Hey everyone! We’ve had a few requests to make the leadership report a bit younger and hipper...so this week, I’m handing over the keyboard to our incredible, legendary school leaders, Florence and Millie. They’ll be giving you the lowdown on what’s been happening at school.

Before I pass it on, a huge shoutout to the Spanish Sub Committee for organising last Friday’s Salsa Night. It was an absolute blast, and everyone had so much fun, even if it gave me a fresh understanding of just how uncoordinated I am!

While I’m pretty sure you’re still loving Balance and Composure, Kate, I’ve got to say Pinegrove’s Skylight is pure perfection.

Alright, over to Florence and Millie…

Athletics Day: The Event Everyone’s Been Waiting For!

Today was the big day! The school has been practicing their house chants, long jump, and running skills for weeks, and everyone’s having a blast dressed up in their house colours. Huge thanks to Raul and the Sports Leaders for putting together such an epic day.

We’ve got no doubt Darebin Celeste will come out on top, but win or lose, it’s all about the fun!

Read-A-Thon Update

The Read-A-Thon has been going strong for over a week now! All the students are powering through heaps of books to raise money for our school library.

I'ts Millie here, and I’ve been loving Howl’s Moving Castle even though Mum still hasn’t flicked me any coins yet! Florence has been reading Sweet Honey, about a girl moving to Australia with her dad for a fresh start. We’ve been having a friendly competition to see who can raise the most and it’s been awesome hearing about all the great books everyone is reading.

Homework Presentation Next Friday

All the Grade 5/6s are super stoked that everyone in the school will be having homework! Next Friday, all the teachers will be presenting to give you more info about what to expect. Be sure to check out last week’s newsletter for the times.

Book Week Parade - Only 2 Weeks Away!

When I’m 50, I know the thing I’ll remember most about my time at Newlands will be the Book Parade.

Millie takes this day super seriously! not just to win, but to celebrate the books we love. Past favourites include Willy Wonka, The Cat in the Hat, Wizard of Oz characters, and of course, classic Harry Potters.

We want to share our costumes with you but you’ll have to wait and see! The parade kicks off next Friday at 2:30 pm. Don’t miss it!

Science Week Fun

Raema and the specialist team have organised loads of fun activities during playtimes next week. Everyone’s buzzing about the STEAM room turning into an escape room. Check the Science Week page for all the exciting details.

What’s Happening in Classrooms?

Millie and I popped into classrooms to ask students some fun questions.

Here’s what they said:

5/6 Best Book Parade Costume of all time?

Lowri: Alice in Wonderland — they made a mini cardboard house showing when she grows really big, with all the furniture inside!
Angus: A dragon costume with extendable wings.
Beatrix: The teachers dressed as crayons.
Reuben & Darcy: Angry Birds.
Austin & Mia: Peppa Pig.
Sonny: Katniss Everdeen.

3/4 Best Book You’ve Read This Year?

Holly: Horrible Harriet
Quinn: Battle Dragons: City of Spies
Zoe: Speechless
Florence: Famous Five
Winona: Baby Sitters Club

1/2 Favourite Sport or Athletics Event?

Xanthie: 100m sprint
Huxley: Sprinting
Enid: Running

Foundation What Are You Most Looking Forward To at Your First Athletics?

Luella: Wearing what I want — I don’t like uniforms!
Lenny: The races
Alana: My family coming to watch
Lockie: Sprinting
Arabella: The games

That’s all from us!

Hope you have the best weekend!

Thanks,

Millie & Florence

Child Safety

I’ve taken the reins back for a moment to provide some important information following recent media coverage. At Newlands Primary School, including our School-Run OSHC program, we follow all Department of Education guidelines when hiring staff. This includes ensuring that every employee:

Meets the required criteria for their role,
Holds a valid Working with Children Check,
Has completed a Criminal Record Check, and
Has no history of breaches of codes of conduct relating to child safety.

All applicants are thoroughly reference-checked before employment.

Once employed, staff undergo a comprehensive induction process, which includes training on their duty of care and a clear understanding of the Child Safe Standards. These standards are designed to protect both students and staff, and are publicly available on our school website, along with our other relevant policies and procedures. Additionally, all teaching staff undertake regular, mandatory child safety professional learning, as required by the department.

In regard to teacher phone use, all teachers at Newlands may carry phones for communication purposes during school activities. If a teacher has signed consent from both the parent and student — as part of our enrolment process — they may take photographs, strictly in line with our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy. While not explicitly stated in the policy, staff are expected to delete these images within 24 hours.

Over the coming weeks, we will be reviewing our current practices and policies in consultation with the leadership team, OSHC staff, and School Council to ensure they continue to meet the highest standards of child safety and reflect community expectations.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would like to know more about our child safety commitments.

Lastly, School Photos arrive on Thursday, so we should have them out to families by the end of next week.

Thanks,

Luke

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