Leadership Report

Dear Saltwater Families,

Welcome to Week Six of Term Three. We’ve officially passed the halfway point of the term, and it’s hard to believe how quickly the weeks are flying by! We would like to take a moment to thank our families for their continued support, and acknowledge our dedicated staff for their ongoing hard work in making Saltwater P–9 College such a wonderful place to learn and grow.

Read on to see some of the exciting things that have taken place in our school over the past fortnight!

Science Week & Book Week Highlights

The last few weeks at Saltwater have been filled with energy and creativity as we celebrated both Science Week and Book Week. It has been a fantastic time for both students and staff, with a range of engaging activities taking place across the school. Be sure to explore our social media pages for photos and updates from all the special events.

Book Week Celebration

Book Week has once again been a major highlight of the year! There was a wonderful buzz across the school as students and staff arrived in their vibrant and imaginative costumes, proudly representing their favourite book characters. The parade was not only a colourful display but also a celebration of the joy of reading and the power of storytelling to inspire young minds. It was fantastic to see the effort and enthusiasm from both students and families. Thank you for supporting your children to participate and bringing Book Week to life once again.

Scholastic Book Fair

This year the 2025 Scholastic Book Fair will run in Week 7 from Monday the 2nd of September – Friday the 5th of September. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to explore a diverse selection of books and immerse themselves in the joy of reading. Throughout the week, students will have the opportunity to attend the Book Fair with their class to either purchase items or create a wish list of books they may want to purchase. The Book Fair will be held in the staffroom and will also be open before school from 8:00am and after school until 4:00pm.

We are seeking a few parent volunteers to support the running of the Book Fair during school times each day. If you are interested, please email Mrs Goegan on emily.goegan@saltwatercollege.vic.edu.au.

Planning for 2026

It's that time of year when the leadership team begin working through 2026 planning, class structures and our recruitment process. As we continue the planning process for 2025, we would appreciate parents notifying the school if your child/ren will not be returning to our school in 2026, as soon as possible, by contacting the school office on 8366 7700.

Prep Enrolments – Reminder 

Throughout Term Two, we conducted Friday morning school tours for prospective Prep families. We would like to kindly remind our current families to submit enrolment forms for any children starting Prep in 2026 as soon as possible.

Enrolment forms are available on the school website. Letters of enrolment offers have already been sent, and a second round of offers will be issued in mid-August. To secure your child’s place, please ensure all enrolments are finalised prior to this date.

We are very excited to welcome our new Prep students and their families into our Saltwater community. Details about the Prep Transition program will be shared with families on Tuesday 16 September.

Professional Learning in Reading Prep-Two

This term, our Prep to Year Two teaching team has been actively engaged in high-quality professional learning with literacy consultants Diane Snowball and Keay Cobbin. These sessions have focused on deepening teacher understanding of the research underpinning effective reading instruction, particularly through the Active View of Reading Model.

This model highlights that reading is not a passive activity but an active process that involves many different skills working together, including decoding, comprehension, fluency, language development and motivation. Teachers explored the most current research in this area and the importance of providing explicit and balanced reading instruction every day.

Our team has also been refining their practice in a range of Instructional Reading Approaches, including:

• Read Alouds

• Shared Reading

• Small Group Reading

   

By working with Diane and Keay, our teachers have been able to reflect on current classroom practice, plan targeted instruction, and ensure that all students are supported in becoming confident, active and engaged readers. We are incredibly proud of the professional commitment of our early years teachers and look forward to seeing the ongoing impact of this learning in our classrooms.

Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey (PCGS).

Recently, a random selection of families received correspondence regarding the Department’s annual Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey (PCGS).

The feedback collected through the PCGS is extremely valuable as it helps:

• measure parent satisfaction with our school programs and communication

• identify areas of strength, such as supportive teachers or wellbeing programs

• highlight areas for improvement, including where we can enhance student engagement and the learning experience

• inform whole-school planning for the following year.

The survey results are reviewed by school leadership and staff, and they directly shape future planning, initiatives, and resource allocation. Thank you in advance to our families for your time and contribution in helping our school continue to improve.

Kind Regards,

The Leadership Team