Dear Families,

It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through Term 4! The weeks ahead are shaping up to be busy and full of exciting events and activities. Please keep an eye on Compass for updates and details about what’s coming up.

1/2 Adventure Evening
It was a delight to see our Grade 1/2 students fully immersed in their Night of Adventure! They had a wonderful evening filled exciting activities, a delicious dinner at school, and plenty of fun at the disco. Our Grade 2 students also experienced their first overnight stay as part of our introduction to the camping program. This year, we chose to have the sleepover at the Yinnar Hall rather than at school, which provided a much more comfortable space for the students. I’m incredibly grateful to our dedicated teachers who, despite the busy report-writing period, made this memorable event possible.

Prep Picnic Dinner
The prep students are very much looking forward to tonight’s picnic. The Amphitheatre will provide the ideal setting for laying out picnic rugs, enjoying dinner and playing some games.  The Prep Picnic is the initial phase of our school camping program. The program is designed to gradually nurture students' confidence and independence, beginning with a school picnic, and culminating in a 3- or 4-day overnight camp at the senior level.

Sporting Events
Our school’s involvement and success in sporting events has continued this term, with some outstanding achievements to celebrate. Our Grade 6 boys’ cricket team and Grade 5/6 boys’ softball team both competed at the regional level, demonstrating impressive skill, teamwork, and sportsmanship.
A special congratulations to Eli M and Harry T who qualified at the regional athletics competition to compete at the state level in high jump and long jump respectively - a fantastic achievement!

      

An extra big congratulations to Hudson D, who has been selected to represent Yinnar Primary School and School Sport Victoria at the upcoming 12 Years & Under Boys’ Softball National Championships in Sydney later this month.

Hudson’s family has created an Australian Sports Foundation fundraising page to support his participation, where donations are tax-deductible. Families who would like to contribute to Hudson’s exciting opportunity can do so via the link below.

Help Hudson Wear the Big V | Australian Sports Foundation 

Remembrance Day
On the 11th day of the 11th month, at the 11th hour, our school paused to remember. Due to the weather and the wet day timetable, students and staff observed the minute of silence respectfully in their classrooms. It was pleasing to see our community join together in reflection, showing gratitude and respect for those who have served our country.

Student Leadership
The process for selecting leadership positions for 2026 is underway, with students actively involved in writing applications to showcase their interest. Teachers are guiding senior students through the skills needed for writing applications and are providing extra support during lunchtimes to assist with this task. While not every student will secure a leadership role, it is inspiring to see so many students eager to participate in the selection process and demonstrate their willingness to take on new responsibilities.
Leadership opportunities encourage students to take initiative, collaborate with peers, and contribute positively to their school community. More importantly, when students understand that leadership extends beyond wearing a badge, they learn to demonstrate respect, empathy, and integrity in their actions, motivating others and contributing to a positive and inclusive school environment.
At the end of each year, we ask our students to complete a self-evaluation survey on their leadership role. This is what some of our House Captains had to say:

What did you find most satisfying while working as a leader this year?

• I liked running events and seeing people enjoy themselves.
• My opportunity to run great things for our great school. Getting to run things to make other people happy.
• Working with people I don’t normally work with.

Did being a leader help you to improve or develop in some way?

• Being a House leader helped me improve my leadership in general. I felt I could help people without sounding bossy.
• It helped me develop my social skills. As well as learning how to stay respectful.
• It helped me with talking in front of big crowds.
• It helped me strengthen my collaboration skills and working in a team.

Annual Implementation Plan Review
During week 5 of the term our leadership team met with Kevin Mealing (Senior Education Improvement Leader) to reflect and discuss the school’s Annual Implementation Plan for 2025. This year the school’s Key Improvement Strategies focused on: 

Learning:

• Develop teacher capacity to effectively use assessment to inform planning to differentiate student learning.

Wellbeing:

• Improve staff capacity to cater for individual student needs.

The school completed all the planned actions and activities identified to support the Key Improvement Strategies. We are now in the process of making plans and setting goals for the 2026 Annual Implementation Plan.

A huge thank you to our leaders—Nicole, Kate, Hayley, Jess and Katie—for their outstanding work in leading their areas of improvement this year. I truly appreciate their dedication and commitment to leadership. They consistently come well-prepared and informed, playing a vital role in driving continuous improvement in teaching and learning at our school.

Staffing and Grade Structure for 2026
At this time of year, many decisions and arrangements are being made in preparation for the 2026 school year. To support our planning, we would appreciate it if you could let us know as soon as possible about any new enrolments or students (other than Grade 6) who may be leaving Yinnar Primary School.
Looking ahead to 2026, we are expecting 213 students, as we farewell 39 Year 6 students and welcome 25 new Prep students. The school will operate with nine classes and four specialist areas.

We are sad to see Christie Panozzo and Charlie Chila take leave from the school in 2026, but we are also excited for the opportunities that lie ahead for them. At the same time, we are delighted to announce that Chloe Powell and Denise Cleaver will be joining our team as graduate teachers next year.

In 2026, our specialist programs will once again include Physical Education, Visual Arts, Performing Arts, and Technology, and we’re excited to introduce Science as a new specialist area. Caitlin Twomey, Charlie Twomey, and Jayme-Lee Griffin will be working across the specialist programs, while Jess Talerico and Hayley Coffin will continue in their valuable instructional coaching roles.

Our classroom teaching staff and grade structure for 2026 is:

                                                           
Warm Regards
Christine

Even at this time of year regular attendance at school is important.

We know that life gets busy at this time of the year, but being at school is the most important thing a child needs to do for their future. School helps children build good habits for later in their life. They might think school is just about Maths and English, but they are also learning about how to work with other people and how to solve problems. Being at school every day also means children are becoming more independent as a learner and developing a variety of ways to interact with their friends and teachers. If children are at school, they can get help from their teachers and friends and won’t have to try to learn things in their own time. Being an adult probably seems far away but we know that young people who attend school more frequently have better outcomes after school too. This means they earn more money, have better job opportunities and are generally healthier. So being at school really does make a difference!

Please remember to update your child's absence on COMPASS.