Dear Parents and Carers,

A warm welcome to all, especially to our new students and families joining our school community. It has been wonderful to see our Prep children settling in so quickly, embracing their new learning environment with curiosity and enthusiasm. Their willingness to explore and take on new challenges will serve them well throughout the year.

We are pleased to report a smooth and positive start to the term, with students quickly re-establishing school routines and approaching the year ahead with eagerness. There is a great sense of energy and engagement across the school, both in classrooms and in the playground. Over the next couple of weeks, our teachers will focus on building strong foundations by reinforcing expectations, fostering positive learning behaviours, and establishing effective classroom routines.

One of the most special aspects of our school is the genuine care and inclusivity our students show towards one another. In these first few weeks, our Prep students have been warmly welcomed and supported by their Grade 6 buddies. The playground can be a big and sometimes overwhelming place for our youngest learners and having a friendly face to guide them makes all the difference. A big thank you to our Grade 6 students for their kindness and leadership—you are making a real impact!

We are delighted to welcome Ms. Lexi King and Ms. Tayla Cheffers to our classroom teaching team. Over the past few weeks, I have been incredibly impressed by the dedication and hard work of all our staff in ensuring a smooth and positive start to the year for our students.

Last week we introduced Spelling Mastery our new spelling program which will be implementing across Grades 3-6. This evidence-based program has been carefully selected to support our students in developing solid spelling foundations, enhancing their literacy skills and becoming proficient readers and writers.

We have also commenced Auslan lessons at the school. Auslan is the primary language of the Australian Deaf community and plays a significant role in promoting inclusivity and cultural awareness. We believe that introducing Auslan aligns with our school’s values of inclusion and lifelong learning, and we are excited about the positive impact this program will have on our students and school community.

Tomorrow staff will be participating in a Professional Learning Day, and the school will be closed to all students. We are fortunate to be working with Bronwyn Ryrie-Jones who is an Australian educator with a background in classroom teaching, instructional coaching, and teacher education at the University of Melbourne. Her expertise encompasses responsive teaching, explicit instruction, quality assessment, and instructional coaching. A number of schools in our network will be attending the day and we are all very much looking forward to learning from Bronwyn.

Finally a reminder that wearing a school hat is compulsory for Term 1 and Term 4. The wearing of our school’s uniform plays an important role in helping your child feel connected to their school community.

Below is an outline of what is considered to be the correct school uniform as per our student dress policy

• Navy blue and gold are our official school colours
• Navy blue shorts, tracksuit pants, leggings, skirts
• Navy blue and white checked school dress
• Navy blue polo shirt (or gold), jacket or jumper/hoodie
• Navy blue or gold headbands/ scrunchies
• School hat (Term 1 & 4) and YPS school bag.

Enjoy the week,

                        Christine