Principal's Desk

August has been an action-packed month for the students (and staff!) at Park Ridge Primary School. In just a few short weeks, we have held Parent Teacher Interviews, our Year 5's visited Old Gippstown, Year 6's participated in an interactive 'Game On' incursion, Year 1's held their Extended Day, the whole school enjoyed the excitement of Book Week, and we are continuing to rehearse for our upcoming concert. On top of this, students have taken part in a range of sporting opportunities, including District Athletics and will participate in Interschool Sports later this week.

All of these experiences come together to provide our students with a rich and well-rounded primary school journey—one that allows them to shine in their strengths while also stepping outside their comfort zones to try something new. A heartfelt thank you to our Engagement and Culture team, along with our dedicated teachers and ES staff, for creating and supporting these wonderful opportunities for our students.

The Value of Multi-Age Days – Celebrating Book Week

Thursday last week saw our third multi-age day for the year, this time bringing the joy of Book Week into focus. Students were grouped with their buddies and joined by peers from different year levels, creating a wonderful mix of ages and friendships. Activities were built around the shortlisted books for Book Week, giving students a chance to dive into stories in new and exciting ways.

These days are not just about celebrating books, but also about building cross-level relationships and creating opportunities for teachers and students to work together in new ways. With activities running across different classrooms, the school was filled with energy, laughter, and a shared love of reading. Thank you to everyone who dressed up and embraced the fun of the day. A special thank you goes to our Engagement and Culture team (and Stella) for organising such a memorable event, and to Miss Christofis for her hard work in preparing another fantastic Book Fair to coincide with Book Week.

Parents / Community Members using student toilets

We have noticed an increase in adults using student toilets during pick up and drop off times. While we understand there may be moments when this feels convenient, we ask that our community avoids using the children’s toilets, instead come to the office and we can direct you to our staff toilets. 

As a Child Safe school, we have a responsibility to uphold the highest standards in protecting the wellbeing of our students. Ensuring that student toilets are used only by students is an important part of these expectations. Thank you for supporting us in maintaining these standards and keeping our school environment safe for everyone.

Celebrating NAPLAN Success

We have now received our most recent NAPLAN data, along with comparisons to our Network, Similar Schools, and the State. While this newsletter focuses only on Reading and Writing, we are thrilled to share that our results have shown a significant increase, showing a positive trend from previous years.

This improvement is the direct result of our strong focus on structured literacy, the development of consistent routines, and the high expectations we set for our students. By focusing on the core elements of teaching and learning, we are seeing fantastic outcomes across the board. Our Year 3 and Year 5 students are performing extremely well, not only compared to nearby schools but also when measured against schools across the state. Congratulations to our students for their effort and achievement, and to our staff whose dedication, expertise, and high-quality teaching have made these results possible.

2025 Parents / caregivers / guardians survey

Our school is conducting a survey to find out what parents / caregivers / guardians think of our school. The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage all families to participate. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies. 

All parents/caregivers/guardians are invited to participate in this year’s survey. The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey will be open from Monday, 18 August, and will remain open until Friday, 19 September 2025. A direct link to the survey has been sent to parents, carers, and guardians via Compass.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the survey period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese. 

 Please speak to your child’s teacher if you would like more information.

Wishing you a great week ahead. As always, feel free to drop in for a chat with Brendan or me.

Our doors are always open! 

Take care,

Mr. Dale Blythman