Principals' message 

Last week we had our first assembly for the year and it was fantastic to see so many of our parents and carers attend. Our children were outstanding and showed excellent audience behaviours, especially for their first assembly in a while. It was a great opportunity to publicly introduce our Student Leaders for 2023 and I would like to congratulate them on their appointments. All Year 5/6 children who applied did an excellent job and it made the final decisions very difficult. Our student leaders for this year are:

Another item that will regularly be acknowledged at assemblies is our high attendees for each fortnight. Having a high attendance at school is very important and is directly linked to high educational and life outcomes. Students who are away from school for a day a fortnight will miss out on a week per term, 4 weeks per year and 260 days/52 weeks across their school life – the equivalent of a full year of education! If students are unwell, they should stay home to rest until better, otherwise we want them at school as ‘it is not ok to be away’.

On Thursday we celebrated Harmony Day and it was a fabulous day at our school celebrating and recognizing our community diversity. Most of our students joined the celebrations wearing cultural dress or the colour orange, and it was great to see our children so proud of their cultural identities. Students also thoroughly enjoyed the African drumming sessions throughout the day, with staff also joining in the experience. 

The NAPLAN assessments for year 3 and 5 students have now been completed and the process ran very smoothly. Our students approached the tests very seriously and tried their best on each day. Well done to all students for their effort in completing these assessments.

One of our goals as a French bilingual school is to establish a sister-school relationship with schools in France. This year we have formed a relationship with two schools in France, with a focus on sharing and receiving student work and building a cross cultural connection. Students from years 3-6 will be involved in this project. If parents/carers of students in year 3-6 do not wish to have their child involved, please inform Rebecca.

The month of Ramadan has now begun and there are a number of children in our school who are fasting during daylight hours. We encourage these children to rest during breaks outside and to not overexert themselves during playtime. Teachers will continue to support children who are fasting in a range of ways both inside and outside of the classroom.

Staffing Update

One of our long-standing education staff members, Susan Phillips, has made the difficult decision to retire from our school to pursue other interests and care for her health. Susan has been working at our school for almost 20 years and has a very strong connection to Fitzroy Primary. She will be sadly missed, and we wish her well for her next steps.

Art Show

We are very excited about our upcoming Art Show which will be taking place on Tuesday 4th April, beginning at 5pm and finishing at 7pm. Student artwork will be on display throughout the first floor of school, and we look forward to our families moving through the building and following a journey of discovery in experiencing the artworks. Entry to the building will be from the northern stairs (closest to Johnston St) and the exit will be the southern stairs. There will be workshops that children and families can participate in, as well as viewing the work of a professional artist, Ghost Story, who is painting a mural on the large brick wall in the playground. This is the artist who painted the Blue Lady on the George St building.

An important part of the Art Show is to bring our diverse community together and we also will be hosting an Iftar dinner from 6.10pm onwards for all families to join. Iftar is the meal to break the fast at the end of the day for those participating in Ramadan and is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate together over a meal. Families choosing to join this meal can bring a plate of food to share (please bring vegetarian or halal food) or families can also bring their own picnic dinner (for those who do not wish to share food, e.g. due to concerns regarding virus spread) to enjoy on the night. Please note that this is a non-alcohol event with families welcome to bring non-alcoholic drinks to consume. All children who attend must have a parent or carer with them, as families are responsible for supervision of their children at this event. We also ask families not to bring balls for games, but to join in the arts-based activities at the event.

-Nathan Moore ( Acting Principal) & Andrea Hennessey ( Assistant Principal)