Greetings from Shaun

NAPLAN 2026

We were really excited to receive our initial 2026 NAPLAN results over the past week and wanted to share some of the great news with our community.

At this stage, these are still only the early results, so we do not yet have the full level of detail and analysis, and our Writing results have not yet been released. However, the results were too positive not to share, and I wanted to congratulate our students on an amazing effort.

Our Year 3 students achieved fantastic results, with 81% of students Strong or Exceeding in Grammar and Punctuation, 86% in Numeracy, 82% in Reading and 84% in Spelling.

Our Year 5 students also achieved outstanding results, with 88% of students Strong or Exceeding in Grammar and Punctuation, 96% in Numeracy, 92% in Reading and 88% in Spelling.

While NAPLAN is only one measure of student learning, these results are a really positive reflection of the consistent work taking place across the school to build strong foundations in literacy and numeracy. I am incredibly proud of our students and grateful to our staff and families for the ongoing support and partnership that helps make this possible.

Information About Semester One Reports

You may notice that student reports will look a little different this semester. We just wanted to let families know ahead of time that this is due to the ongoing industrial action connected to the current Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) negotiations involving the AEU.

Teachers will still be providing families with important information about student learning and progress, however some aspects of the reports may be reduced or presented differently than in previous semesters. This includes written comments, which will not be completed for all students.

Families will still have the opportunity to discuss their child’s learning progress during our Parent Teacher Conferences on Wednesday the 22nd of July.

I appreciate your understanding and support as we work through this period together.

Staffing Update- Bio Sapan (Business Manager)

We are excited to officially welcome Sapan to Northcote Primary School as our new Business Manager.

Sapan has already spent some time getting to know the school, staff and systems over the past couple of weeks and has really hit the ground running in the role. Please make Sapan feel welcome when you see him around the office or school grounds over the coming weeks.

ES Appreciation Day

This Saturday is Education Support (ES) Appreciation Day, and next week we will be taking some time to celebrate and acknowledge the incredible contribution of our ES staff at Northcote Primary School.

Our classroom ES staff, Carol, Moz, Matilda and Beth, play such an important role in supporting students every day, whether that’s helping students in the classroom, supporting wellbeing, building confidence or simply being a calm and caring presence.

We are also incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful office team in Sarah, Donna, Ange and Sapan, along with Susi in the Library, who help keep our school running so smoothly behind the scenes.

To all of our ES staff, thank you for the care, patience, flexibility and dedication you bring to our school community each and every day. We genuinely couldn’t do what we do without you!

Helping Children Navigate the Online World

As technology continues to be such a big part of our children’s lives, it’s important that we continue working together to support safe and healthy digital habits both at home and at school.

Over the past few weeks, we have been working with Evolve Education to provide sessions for students and staff focused on digital safety, online behaviour and healthy technology habits. These sessions have given everyone some really valuable learning and practical strategies to help children navigate the online world safely and responsibly.

Simple things like limiting screen time before bed, keeping an eye on online activity, encouraging balance with devices and having open conversations about online safety can make a real difference to children’s wellbeing and development.

In the coming week, we will also be sharing information about a parent session focused on digital safety and healthy online habits for children. I encourage families to keep an eye out for this on Compass, as it will offer practical advice and strategies to help support children in today’s digital world.

Northcote High School Homestay Recruitment

Northcote High School is currently seeking local families to provide homestay accommodation for international students, many of whom come from Asian countries to study in Australia.

International students generally arrive in January and July and most study at Northcote High School for two to three years. While many students are looking for longer term arrangements, host families have the flexibility to decide the length of time that best suits them.

Hosting an international student can be a wonderful and rewarding experience for families. It provides a unique opportunity for cultural exchange and connection, and many families involved in the Northcote High School Homestay Program over the years have greatly valued the experience, particularly those with school aged children at home.

Homestay families are asked to provide:

• A fully furnished bedroom
• Three healthy meals per day
• Access to laundry facilities

• Household utilities, including internet

   

Students are responsible for their own transport costs.

Homestay families receive $400 per week tax free.

If you have a spare room and are interested in supporting an international student during their time in Australia, please contact the Northcote High School International Student Office on 9488 2334 or 0407 255 285, or email Jocelyn.Hill@education.vic.gov.au for further information.

Working Bee cancelled

Unfortunately, due to the low number of volunteers who signed up, along with the weather forecast for this weekend, we made the decision to cancel the Working Bee.

While it was disappointing not to go ahead, we really appreciate those families who had put their hand up to help out. We know weekends are busy and we are grateful for the ongoing support our community shows the school in so many different ways.

We look forward to organising another opportunity later in the year.

School Council Sub-Committees 

We’ve updated our subcommittee structure for 2026 to better share the workload and align with our priorities. The previous Community Subcommittee has now been split into two groups.

The Fundraising Subcommittee (Jo and Alick) will focus on initiatives such as trivia nights, mango drives and other fundraising activities.

The Community Subcommittee (Lucy and Sarah) will focus on bringing people together through opportunities such as working bees and community events.

We’d love to see parents and carers get involved in whichever area suits their interests.

The next meetings will be held on Wednesday the 17th of June, with Community at 5:30pm and Fundraising at 6:15pm. Meetings will be held in the staff room, with an online option available.

If you’re interested, please complete the form below so we can share further details and meeting links:

There’s no expectation to attend every meeting, but it’s a great way to get involved. 

School Tours/ Enrolments 

School tours for our 2027 Prep students are now underway, and it has been wonderful to welcome prospective families into the school to see our learning in action.

Enrolment applications will open at the start of next term, from Monday the 20th of April 2026. If you, or someone you know, has a child starting school in 2027, we encourage you to join a tour and begin the enrolment process early.

Take care,

Shaun