Principal's Message
School Review
Our school review will take place this Monday. We are proud to share with the review team the significant work and growth that have occurred at Launching Place Primary School over the past four years.
The review will also provide an important opportunity to reflect on our progress and establish a clear vision for the teaching, learning and improvement work we will lead throughout our next strategic period. I look forward to sharing outcomes and future steps with you in future newsletters.
Prep Transition
This Wednesday, we held our second Prep Transition session and welcomed our 2027 Preps and their families back to Launching Place Primary School.
I know in our first session Jenna Fitzsimons, our Prep teacher shared it has been a joy to see the children:
excitedly sitting together in a circle and finding their spots on the floor
practising putting up their hands to contribute
becoming wonderful “mini actors” by silently acting out different animals
beginning to work and play with new friends during a lively dancing game
copying beats with rhythm sticks and experimenting with tempo and volume.
Thank you to our parents and carers for your enthusiastic participation in the accompanying parent sessions.
Our next transition session, Sports Stars, will be held on Tuesday 18 August. Families will have the opportunity to meet our PE teacher, Kristie Flanagan, while the children participate in some fun games and activities. We look forward to seeing you there!
Australian Catholic University Speech Pathology Program
We are fortunate to have the support of Australian Catholic University over the coming weeks, with a team of student speech pathologists joining us each Thursday.
The students will work under the supervision of a qualified speech pathologist. This is a wonderful opportunity to provide additional support for our students while contributing to the professional learning of future speech pathologists. We look forward to welcoming the team to Launching Place Primary School.
Alice in Wonderland
Thank you to Upper Yarra Secondary College for hosting our Year 5 and 6 students at its recent production of Alice in Wonderland.
We heard that it was a wonderful, well-produced show that was thoroughly enjoyed by our students. Congratulations to everyone involved!
Bushfire Preparedness Update
Launching Place Primary School has again been included on the Department of Education’s Bushfire At-Risk Register as a Category 3 school.
As a Category 3 school, we are required to close on any day forecast to have a Catastrophic Fire Danger Rating in the Central Fire Weather District.
Category 3 schools do not ordinarily close solely because an Extreme Fire Danger Rating is forecast. However, we will closely monitor conditions and follow any directions issued by the Department of Education or emergency services.
Families will be notified directly if a pre-emptive closure is required. We encourage all families to ensure their contact details are current and to include school closure arrangements in their household bushfire plans.
To further strengthen our preparations, the school has recently received just over $27,000 through the Bushfire Preparedness Vegetation Program. This funding will support vegetation management and clearing, professional tree assessments, gutter cleaning and other important site-preparation activities. These works will begin shortly, ahead of the upcoming bushfire risk period.
See you around our place,
Laura Caddy
Principal