Principal's Report

Happy 'short' Week 5 of Term 4. I hope everyone had an enjoyable long weekend, with lots of sun and lots of rain. For those of you who travelled, we are happy to see you return safely, and for those of you who attended the Whittlesea Show, I am sure you all had a fantastic time with family and friends. Thank you to the staff who support our students in entering various items in the show, and thank you also to the students who took the time, effort and initiative to create these items to share with our local community. Well done to all those who won a place, and also to those who participated. 

An incredible display of connection and community spirit. 

Watch this SPACE! 

We are very excited to share that we have two spaces 'prepped and primed',  ready to go for MURALS.   We have been liaising with artist Bayley Misfud, who will complete these murals for us. Needless to say, we are very excited about what is to come. 

Here is a message from Bayley, in her own words..

'I am a proud Peek Whurrong woman of the Maar nation, from South West Victoria (Warrnambool). My Aboriginal name is Merindah-Gunya, which means ‘Beautiful Spirit’ in the Peek Whurrong language, chosen by my Elders and parents. I got my Aboriginal name at the age of 16 during my naming ceremony.

I was born in Warrnambool and began doing Aboriginal art at a very young age. I was first introduced to the traditional symbols when I was 5 years old, when we were doing our family's possum skin cloak at the Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre in the Grampians. My family would often go there on weekends, where we would immerse ourselves in culture through art, music and dance.

I now live on Wurundjeri Country in Naarm (Melbourne) and have lived a large portion of my life here. My great-grandmother, Mary Clarke, was a proud Bunurong and Yorta Yorta woman. I had a particular interest and talent in art and continued to learn through the guidance and encouragement of my Elders. Creating stories using sacred symbols is something I have always had a strong connection with.'

Ms Amy Carter facilitated a focus group with our senior indigenous students, who shared their ideas about what WPS means to them. We love that our students have had a say in what these murals will represent for our school community.  The date is planned for 18th Dec, so we are hoping the weather will be suitable for these murals to come to life. 

Yesterday, Ms Gittos, Mr Kirkright and I attended the North East Melbourne Area Principal Forum at the Plenty Ranges Arts and Convention Centre. This conference involved Principals from the LGAs of Whittlesea, Banyule, Nillumbik, Yarra, Darebin and Merri-bek. 

The sessions provided an overview of the 2025 Attitudes to School Survey results, highlighting emerging trends and key insights. It helped us to develop a shared vision to redefine the role and purpose of principal networks, with an emphasis on collaboration and shared accountability. Part of the day allowed us to review our current data from schools and networks to identify strengths and challenges, and engage in discussions aimed at improving consistency and moderation across networks. Overall, we enjoyed this day, which allowed us to consider the future steps and focus areas for the school. 

Lastly, I would like to remind everyone about the importance of school attendance. This is a data set that the school, along with the Department of Education, is closely monitoring. Please remember that if your child is away (which we understand happens due to appointments, illness, etc), this must be entered onto Compass. If you are unable to do this, please call the office.  Please see our most up-to-date attendance data for WPS. 

Enjoy the weekend, 

Kaylene