LPS eNews
18 September, 2025
Principal's Message
This was followed by a huge turnout for Friday's Fathering Project event with special guest, former AFL player and coach, Rodney Eade.
Thank you for your support of these well-attended events, that add excitement to your child's day at school.
Congratulations to our Years 3 - 6 District athletes, along with Mr Bowman and accompanying staff and parents, on their fantastic performances at District Athletics! Best wishes to those thirty students who will progress to the Whitehorse Division Athletics Carnival in October.
We are preparing for a busy holiday 'break' with more buildings and grounds works. The school will be closed to everyone except TeamKids over the holidays, while these building works occur.
These include the next stage of planned construction on the Sensory Garden Priority Project, funded by our Parents Group. A major Term 4 fundraising event will help finish this project, one of a long list undertaken by the LPS Parents Group over the last twenty-five years!
Additionally, Dulux will return to rejuvenate the roof of the Performing Arts Centre next week. Using a new roofing product, they will also film the process for internal staff training. This means lots of scaffolding, cameras and people! We can all agree the difference that restoration and painting has already made to this heritage building, with thanks to those parents who helped fund this work through donations to our tax-deductible Building Fund.
At a time of ongoing and critical teacher shortages, we are trying to finalise our enrolments and staff needs for 2026. If your child is leaving LPS this year (except for Year 6 students), please email our office, as this information affects our staffing.
This week, School Council approved Term 1 start of the year arrangements for Year 1 - 6 students, as well as alternative arrangements for Prep 2026 students. These include two student-free days. You can find these on our website under 'Our Community' here.
Finally, a reminder that school ends for this term at 2:30pm tomorrow. TeamKids' Vacation Care program can be found on the Contribute: Community News page of this eNews.
Have a safe break everyone. School resumes on Monday 6 October for Term 4.
Kim
Our Vision: Learn • Thrive • Contribute
What's Happening?
2026 class placements
Many factors are taken into account when placing students in class groups for the following year. Underlying this process are our school values and, as Resilience is something we aim for all students to develop, mixing with different students each year is both desirable and carefully planned.
During Term 4, all students have an opportunity to nominate other children they would like to have in their class. We can usually guarantee that one of these requests is met. This process is undertaken with their class teacher at school, so parents do not need to make requests on behalf of their child.
If parents have a particular request that is separate to your child's own preferences, these should be made in writing by email to laburnum.ps@education.vic.gov.au and addressed to the Principal (not your child’s teacher). They must be received by Wednesday 5 November. These are then considered along with those of other families, teachers and students.
As in previous years, please do not ask for specific teachers for 2026, or make friend requests on behalf of your child, as these requests will not be considered. We also respectfully ask that your requests are reasonable. If necessary, please limit these to one or two requests per child so they can be manageable as we try to juggle competing and often conflicting priorities.
Due to the complex process involved, late requests cannot be accepted.
LPS Snack Club has been a wonderful addition to the Laburnum Primary School community. We have loved the positive feedback from students and families regarding the club and look forward to continuing to promote healthy eating next term.
Enjoy this edition's recipe for a basic tomato sauce, perfect for a weeknight pasta dinner.
Our Vision: Learn • Thrive • Contribute
Thrive: Our Therapists
Counsellor
Hi everyone! I am Sahithi Chintakunta, the new school counsellor at Laburnum Primary School. I am currently working at three other schools across
Melbourne and have had experience working with children in school settings for the past five years.
I am super excited to be working with the beautiful children at this school and hope to support them with their socioemotional and behavioural needs through a fun and safe counselling space. I will be running social skills groups with students in the junior levels in term 3 and 4 that will focus on making and maintaining positive friendships both inside the classroom and at play time.
I intend to work together with families, teachers and the school staff so please feel free to contact me if needed. I am at the school on Mondays and would love to hear from you. Thanks and take care!
Play Therapist“Enter into children’s play and you will find the place where their minds, hearts and souls meet” – Virginia Axline
My name is Joy, and I’m the Play Therapist at Laburnum Primary School.
I’m a registered Play Therapist with Play Therapist registration with Australasia 
Pacific Play Therapy Association (APPTA), and I work with children aged 3–12 using evidence-based, developmentally appropriate approaches to support their emotional wellbeing and growth.
Play Therapy is a counselling method for children to help them communicate in their natural language of play. In Play Therapy, I facilitate a safe and nurturing space where children can express themselves through play, explore how they see themselves and how they relate to the world around them, and begin to make sense of their experiences.
Through Play Therapy, children develop healthy coping strategies, decision-making, self-control and emotional regulation, which will help the child be more successful in school, improving behaviour to allow more learning to take place and enhancing their relationship with others.
It’s a privilege to be part of the LPS team, and I’m passionate about enhancing children’s social and emotional wellbeing and helping them thrive within the school environment.
Our Vision: Learn • Thrive • Contribute
Junior School - Years 1 & 2
Year 1 is excited to tell you about the most popular task of our Maths unit about location and direction. We applied our knowledge to engage with Beebots, which are programmable floor robots.
The students were asked to program their Beebot to reach a certain location on a mat. They had to decide which direction the Beebot was facing before drawing a plan on their whiteboard using arrows. Once the plan was finished, they inputted the direction into their Beebot and watched what happened. Some Beebots made it, and others did not. This was an important part of our learning as students were than asked to reflect, check their plan, make adjustments, and try again. Our school value of resilience was on show as students tried and tried again!
We are in the thick of creating our own neighbourhoods based on our learning in our inquiry unit. For the past few weeks, we have been learning about what is important within a community. This includes accessing the emergency services, keeping people safe and making sustainable choices. Our posters along the corridor promote different safety messages that people in the community need to understand. We welcome you to check them out!
A reminder that tomorrow from 9am-9:30am is our Learning Expo. We invite families to join us in celebration of our diligent work creating our own community maps. Don’t forget to sign in at the office!
Year 2
Year 2 have been enjoying writing persuasive texts. Following swimming, we wrote a shared text arguing whether students should or should not participate in swimming lessons at school. Then, we chose from a range of topics, including 'summer is better than winter' and 'noodles are better than dumplings' to write our own texts. We learnt about persuasive language and practised using high modal verbs and some rhetorical questions. We spent some time publishing our work. You will find some on display in the Year 2 corridor if you would like to take a look!
We have also spent time preparing for our Learning Expo. During inquiry, we have been exploring how music and sound can bring communities together. Each class has been rehearsing our plays and adding sound and actions to entertain our audience. Thankyou to those parents/carers who joined us at our Expo this morning.
Curiosity • Respect • Integrity • Resilience
The Fathering Project
Thankyou to all the LPS dads/carers/grandparents who attended our recent Fathering Project event last Friday. It was also great to welcome and listen to Rodney Eade from the Fathering Project as he spoke about the important role of fathers in our children's lives.
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
Middle School - Years 3 & 4
Students have enjoyed participating in swimming lessons during the last two weeks, building confidence and independence in the water. They have learnt important water safety skills, practising rescues and survival techniques. The final day was celebrated with fun activities, resulting in lots of splashing and laughter.
In inquiry, students have been busy designing their very own island homes! They began by learning about different environments, climate zones, and natural vegetation, discovering how these factors shape the way people live.
Students also researched important symbols of different countries, such as flags and national anthems, to investigate what makes each place unique. They explored the differences in seasons according to First Nations people, gaining an appreciation for how culture and environment are deeply connected.
For our Science unit we explored forces which gave the students the opportunity to visit and explore Science Works. The students were involved in a wide variety of age‑appropriate exhibits, with our main focus being on Tinker Town. Students used their visit to Science Works to help them plan and design their arcade game, which will be displayed at our upcoming Year 4 Expo.
The students had an opportunity to join the recent Fathering Project event, having quality time with their dads before school and meeting AFL legend Rodney Eade. Students also thoroughly enjoyed the Father’s Day breakfast, a great way to see many Year 4 students and dads enjoying a meal with other families to kick start the day.
Curiosity • Respect • Integrity • Resilience
Contribute: Parents Group News
Colour Fun Run at LPS on Monday 1st December!
It’s been a few years since Laburnum Primary has had a major fundraiser, and this year Parents Group are excited to announce that we will be having a colour fun run on Monday the 1st December. This event is raising funds for our 2026 Priority Project - the Sensory Garden. The Colour Fun Run will be held during school hours and is loads of fun for kids and parents alike – so please pop the date in your diary! More info coming at the start of Term 4.
Lunch Orders – Urgent Help Needed for Term 4
As you all know, our lunch order service is not only something the students look forward to as a little treat but also very handy for parents/carers if we have run out of lunch food. HOWEVER, it is only possible thanks to the wonderful parents/carers who volunteer their time. Without these volunteers we cannot offer lunch orders.
We are therefore putting a call-out to fill ALL spots for Term 4 before the term starts, so that we can confidently go into the term knowing we have enough volunteers. If we don't fill all spots by the time term starts we will sadly have to reduce lunch orders to only one day per week. Even one shift makes a big difference!
To volunteer for lunch orders for Term 4 please sign up here - we all appreciate your help!
Please note you will need a Working with Children's Check which is a safety card that shows you are allowed to help or work with children in Australia - so if you haven't got one it is very straight forward and only takes 10 minutes online here.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to parents group at parentsgroup.lps@gmail.com or pop a question up on your year level WhatsApp group.
Term 3 Wrap Up!
LPS Parents Group has had a busy term 3! We extend our thanks to the hard working and dedicated volunteers who run these events, helping raise funds for our school and build our school community:
- Tony’s Pies Fundraiser – thanks to Angela M
- Mooncake Fundraiser – thanks to Hong W
- Fathers Day Breakfast – thanks to Leo W
- AFL Gala Pie Lunch Orders – thanks to Jennie S, Natalie L and Angela M
- And thanks Raylene W for creating and distributing our colourful posters you see around school!
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
Contribute: Community News
Click on these links below for Community News or information:
 TeamKids Out of School Hours Care Click here for our TeamKids newsletter. Please register your child here - it's free to register and you'll always have that option for childcare, even in unexpected circumstances. More information is on our website here.  Click here for information on all the holiday fun at TeamKids. |
 Please click Chess Club image for T4 registration |
 Please click here to view information and registration for Digimaker. |