Student Reports will be published to Sentral on or by Friday. As we phase in the new Victorian Curriculum 2.0, the most obvious change in these reports is in Mathematics. Previous reports showed three strands in Mathematics. The Maths 2.0 curriculum breaks these down further into six strands:

• Number
• Algebra
• Measurement
• Space
• Statistics (commencing at Foundation Level C)
• Probability (commencing at Level 3).

Whilst teachers will teach all strands relevant to their students each year, the Department guidelines are that reports to parents in Mathematics Version 2.0 should provide a single teacher judgement. This shows on your child's report as a single dot, supported by the 5 point scale, indicating whether your child's learning is at, above or below expected level. As that dot only represents two terms of teaching the new curriculum, and some strands have not been taught in 2025 yet, it will take a full year to reflect student achievement against all strands.

Please remember that there are opportunities to discuss these reports at Parent Teacher meetings in Weeks 1 and 2 of Term 3. See the What's Happening page for details of how to book for these during the holidays.

For students in Years 3 and 5, NAPLAN reports are expected to arrive early next term. The reports are delivered to schools by courier, with deliveries staggered due to the number of schools involved. Schools receive them at dfferent times and, as usual, we send these home in envelopes as soon as possible.

Finally, we bid a sad farewell to Mrs Claudice Plant after teaching at LPS for four years. Thank you to Claudice for her professional contributions, including the care of her students. We wish her all the best for the future.

We hope all families and our staff have a safe, relaxing break. School resumes for students after the holidays on Tuesday 22 July, as Monday 21 July is a student-free day.

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

Student Reports
Please click here to view instructions on how to access your child's Semester 1 report, available through Sentral this evening or tomorrow.

After you have read your child's report you will have the opportunity to book Parent-Teacher Meetings to discuss the next steps in their learning.

Dates for Parent - Teacher Meetings:
Thursday 24 July & Tuesday 29 July
Thursday 31 July & Monday 4 August (with EAL interpreter) 

These appointments will run for 10 minutes, as usual, and parents should wait in the online 'Webex lobby' for teachers to admit them to the meeting. Change-over time between meetings will allow the teacher to be ready for their next Webex meeting.

Further information about Specialist Teacher appointments or Parent-Teacher Meetings with an interpreter was detailed in 19th June eNews.

Except for EAL interpreter meetings, all other families should book online:
Visit the Sentral Parent Portal and click on the Parent-Teacher meetings tab.

Opening and Closing Dates
Bookings will open on Friday 11 July 2025 at 5:00pm. 
Bookings will close on Sunday 20 July at 5.00 pm.

Please note that the Webex meeting link for each teacher can be found in your meeting confirmation. 

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

Stand-Up Project (SUP) Update

We are thrilled to provide an update on The Stand-Up Project (SUP)!

Our Year 5 students took part in the introductory sessions on Monday 16th June. It was wonderful to hear their insights about social dynamics within their peer groups and what they believe we should focus on to build a more respectful and supportive school culture.

Some of our SUP Leaders shared what they’re most looking forward to:

Emma B: “We get to pick what to teach others at LPS.”

 Abigail B: “I am looking forward to teaching the Year 3s and 4s. We will be teaching them the 4Ds – direct, distract, delay and delegate.”

 Suzanne S: “I like how we get to teach the parents and teachers who usually teach us.”

In addition to the family session, our SUP Leaders will join the program’s founder, Dr Zach Greig, in presenting to staff—empowering students to contribute to teacher learning and support this important whole-school initiative. After this, they will work with the Year 3 and 4 students to explore different types of behaviours, what happens when jokes go too far, how to be an upstander, and the 4Ds of upstanding.

Thank you to those who have already completed the RSVP form for the upcoming parent information session. As this is a whole-school initiative, all parents are welcome to attend. The session will offer practical strategies to help you support your child in navigating social situations. If you haven’t signed up yet, please do so using the form below.

Laburnum Primary School SUP Family Session
When: Monday 28th July at 5.30pm
Where: Staff Community Centre

Please complete the RSVP form below:

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute 

This term, the Preps went swimming. There were mixed emotions before the swimming program. Some students were feeling excited, while others felt a little nervous. During the week before, the Preps read a social story about what to expect when going to the pool with their teachers and peers. It was a lot of fun boarding the bus on the first day!

The students had a fantastic time learning to swim with their friends. They enjoyed learning to blow bubbles in the water, torpedo kick and dive for weights. Students participated in a water safety day, where they learned how to be safe around water and what to do if they got into trouble. They wore old clothing into the pool over their bathers, enabling them to feel what it would be like if they fell into water with clothing on. On the last day, the students celebrated their success by playing entertaining water games and activities.  

The Preps looked after their belongings and made sure they came back to school with the items they took with them. The teachers were so proud of how students took on this independence challenge and showed everyone that they are very capable. It was a very busy and successful two weeks.

A big thank you to the parent helpers who assisted each day!

Curiosity  •   Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience

The parent/carer online system closed on 30 June 2025. Any remaining funds, including unused online voucher amounts, will automatically become a school activities credit. The activities credit will be available on your family account by early August 2025. 

This means that Family Statements may not reflect the DE allocation of remaining SSB funds (if you have any) until next term. The Department needs to process these centrally for families in all schools.

There are many families that have credit available on their family accounts. This means that you can ask for that amount to put towards any school fee, excursion or payment, simply by emailing the office. 

Do you have a credit in your Family Account that you could be using for school invoices? Just check the statement you receive for any credits. 

Using the Department's finance system, family statements with a (-) minus in front of the amount, are a CREDIT. 

Examples of credits on Statements:

Unallocated Receipts      -$3.60 (this family could direct $3.60 to a school payment)

Unallocated Credit          -$210.00 (this family could direct $210 to school payments)

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

It has been a very successful Term 2 for the Year 5 students in Science and inquiry.

We finished our inquiry unit with students sharing their ‘Social Justice’ poems with their class. Each class then selected two students to present to the Year 5 cohort. It was impressive to see students combine their findings about issues such as hunger, poverty and education affecting children worldwide, with poetic techniques and presentation skills to engage the audience.

For Science, students have made cross-curricular connections while investigating the solar system. They wrote informational pieces about a chosen planet for Writing, used three-dimensional shapes to create a ‘space base’ in Maths, and built rovers, landers, and created cross-sections in a year-level Science lesson rotations. All this was combined for presentations to students and parents in the ‘Our Place in Space’ Science Expo on Wednesday. It was out of this world!

 










Have a happy and safe Winter holiday
The Year 5 team

Year 6
Spoken Word Spectacular: Year 6 Poetry Slam
In Writing, we have been exploring different types of poetry. We identified tools writers use when crafting poetry and ways to present our poems in engaging ways to an audience.

We discovered that different types of poems have their own special rules. For example:
Limerick poems follow an AABBA rhyming pattern. Lines 1, 2, and 5 must have the same number of syllables (beats), and lines 3 and 4 share the same number of syllables.

• Lune poems are short, with three lines following a 3 words / 5 words / 3 words structure.
• Haiku and Senryu poems have three lines with syllable counts of 5, 7, and 5 respectively.
• Blackout poetry is created by selecting words from existing text to form new meanings and messages.

  

After writing many different types of poems, we selected our best work to perform at the Year 6 Poetry Slam. During the slam, students were placed in groups to read their word poems aloud, using expression to bring out the mood and emotions in their writing.

Each group then chose the poem they felt was the strongest to perform in front of the entire Year 6 cohort. We carefully listened for rhythm, beats, and figurative language before voting for our Poetry Slam winner.

  

We had so much fun incorporating musical patterns, emotions, and mood into our poems. It was amazing to see how words can come alive when shared with others!

From Science to Scene: Creating Natural Disaster Dioramas
This term, we have been exploring the science behind natural disasters and how they impact our world. We investigated various types of natural disasters and extreme weather such as bushfires, floods, cyclones and blizzards. We researched their causes, effects and how communities prepare and respond to them.

After researching these powerful events, we planned and designed a ‘snapshot’ moment that highlights an important aspect of the disaster. Once our plans were ready, we collected a variety of materials such as paper, cotton wool, rocks, cardboard and Lego pieces to bring our dioramas to life. Building these models helped us understand the science behind natural disasters and capture the drama and impact of these events.

We couldn’t wait to share our dioramas with the Laburnum community at our Science Expo today. We had a fantastic time constructing and sharing our creations!

Curiosity  •   Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience

Learn more about Mel, the LPS TeamKids Director of Service, by clicking here.

More details about TeamKids can be found on our new website TeamKids page, under the "Our School" tab. We have recently added Family Handbooks and Vacation Care flyers to that page.

Registration is free, but essential, before your child can attend the service from 7 July 2025.

New to TeamKids?

• Visit www.teamkids.com.au, select our school’s program, and follow the enrolment instructions to register your child and add bookings.
• Our school's direct link is 
  https://www.teamkids.com.au/venues/laburnum-primary-oshc/
• Parents can now register and book in for Before, After and Vacation Care.

Used TeamKids before?

• Contact TeamKids’ Customer Service Team to link your account to our school. Once linked, you’ll just need to add your desired bookings.

TeamKids’ friendly local Customer Service team is always ready to assist. If you have any questions or need support, please reach out via:

• Email: info@teamkids.com.au
• Phone: 1300 035 000 (press #1)

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

2025 Pie Drive

Pie Fundraiser is coming back in Term 3!   This year’s pie drive has been organised with Tony’s Pies of Essendon. Keep an eye out early next term for details about how to order online.

 



Entertainment App Membership

Your Membership to The Entertainment App will save you up to 50% on dining, shopping and activities right around Australia – all while supporting our school! You will get a 12 month membership from the date of activation and for a limited time, get a free $30 Activ Visa Gift Card at the time of purchase.

Some examples of discounts found in the book are:

• Save at the checkout with 4% off Woolworths Gift Cards
• TGI Fridays Doncaster
• Poppies on Canterbury Blackburn South
• The Chase Hotel Forest Hill
• Second Wife Café Box Hill
• Hoyts Cinemas
• Lollipop’s Playlands

For more information or to purchase your membership, please click the link here:

https://subscribe.entertainment.com.au/fundraiser/185r982

LPS Umbrellas

Winter is well and truly here! So what better time to buy your LPS umbrella! Large sturdy and long-lasting, these will help you stay dry at drop off and pick up!

Umbrellas can be purchased at the office for just $25 each!

                             
LABURNUM PRIMARY SCHOOL 
SECOND-HAND UNIFORM SHOP

Curiosity  •   Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience

The ICAS test (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools) is an independent, skills-based assessment program, designed to match and test skills in key curriculum areas. 

You can read more about the ICAS tests here.

This year Laburnum Primary School will again participate in the ICAS competitions for English, Mathematics and Science. 

As ICAS is an extracurricular activity, entry is available to LPS students in Years 4, 5 and 6 ONLY.

Testing sessions will be held before school on the following dates:

• English ICAS test – Wednesday 13 August
• Science ICAS test – Wednesday 20 August
• Maths ICAS test – Wednesday 27 August

Families enrol their child through the ICAS Parent Payment System. Follow the link below, and use the school access code to enrol your child. The Parent Payment System will close on Monday 28 July. Please understand that we will not be processing any registrations after this date.

Your parent page link is: https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps

School access code: ZPF593

More information will be provided closer to the test dates.

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

Click on these links  below for Community News or information:         

TeamKids Out of School Hours Care  Please register your child here - 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.

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute