for Thursday 21st May. Please see the 'School Photos' section of the newsletter for all the information you need to order your child's photos.

First Steps to Prep Program

In Term 2, we are opening our doors to the community with our First Steps to Prep Program, offering families the opportunity to experience a little taste of school life at Menzies Creek Primary School by engaging with our wonderful staff and experiencing some of our specialist classes. More information about this program can be found below or by calling the school on 9754 3695. If you know of any students entering Foundation in 2027, we encourage you to invite them along to our First Steps to Prep Program.

Session Dates - 2:00pm – 3:00pm:

Thursday 21st May – Physical Education
Thursday 4th June – Kitchen Garden & Art
Thursday 18th June – Auslan

Star Mail Article

Did you see our feature in the Star Mail this week? It was great to be able to showcase our wonderful school and highlight all the fantastic learning our students engage in. You can find the full article on Page 13 using the link below: https://ferntreegully.mailcommunity.com.au/digital-editions/

Assembly

We welcome our families to join us for our school assemblies. Our next assembly is on Friday 15th May. We extend our congratulations to the students who received awards at our last assembly.

Elijah Zollo
Maya Thrane
Jasmine Evans
Damon Godino
Matthew Lindupp
Alfie Wilson

Continuous Reporting

From this week you will see Continuous Reports published on Compass. The current Continuous Reports will provide feedback on how your child has settled into the term and will also report on their progress in Mathematics Unit One. Each week we will publish a report on a specific area of the curriculum to ensure you are receiving timely feedback on your child's progress. Please reach out to your child's teacher if you have any questions.

Building Works

We are loving being back in our Administration Building. Thank you to all the families for your support as we transitioned back into the building. A reminder that students will now need to come to the Administration Building to sign in or out and for First Aid.

The works on the playground have begun as part of our bushfire preparedness arrangements. At the conclusion of the works, the half of the playground closest to the BER will be sand and the other half will be tanbark. Excitingly, we are almost at the conclusion of our building works, with only a couple of items left to complete.

Emergency Evacuation Drill

Please note that during the week beginning Monday 18th May, we will be conducting an Emergency Evacuation Drill. Students will be informed and prepared in advance. While we’re unable to share the exact day, we would appreciate you also reminding your child that a drill will take place. Thank you for your support with this.

2026 Menzies Creek School Production

Keep an eye on Facebook and Compass for the exciting reveal of our 2026 school production!

Movie Night - Thursday 4th June

Save the date! Our Fundraising and Events Committee is organising a Movie Night for the families of Menzies Creek Primary School. Details on how you can get involved are below. We would love to see you there!

Belgrave Lantern Festival

We are excited to share that Menzies Creek Primary School will be part of the Belgrave Lantern Festival this year. During Care Groups, students will make individual lanterns, as well as working on a whole school lantern. If you could please send in a clean milk bottle, either 2L or 3L, it would support us in making their lantern. More details about how you can get involved at the Lantern Festival will be published in an upcoming newsletter.

Feminine Hygiene Products

A reminder to our families that we have free feminine hygiene products available for student use. They are located in the toilets in the Administration Building and the students do not need permission to access them.

School Tours

We are doing all we can to promote our wonderful school and as part of the promotion we are running School Tours on Monday and Wednesday mornings at 9:15am. I encourage you to get the word out. Bookings can be made by calling the school, 9754 3695.

Curriculum Days for 2026

To assist with your planning, we have set aside the following dates for Curriculum Days in 2026:

Friday 5th June – Report Writing
Monday 2nd November– Curriculum Implementation

AEU Industrial Action

The Australian Education Union (AEU) has called for its members to undertake industrial action across Term 2. The action that you may notice as a parent includes:

A ban on all aspects of work related to the provision of written comments on student reports that will be provided to parents.
Area-based half-day stop work action. The AEU has asked its members to pause this action for two weeks while they continue negotiations.

Selby House Occasional Care

From Term 2, you are welcome to utilise the onsite occasional care located in our back portables. If you require further information, please contact Selby House: 0490 107 373

Brooke Kogelman

Hot Chocolates