LPS eNews
8 May, 2025
Principal's Message
A huge appreciation is extended to Parents Group and all our community bakers, for donating an assortment of cakes and slices for last week's Parents Group Election Day fundraiser. Our polling booth was busy, which meant the parent volunteers sold everything provided. Thank you to everyone involved.
As our eNews cover indicates, the annual celebration of public education in Victoria, Education Week, is from May 19 - 23. This year’s theme Celebration of Cultures highlights the diversity of our communities and the importance of every child feeling safe and welcome at school. What a perfect theme for LPS, a truly diverse community with 29 different home languages.
As mentioned in our last eNews, an enthusiastic group of senior school students has recently started a school 'Culture Club'. After spending last term meeting and planning, their Culture Club aligns perfectly with 2025 Education Week. This is further complemented by this term's Social Justice inquiry focus, which is detailed in this eNews.
Please see our What's Happening? page for a list of opportunities for parents and carers to visit classrooms during Education Week. These will culminate in our next Fathering Project event on Friday 23 May; please register for that.
Painting and repair works on the exterior timber of the Performing Arts Centre was completed over the recent break. Thank you to parents who contributed to our Building Fund, which allowed this work. As organised by Georgina R, a past parent, Dulux will be onsite in the September holidays to paint the roof, filming this process for internal staff training.
Finally, our 2025 School Council met for the first time recently. Congratulations to the following staff and parents, who will no doubt have another successful year ahead under the presidency of Matt Hall.
Parent Electorate:
Kate Ashdown
Vrandesh Bandikatti
Jackie Chen
Siska Frederick
Matthew Hall
Grace Kelly
Deepti Wagle
Raylene Wu (Community Member - Parents Group)
Dept of Education Electorate:
Niyati Robson
Kathy Verbi
Executive Officer: Principal - Kim Dray
Kim
Our Vision: Learn • Thrive • Contribute
What's Happening?
Education Week is an annual celebration of education in Victoria. This year Education Week runs from Monday 19 - Friday 23 May.
This year’s theme, Celebration of Cultures, highlights the importance of understanding and celebrating diversity and multiculturalism in our everyday lives, in the classroom and beyond.
We look forward to welcoming families to this year's Education Week. Copies of the schedule below will also be displayed around the main school entry points. If you want to plan where you are going, our School Map can be found on the Sentral Parent Portal.
Entry to the school during Education Week activities will be via Janet St only. On arrival, as per our Visitors in School Policy, please make your way to the school foyer to sign in on the sheets provided. We also ask that you return to the school foyer to sign out before you leave.
Education Week at a Glance: Please see detailed outline below
Monday
2:30pm Year 5 Expo: Games around the world
Tuesday
11am (LUNCH) Performing Arts: Choir
1pm Art session: Prep P
2:45pm Year 3 Expo: Celebrating Cultures
Wednesday
9am Physical Education session: 4R
10am Physical Education session: 4S
12pm Library: National Simultaneous Story Time with 1F
2:30pm Prep Expo: Cultural celebrations
2:45pm Year 4 Expo: Kinship Trees
Thursday
11am (LUNCH) Culture Club: Laburnum Lab
2:45pm Year 1 Expo: Family Trees
2:45pm Year 6 Expo: Cultural artifacts
Friday
9am Year 2 Expo: Family Trees
9am Art session: Prep H
10am Art session: Prep R
ALL WEEK:
Library open before school
Spanish lessons – various times
| EDUCATION WEEK Timetable of Events |
PREP
| During education week the preps are leaning into our inquiry topic of celebrating differences. We have been collecting family recipes for students to share with the class as well as learning about cultural celebrations. We are hoping the prep parents can come in on W5 Wednesday 21st 2:30-3:30 to support students to get to know details about their personal culture, like celebrations, flags, family members. Come and create a poster together! |
YR1 | For Education Week the Year 1 and 2 students will be looking at their family cultural heritage or country of origin, where they will make a family tree and locate family origins on a world map. The Year 1s will be doing this on Thursday 22nd afternoon, please come and join us! |
YR2 | For Education Week the Year 1 and 2 students will be looking at their family cultural heritage or country of origin, where they will make a family tree and locate family origins on a world map. Year 2s will be doing this on Friday 23rd morning, we’d love to have families along for the fun! |
YR3 | The Year 3 team will have an expo on Tuesday 20th May at 2.45pm. We are excited to share some of our inquiry work that links with celebrating cultures around the world. |
YR4 | Year 4s Education Week expo day will be on Wednesday 21st of May, 2.45pm. The Year 4s will be creating ‘Kinship Trees’, looking at how different families come together in different ways. |
YR5 | For Education Week, the Year 5s plan on having a rotation of games from around the world such as Mancala and Bocce. Parents are invited to come and take part with their children as we learn about these games and the countries in which they originated on Monday 19th at 2:30. |
YR6 | The Year 6’s will be having their Education Week expo on Thursday the 22nd of May at 2:45pm. We will be sharing artefacts from our cultures and explaining their significance to our classmates. |
ART | Please join us for Prep Art Lessons! We will be making Autumn themed collages. |
SPANISH | Years 5 and 6-Spanish ‘Cho-co-la-te’ -Celebration of Cultures through Chocolate We will discover the origins and explore the history of chocolate through the Aztec and Mayan people (later-El chocolate fue a España). Students will use their Aztec and Mayan knowledge of chocolate to work with others to create a chocolate wrapper to persuade their ‘Mesoamerican customers’ (choice of either a food or drink). +Come and visit us in Culture Club Thursday Lunchtime |
PE | Striking and Fielding Games with Year 4 classes. |
LIBRARY | National Simultaneous Storytime is during Education Week on Wednesday 21st. Our whole school will celebrate this at 12pm on that day until about 12.20pm. 1F will be engaging with this in the library during this time. We will join more than 2 million people to simultaneously read the book 'Truck Cat' by Deborah Frenkel. This book ties in beautifully with the theme for Education week, 'Celebration of Cultures' because Truck Cat is a story about cats and humans, immigration and identity, and homes lost and found. The library is open every morning before school – please come in and read a story with your child! |
PERFORMING ARTS | There will be 4,5 & 6 choir in the Performing Arts room on the Tuesday 20th from 11-11:30am. Come and watch us perform! |
Our Vision: Learn • Thrive • Contribute
Next Generation Learning @ LPS
Now that the Victorian School Building Authority has approved expenditure to date, all previously listed 'wishlist items' have been approved. This will see the following projects happening this term (or completed already):
- a winding walkway to traverse the change of levels between the middle asphalt area and Blacks Walk fence;
- the addition of more mudrocks in that area (as used in the Junior School playground), creating a creek bed feeling, steps and seating for students;
- a large grassed area, with paths running from west to east to access the vegetable garden, Art room deck, chess board and timber auditorium;
- the erection of a large shed near the bike shed, for use as a 'Play Pod'. This will contain equipment for creative play and outdoor construction;
- more garden beds and planting that retain the existing trees;
- garden edging;
- irrigation throughout;
- flyscreens on all Senior School windows;
- additional display boards, cabinetry and shelving in the Senior School.
We expect this dream project to progress as smoothly as the construction works did, given we are using the same architect and builders.
Our Vision: Learn • Thrive • Contribute
Learn: Inquiry this term
Our concept for this term is Social Justice. The idea is that while this concept specifically relates to our inquiry units, it is also embedded across other areas of the curriculum so that students develop an understanding of what social justice can look like in different contexts.
Prep students will explore similarities and differences between their physical appearance, their families, and cultural backgrounds. They will learn about food and celebrations in different cultures and how they contribute to multicultural Australia. Students will ask questions to gain the perspective of people from different cultural backgrounds and go on a travel adventure to learn more about other cultures by visiting different countries.
Year 1 and 2 students will explore how they can treat people fairly and respectfully and consider how we show respect in different places. They will celebrate multiculturalism by sharing their own cultures, exploring other cultures, and considering what we can learn from people from different cultures. Students will explore and explain their food, games, and entertainment culture. This unit culminates in a cultural celebration where students will learn about the cultures of others in their class.
Year 3 and 4 students will learn about fairness, inclusion and accessibility. They will learn about the difference between rules and laws and develop laws for a new local council. Students will consider how they can celebrate differences and be empathetic to others. They will become fairness inspectors as they look for ways to improve the physical accessibility of their school. Students will plan, draft, publish and present a picture storybook for younger students to share the importance of being an ally for inclusion.
Our senior students will learn about some of the biggest problems facing children around the world and the aid agencies working to help solve these problems. They will practise making values-based decisions in response to ethical dilemmas. Students will learn some literary devices and use them to write a spoken word poem to call people to action. They will perform their spoken word poem at the Poetry Slam.
In inquiry students have opportunities to research and explore personal questions related to the class topic or concept by applying the skills and understandings they are learning in other curriculum areas.
At LPS, we often adopt an inquiry approach for science learning also.
Our Class Expos towards the end of term are an opportunity for our students to showcase their discoveries from these learning areas and share part of their learning journey with you.
We look forward to seeing you there! Please mark your diaries with these dates:
- Prep – Wednesday July 2 @ 2:45pm
- Years 1 & 2 – Thursday July 3 from 9:00am – 9:30am
- Years 3 & 4 – Monday June 30 @ 2:45pm
- Year 5 - Wednesday July 2 @ 2:45pm
- Year 6 – Thursday July 3 @ 3:00pm
Our Vision: Learn • Thrive • Contribute
Prep
In Maths, our Prep students have been exploring the wonderful world of patterns! We have been learning about what patterns are and how to identify the part that repeats, known as the repeating unit.
Students have enjoyed working with a variety of pattern types, including two-part and three-part patterns. We have explored patterns through movement, objects, and colours, using hands-on activities to build a strong understanding.
One of the highlights was heading outside to create patterns using natural materials. Leaves, sticks and rocks were carefully arranged into beautiful and creative patterns, helping students see how patterns appear all around us.
Our Preps are becoming pattern detectives—spotting and creating patterns wherever they go!
Curiosity • Respect • Integrity • Resilience
The Fathering Project
Come along and join us at The next Fathering Project event!
Dont forget to register before Tuesday 20 May!
It's never too late to join The Fathering Project! If you would like to join, use the QR code below.
Our Vision: Learn • Thrive • Contribute
Senior School - Years 5 & 6
In Writing, the Year 5 students have been learning how to use figurative language to write engaging texts. They have learned how personification enhances descriptions by giving objects human qualities or characteristics. They have also used comparison to emphasise what they are writing about and help the reader visualise, by describing how one thing is like another when creating metaphors.
Here are some examples of personification that the students wrote this week:
The trees danced in the wind as it blew. Luckily, the sun woke up, brightening everyone’s mood as it pranced across the sky. Hannah P
The flowers and the grass danced in the wind. The leaves from the trees waved at me. Tiffany G
The clouds ran as the wind played tag with them. The sun shone bright as it passed warmth to every living creature, as the grass smiled and greeted everyone in excitement. Grace X
Photos of students with their metaphors:
Year 6
This term, Year 6 students have been diving into the powerful and 
unpredictable world of natural disasters.
During writing we have been researching various types of disasters—from earthquakes and bushfires to hurricanes and volcanic eruptions. Using our research skills, it has allowed us to understand how these natural disasters impact people, places, and the environment.
In Science, we have explored the forces behind some of these natural disasters. We've conducted hands-on experiments to better understand how natural disasters occur and how they affect our world.
Three experiments we conducted were:
Tectonic Plates
Materials: shaving cream to represent the Earth’s mantle and crackers to replicate the Earth’s tectonic plates.
We gently pushed the crackers together or moved them past each other, students observed how different types of plate boundaries shape the Earth’s crust.
Tsunami in a Tray
To explore how tsunamis form, students created a mini ocean using a large tray, water, and sand to represent the shoreline. By quickly lifting one end of the tray or dropping a weighted object into the water (to mimic an undersea earthquake), students observed how powerful waves can be generated and how these waves impact coastal areas.
Cyclone in a Bottle
Students created a simple cyclone model using two plastic bottles taped together, filled with water. By swirling the water before turning the bottles over, students could observe a spinning vortex that represented the eye of a cyclone.
We have had so much fun researching and conducting these experiments about natural disasters!
Curiosity • Respect • Integrity • Resilience
Contribute: Parents Group News
Parents Group’s Term 2 meeting is happening on Tuesday 13th May at 7.30pm. If you’re interested in joining us (in-person or online), please send an email to: parentsgroup.lps@gmail.com
And congratulations to Raylene W who has been elected as the School Council Representative for Parents Group in 2025.
Election Day Cake Stall – Thank you!
A huge thank you to all the cake bakers and volunteers who made the LPS Election Day cake stall such a huge success. So many yummy cakes were sold, and in fact all cakes were sold out by 1pm!! The cake stall raised just over $2000 which will go towards upgrading the school playground spaces. Thanks to Jennie S and Leo W for organising this event.
Lunch Orders – More Helpers Needed!
We are seeking lots of parent volunteers to help pack and distribute lunch orders in term 2. If you can spare about 1 hour on a Wednesday or a Friday at 11.15am, please sign up here: https://signup.com/go/CNbQDJF
We rely on parent helpers for lunch orders to run, so please consider volunteering if you can.
Please note you must have a valid working with children’s check (WWCC) to volunteer at school.
Umbrellas for Sale!
The weather is getting cooler and rainy days are coming… Laburnum School Umbrellas are for sale at the office and still priced at just $25 each.
LABURNUM PRIMARY SCHOOL SECOND-HAND UNIFORM SHOP
OPEN First Friday of the Month: Term Time Only: 3.00 pm - 4.00 pm Thank you, |
ALL DONATIONS VERY WELCOME Please ensure donations are washed, clean and in good condition. Only school branded clothing (i.e. no Target, Kmart, Big W, etc. brands). nds). |
Curiosity • Respect • Integrity • Resilience
Specialists: Art
Welcome to Term 2 in the Art Room!
Year 6 are completing their wooden surfboard paintings and later this term will continue exploring a sequence of practices, design techniques and elements of design, to make a “Call to Action” poster, in keeping with their inquiry topic.
Year 5 will be hand building a standing clay figure. Using a slab cylinder then
bowl for the top, they will elaborate with textural detail joining techniques and mat glaze.
Each Year 4 class will be collaborating on a large wearable dragon head as part of their costume for a Performing Arts dance. Kemi in Year 6 has provided us with a sample maquette from which we will take our inspiration for practical joining, decorative and structural solutions.
Year 3 are learning about Yayoi Kusama and Op Art; patterns that appear to move and ambiguous images that use positive and negative space to trick the eye. They will be practising some of these ideas as well as drawing patterns that create a 3D effect.
Year 2 are investigating the world of insects to find symmetry and pattern in nature. They will be stitching with wool and using collage.
Year 1 will be practising a variety of printmaking and construction techniques to explore interpretations of the ocean and sea creatures.
Preps are making clay spoons and learning about John Coburn to see how colours symbolise the changing seasons.
Our Art Captains Adam and Laksh will be taking part in Culture Club events as well as providing Art competition information and activities that can be found on the Art Notice Board.
Term 1 clay works are on display in the glass cabinets outside the Year 3 rooms and next to reception. Other completed units of work are now on display outside the Art Room.
Curiosity • Respect • Integrity • Resilience
Contribute: Community News
Click on these links below for Community News or information:
 Click on the OSHClub logo to read this week's OSHClub news. OSHClub Registration - please register your child - it's free to register and you'll always have that option for childcare, even in unexpected circumstances. |
 Please click Chess Club image for registration |
 Please click here to view information and registration for Digimaker. |
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