LPS eNews
31 January 2025
Principal's Message
A special welcome is also extended to the other ten new families who are joining us for the first time this term, as well as our new staff members. New parents/carers should refer to the Communication at LPS page in this eNews to help you find any information or assistance you may need.
Returning families are also re-directed to our A - Z of Useful Information for Parents, available on our website under Our Community/Starting at Laburnum. This detailed information booklet was updated in late November. The school website has also had its extensive January update, and contains a wealth of information, including the school's Event Calendar.
Compared to 12 months ago, we are starting 2025 with a very different school environment. Most importantly, after a year of co-existing with a building site, our Capital Works project, the Senior School building, is only awaiting a Certificate of Occupancy. Throughout the build, the project has stayed on schedule, within budget and beyond our expectations. Please read all the updates on our Next Generation Learning @ LPS page in this eNews. We do plan to have both formal and staggered informal opening events for parents/carers in our brand new building, so please stay tuned as we'd love to share this new space with the community.
In readiness for moving into a two-storey learning environment, and as part of our 'Ready to Learn' program, teachers across the school are teaching ways of safely moving around buildings with stairs and balconies. One way parents can model safe movement is by keeping to the left side of any stairs when moving up or down them, while using the handrail.
After completing our staffing in the final week of last term I've certainly had fingers crossed all holidays! We feel very fortunate that our current staff list remained stable (it can be found here). Please note that it includes the new room numbers, as these have changed as a result of the Capital Works project. For new families, a school map can be found on Sentral.
Sarah Bignell joins the school as Leading Teacher this term, along with classroom teachers Natalia Schulstad, Sasha Guy and Jade Allin. Ravi Chanuka Gnawardhana is our new school-funded technician.
Assemblies are listed on our website Event Calendar. Parents are most welcome to attend from 2:45 pm in the school hall. As a school, we have protocols in place for assembly visitors that include:
- please arrive in time for the 2:45 pm start
- turn off and put away all devices to show your full respect to our students and staff
- never take photos or film during assemblies, other school events, or in the playground. We have many students whose families have not provided permission to photograph or film, with some of those due to serious personal safety concerns.
If your child receives an award and you feel it's necessary to have a photo, we are happy for that to occur on stage after assembly is finished.
We are looking forward to our first assembly for Years 1 - 6 next Friday, 7 February.
Kim
Our Vision: Learn • Thrive • Contribute
Next Generation Learning @ LPS
Our Capital Works project, the Senior School building, is now a real learning space. During the holidays, furniture was delivered. Thanks so much to our aides and office staff, who gave up part of their break to relocate and organise educational resources in the building.
Some very excited students and teachers will move into this brilliant learning space as soon as we receive the Certificate of Occupancy.
As soon as the site is returned to the school, the relocated Blacks Walk entrance will open again for access before and after school.
We plan to invite parents to visit the Senior Building in year level groups, as we have too many families to all visit together. Please keep an eye on your emails for details of future 'open house' events, when our senior school students will love to show parents/carers around. Meanwhile, our students will be taken on tours by their class teachers.
The builder's huts will soon be removed from the former northern ('quiet') playground outside the Art Room. After being used for builders' access for over a year, this playground has been fenced off for reinstatement.
As the Capital Works budget was carefully managed, and thankfully without unexpected costs, we've been fortunate to design additional landscaping for this area. The plan includes levelling of the site and repairs to the timber auditorium and giant chess board. New features include paths, garden beds and significant rock edging that doubles as seating. This is also used around the 'new' yarning circle. Planting of the garden beds will need to occur when the weather is cooler. Our Green Team will look forward to being able to use the vegetable garden again when the northern area is opened.
The Year 3/4 playground, also part of the Capital Works project, is complete and being well-used already. In addition to the play equipment, there are downball courts and more garden beds, also awaiting planting. Have you noticed that each of our playgrounds is designed for each cohort's skill levels, age and heights? Now that each area of the school has their 'own' playground again, students will once again use only the equipment that is correctly sized and designed for their age group.
Additionally, the Junior School playground had its permanent steel hoop garden edging installed, as well as seating and tables for the outdoor learning area, which were part of the overall design. This project was supported by the LPS Parents Group and OSHClub and it's fantastic to see how much enjoyment it has created.
As well, the main building ground floor has new carpet. Although this was a massive job, due to the furniture movement involved, it was well worth the effort. Our School Council budgets a committed amount each year that builds over time to allow us to complete the necessary replacement of worn and damaged flooring. As a result, the main building has a fresh new look.
Finally, carpentry works on the Performing Arts Centre are almost finished. This building will be painted in the coming weeks, using parent/carer donations to our Building Fund.
All this work is for the benefit of our students and it's wonderful to offer them an environment in which they can thrive.
Our Vision: Learn • Thrive • Contribute
What's Happening?
Welcome back, LPS families!
From Week 3, Parent Information Sessions via Webex will take place. These sessions provide information about the year ahead to all parents in each sub-school, prior to Meet the Teacher the following week.
Sessions will commence at 3.45pm on either Monday 10 February (Years 5/6) followed by the Year 6 Camp meeting, Tuesday 11 February (Prep and Years 3/4) or Thursday 15 February (Years 1/2). You will also find this information on the school Event Calendar. If you are unable to attend, a copy of each presentation will be uploaded to Sentral.
This year we are trialling Caption Connect which automatically captions a presenter’s speech. Using your preferred home language, Caption Connect simultaneously displays the speech as text onto both the presenter's and the attendee's screens. A QR code will be made available at each session for families to engage with this technology.
In Week 4, we are offering Meet the Teacher appointments via Webex for Year 1 - 6 parents/carers to meet individually with their child’s teacher. The appointment is an opportunity for you to meet and share any important information you may have about your child.
Prep families have already had their Meet the Teacher appointments.
These appointments will run for 10 minutes, as usual. Changeover time will allow the teacher to be ready for their next Webex meeting.
Specialist teachers will have limited appointments (maximum one per family) available for Years 1 - 6 only, so please only register for these if you need to speak to a particular Specialist teacher. As there are two P.E. teachers, please select the one teaching your child, if needed.
If you need more time with a particular teacher for any reason beyond this, you are welcome to arrange a separate meeting or phone call outside of these dates and times.
If you require an interpreter (any language), please notify the office via email by 4:00 p.m. on Monday 17 February. Meetings with our Chinese interpreter and class teachers will be held during the day on Tuesday 25 February. These families do not need to book online.
All other Year 1 - 6 families should book online for Meet the Teacher on either Tuesday 18 February (4.00-7.00pm) or Thursday 20 February (4.00-6.00pm).
Visit the Sentral Parent Portal and click on 'Parent-Teacher meetings'.
Opening and Closing Dates:
- Bookings will open Friday 07 February at 5.00 pm.
- Bookings will close Sunday 16 February at 5.00 pm.
Parents will receive an email soon about two start-of-the-year documents that need your attention before Parent-Teacher Meetings. They are available as writable PDFs, which can be returned to your child's teacher via their Sentral mailbox:
- Acceptable Use of Technologies Agreement - please discuss with your child, sign and return the last page before Monday 24 February (to coincide with Meet the Teacher Meetings).
- Photography, Filming and Recording Students: We now only need to collect this form once during your child's primary schooling.
If you are new to LPS, parents only need to return the last page if you do not want your children's images to be used by the school.
Finally, if you believe your child needs to have a phone or smart watch, please understand these must be checked in to the office each morning and collected after school, as per our Mobile Phone Policy. Devices cannot be turned on or used whilst on the school grounds.
Our Vision: Learn • Thrive • Contribute
2025 School Council Election
2025 Schedule 4: Notice of Election and Call for Nominations
An election is to be conducted for members of the School Council of Laburnum Primary School.
Nomination forms may be obtained from the school from Thursday 27 February 2025. Completed nomination forms must be lodged at the office by 3.00 pm on Thursday 6 March 2025. Please call or email the office if you would like a nomination form emailed to you, or we can send one home with your eldest child.
Following the closing of nominations, a list of the nominations received will be posted at the main office entrance at the school.
The terms of office, membership categories and number of positions in each membership category open for election are as follows:
MEMBERSHIP CATEGORY | TERM OF OFFICE | NUMBER OF POSITIONS |
Parent member | From the day after the date of the declaration of the poll in 2025 to and inclusive of the date of the declaration of the poll in 2027 |
4 |
DE employee member | From the day after the date of the declaration of the poll in 2025 to and inclusive of the date of the declaration of the poll in 2027 |
2 |
If the number of nominations is less than the number of vacancies, a notice to that effect and calling for further nominations will be posted at the main door to the school.
SCHOOL COUNCIL ELECTION PROCESS AND TIMETABLE | ||
1. | Notice of election and call for nominations | by Thursday 27 February 2025 |
2. | Closing date for nominations | by 3:00 p.m. on |
3. | Date by which the list of candidates and nominators will be posted | Friday 7 March 2025 |
4. | Date by which ballot papers will be prepared and distributed (if required) | On or before |
5. | Close of ballot (if required) | 3:00 p.m. on |
6. | Vote count (if required) | On or before Monday 24 March 2025 |
7. | Declaration of poll (if required) | On or before |
8. | First council meeting to elect office bearers and community member (the principal will preside) | On or before |
Kim Dray
Principal
Are you interested in joining our School Council?
All government schools in Victoria have a School Council; a legally formed body that sets the key directions of the school within clear Department of Education guidelines. Each year in February/March, an election is conducted for members of the School Council for Laburnum Primary School.
There are three possible categories of membership:
- A mandated elected parent category. Potential and retiring councillors can be nominated.
- A mandated elected Department of Education employee category.
- An optional community member category. Our community member is currently a Parents Group representative.
The term of office for councillors is usually two years. Some members retire each year and this creates vacancies for the annual School Council elections.
At this time, we thank our retiring councillors for their contributions to improving and supporting the school during 2024. It was a very successful year as we completed our Capital Works project and Junior School playground upgrade. School Council continued to review progress against our 2022 - 2026 Strategic Plan.
If you have a desire to work in partnership with others to help shape the school’s future, and positively contribute in ways that reflect the best interests of all students, please consider nominating.
If you require further information about School Council or the process for filling vacancies, please contact the school or click here.
Our Vision: Learn • Thrive • Contribute
Communication at LPS (especially for new families)
Welcome to our school. As we know that effective school communication relies on parents' engagement with clear information, the following is essential reading for new families.
For information about how the school operates, please see our 'Starting at Laburnum Primary School' page, which includes the A - Z of Useful Information for Parents. This important document was updated in November, and can also be located on our website under the Enrolment tab. Everything on our website can be translated into your home language.
To regularly communicate important information, we use both LPS eNews (our electronic newsletter) and Sentral (for most emails to and from parents). Please ensure you read any messages sent by the school. LPS eNews is emailed to all parents/carers fortnightly, usually on Thursdays, and contains essential information about important dates and events. The eNews archive is found on our website here. The most-accessed page on our website is our Event Calendar, which includes all confirmed school events.
A reminder to all our new families to create their Sentral Parent Portal accounts as soon as possible. Sentral is the school's main avenue for communications with specific families, as well as excursions, student reports and parent-teacher meetings. You can also email your child's teacher about non-urgent matters through Sentral.
Instructions and access codes will be sent home with your children. The Sentral Parent Portal is also used to upload documents, and includes the 2025 School Map and Parents Group minutes each month.
LPS eNews usually contains a combination of these pages:
- Principal's Message
- School Council Update from the School Council President
- What's Happening? from the Assistant Principals
- Learn, about academic news
- Thrive, for wellbeing news
- Contribute: Parents Group news
- Contribute: Community information
- Superstars, recognising those who have wonderful achievements to share
- Next Generation Learning, updating families on our capital works program and playground upgrade
As well, all year levels and specialists regularly share their news in these pages:
- Prep
- Junior School - Years 1 & 2
- Middle School - Years 3 & 4
- Senior School - Years 5 & 6
- Specialists
We hope that you'll be using these resources to become more familiar with our school.
Our Vision: Learn • Thrive • Contribute