From the Principal

Dear Families,

Senior School Student Leaders - GRIP (Generosity, Responsibility, Integrity, People) conference

Next Tuesday our grade 5/6 student leaders will travel to the Melbourne Convention Centre to participate in the Primary School’s GRIP Leadership Conference. The conference looks to provide students the opportunity to reflect on their own leadership capabilities, while building their leadership capacity. We look forward to hearing of their experience on their return, and what they will look to bring back with them. 

School arrival times. 

In recent weeks we have seen an increase in students arriving at school well before the designated supervision time. Official yard supervision commences at 8:45am, and we are asking families to refrain from allowing children on-site before 8:30am. During this time staff are occupied setting up for the day or in early meetings. This in-turn means there is minimal supervision in the yard at this time. Your support on this matter is much appreciated. 

Building independence

With the dust now settled for the start of a new school year, routines have now been established and students are doing a great job at preparing for the day. To further help support the building of student independence can we ask for morning farewells to occur outside of buildings and hallways. Building student independence in getting ready to learn starts with them independently hanging up bags, pulling out their drink bottles and entering the classroom. Providing students the time and space will also decrease congestion and busyness in our hallways.

External Tutoring 

In recent years, the topic of external tutoring has gained significant attention. We understand that parents and carers want the best for their children and are seeking additional support to help them thrive, something we wholeheartedly appreciate.

However, when families consider engaging with external tutors, a common question often arises: What is the best time during the school day for students to be withdrawn to attend tutoring programs? At Williamstown Primary, we deeply value every hour and every session of class time, a sentiment reflected in our 2025 Annual Implementation Plan under the theme of ENGAGE – “Every Minute Counts.”

When students are withdrawn from school for tutoring, they risk missing out on valuable instructional time. The fluid nature of our timetabling means that curriculum lessons may shift week to week. As a result, one week a student might miss a writing lesson, and the next, a maths lesson. We recognise that some students must attend appointments with allied health professionals, and we fully support their access to these essential services.

That said, catching up on missed lessons can be challenging. 

We kindly ask for the support of parents and carers in minimising these disruptions to ensure our students don’t miss critical learning opportunities.

Reminders

Clean Up School’s Day

Tomorrow, Friday 28th February, is National Clean Up School’s Day. The day is a precursor to Clean Up Australia Day. As a school we look to promote understanding of this concept by

• Encouraging families to reduce lunch packaging
• Asking for rubbish that comes from home to go back home
• Imbedding a range of environmental inquiry units within the school curriculum

Although we have these initiatives in place at our school unfortunately  we aren’t excluded from dealing with rubbish in the yard. On Friday we are asking for students to bring gloves and tongs to support this day.

Prep BBQ

Our prep families would have received information about our Prep BBQ tonight. This Friends of Willy supported event is a great opportunity for our prep families to come together and get to know each other. I look forward to firing up the BBQ while the second hand uniform stall will also be operating.

Date: Thursday 27th Feb

Time: 4:30pm-6pm

Place: Prep Area

Warm regards,

Mat