There are only five days left of schooling in 2025!

Tuesday brought an exciting energy to Newlands, with our Grade 6s heading off for their first-day experience at high school and all our students stepping up to meet their new classmates and teachers. We are thrilled about our 2026 staffing team, and even more excited to welcome our new Foundation students and their families to our community.

Parent Requests for 2026

We’re getting in early to let families know that in 2026 the school will not be taking class placement requests or considerations. This year we received over 90 requests, which placed significant pressure on leadership and teaching teams.

Our teachers invest a great deal of time and consider many factors when forming classes, and leadership will be fully supporting their decisions. We can also confirm that all 2026 classes have now been finalised.

Website & SENTRAL Calendar Updated

Last week, our fantastic sub-committees met to plan our 2026 events. While the intention was to cut back, it seems we’ve ended up with another full and exciting year! With that in mind, we’re hoping more families will join us in supporting events throughout 2026. All upcoming events can now be found in your SENTRAL calendar and on the school website.

https://newlandsps.vic.edu.au/about-us/#S_Planning

Thank You to School Council

A huge thank you to Claire, Adam, Aggie, Tim, Kate, Sarah, Craig, Graeme and Luisa for their dedication to ensuring Newlands is not only compliant, but a wonderful place to be. Our School Council has been an incredible advocate for both the school and the wider community. Thank you to all family members who have contributed to Buildings & Grounds, Spanish Sub Committee, PFA, Finance, Out of Hours Care, and Education. Your work ensures that our students remain the centre of every decision.

Reports Available at 5:00pm & Parent–Teacher Interviews Next Week

Your child’s end-of-year report will be available today from 5:00pm. We strongly encourage families to read the report before attending next week’s Parent–Teacher Interviews.

If you haven’t booked a time yet, there’s still space. Bookings remain open on SENTRAL. Links for online interviews will be sent early next week.

Grade 6s Big Day Out

Our Grade 6s celebrated the end of their journey at Newlands with a fun-filled day at Funfields! Their final celebration will take place next Wednesdaat the Grade 6 Graduation. A big thank you to all of the 5/6 teachers—including those on paternity leave or overseas who have contributed to supporting our students. We can’t wait to celebrate next week!

2026 Student Leadership Interviews

Our incredible Grade 5 leaders have taken part in interviews for the 2026 leadership positions. We’ve been saying for years that this is one of the most impressive cohorts we’ve seen, and this week only confirmed it. We wish them the very best and look forward to announcing all leadership positions next week.

Cultural Week – Puerto Rico

Our final Cultural Week of the year is here, and we’re celebrating Puerto Rico!We have a special final assembly planned, filled with singing, dancing, and sharing everything we’ve learned about the Rich Port.

Final Assembly: 12:15pm
Year 6 Guard of Honour: 1:15pm

We look forward to celebrating with you!

Book Pack Day – Save the Date

For those already looking ahead to 2026, Book Pack Day will be held on Friday, 23 January at 12:00pm. We’ll have entertainment and the school will be open for families from 2:00pm. As previously communicated, voluntary fees will remain $280.00 in 2026. You can see the breakdown of fees can be found on the school's website.

https://newlandsps.vic.edu.au/parents/#payments

Have the best weekend!

Thanks,

Luke

Newlands in a Nutshell