Has your child ever asked you to buy something or allow them to do something to fit in with their friends? As parents, we've all been faced with this fear of 'missing out'. Considered parenting requires decisions that reflect your family values, and the boundaries you use to keep your children safe. Being an effective, caring parent does include knowing when to say NO.

The upcoming changes to social media laws will rely on the cooperation of parents in following the new guidelines. Government schools are also receiving Departmental advice, and discussing the resources we use for teaching, in advance of the new laws. Whilst technology has some undeniable benefits, this eNews contains some helpful articles and tips for parents, as we all need to navigate the new restrictions.

Yet, unfortunately, we talk with too many parents whose children are not complying with the current 13+ restrictions on social media and apps, which will become 16+ on 10 December. 

Schools cannot supervise or manage online use at home. We are regularly contacted to sort out online issues, usually occuring on devices in bedrooms in the middle of the night, but more increasingly on smart TVs.  Parents would not allow their children to meet with strangers in real life, yet children are engaging with them online and trying to manage situations they are not equipped to handle. What a shocking impact on their childhood.

There has been talk of completely banning smart phones and watches in schools, due to evidence of their inevitable links, both positive and negative, to mental health, wellbeing and social relationships. In our local area, there have been devastating, irreversible impacts on young people and their families linked directly to online abuse. As we know, many parents are rarely aware of these situations, or what their children are actually doing online and with whom. Additionally, there is evidence of the links between screen time and diminished cognitive function, including memory, attention and even early-onset dementia and anxiety, in young people. This concern is reflected in the Department of Education's new limits on screen time during school.

We urge parents to consider whether your child needs a sophisticated smart phone, which is the most frequent way that children are using the apps that will have new age restrictions from 10 December. It is concerning to see our students leave school and immediately start messaging their friends who are less than 100 metres away. This article details the positive impact on boarding students' sense of community when their school banned smart phones in favour of old-school 'brick phones', which have no internet access.

Please give your attention and consideration to the articles and links in this eNews, to help parents prepare for the 10 December changes; and, most importantly, to protect your child's safety and wellbeing. 

REMINDER:
Parent Payments for 2026 are due by Tuesday 25 November. Thank you! Stationery packs will distributed on Tuesday 2 & Wednesday 3 December.

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

Craft sand contamination 
You may be aware of a recent alert about craft sand products that may contain asbestos. For current information about the recall, including a list of products, visit the ACCC website, which contains pictures of the products.

At our school, we are taking the steps set out by the Department of Education to collect and dispose of the products. Current advice from national and Victorian health authorities is that there is a low risk to human health from these products.

If you have the product at home, however, the advice from the health authorities is that you should stop using it and follow the safety advice published here: Safe disposal and health information for consumers with recalled sand products | ACCC Product

A significant step in all children’s lives is the move they make from primary to secondary school. As in previous years, Year 6 students at LPS will next week participate in ‘Step Up’ Week to help prepare them for this transition in the new year. With support, the week will involve movement between classes with different teachers as our students follow a timetable with some similarity to what they will experience in Year 7. The magic of this approach is that students can practise these skills in a place with which they are familiar.

We thank our Year 6 teachers for providing such a valuable experience.

Semester 2 Reports should be published on Sentral by Friday 28 November. Parent Teacher meetings will be held during Weeks 9 and 10 for parents who wish to book these.  Meetings will be spread throughout the week to allow us to cover teachers, due to Time in Lieu implications so late in the year. There are no scheduled meetings with Specialists this semester.

Parents can log in to Sentral from 5pm on Friday 28 November to make an online meeting time. Bookings will close at 5pm on 5 December.

If you need a meeting with an interpreter, please email our office and Hui Lin will organise these for Thursday December 4.

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

Our next task was based on a mentor text called ‘The Brave Knight’, where the main character had many side quests during his long journey. Working in pairs, students wrote their own mini adventure prompted by sentence starters; ‘On the ____ day’, ‘Suddenly’____, and ‘But luckily____’.
It was wonderful to see the variety of settings and situations Eric the Knight encountered.                        We have such creative students in Year 1! These mini stories will be made into a class book for everyone to enjoy.

During inquiry, we learnt the order of the planets from the sun using a mnemonic device; My (Mercury) Very (Venus) Excellent (Earth) Monkey (Mars) Just (Jupiter) Served (Saturn) Unicorn (Uranus) Noodles (Neptune).
We researched these planets including the moon and the stars using our digital library resources before sharing our newly learnt facts with our peers. For example, did you know that Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune have rings too? Now we do! Our final task was to create a visual representation of the planets.

Year 2

After creating our instruments, we planned and wrote a procedure explaining to others how to make our instruments. We went further by linking our procedural writing to a recount. We explored how to turn our writing into past tense, looking at regular and irregular past tense verbs. We also learnt about time connectives so that the reader knows the order of events.

      

Curiosity  •   Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience

LPS Colour Fun Run - Monday 1st December 
      
Our colour fun run is approaching fast on Monday 1^st December. Just a reminder to please send your child to school on the day with a white t-shirt (available at Kmart for under $4).

There will also be a BBQ running for the children to buy their lunch on the day. $2 for a sausage in bread (vegan and pork sausages will also be available, as well as gluten free options). Please make sure your child brings cash if they want to buy a sausage for lunch.

Parent Volunteers Needed
We are seeking many parent volunteers to help us with both the colour run and the BBQ.  It’s going to be a really fun day for kids and adults alike, so please sign up here:

BBQ Sign Up: https://signup.com/go/AWtgQHS

Colour Run Sign Up: https://signup.com/go/keJJQVc

You will need a valid Working with Children Check to volunteer. It’s quick and easy to apply for one: https://service.vic.gov.au/services/working-with-children

Lucky Draw Prizes
We now have over 460 students with a profile, but if you are yet to create a profile for your child, you can still sign up at www.funrun.com.au. There are more lucky draw prizes being given out at assembly on 21^st and 28^th of November, including 2 tickets to Shrek the Musical!

Wristband Competition Winner!
Congratulations to Nila G. from Prep R for winning the $500 credit to your fundraising account. A final $500 credit winner will be announced tomorrow.

Spectators Welcome!
Please volunteer if you can, however if you don’t have time to volunteer you can come and watch your child run the colour fun run race – please sign in at the office when you arrive. The schedule is below:

• 12:00pm Year 2
• 12:20pm Year 4
• 12:40pm Year 5
• 1:00pm Year 1
• 1:20pm Year 3
• 1:40pm Prep
• 2:30pm Year 6

All funds raised from the colour fun run will go towards completing the beautiful new sensory garden at Laburnum Primary School.

If you have any questions about the colour fun run, please email parentsgroup.lps@gmail.com

Volunteer Spotlight!
The Laburnum Parents Group extends a heartfelt thank you to all the amazing volunteers who have helped out this year. Every event we have held has been possible because of the time and dedication from mums, dads and families across our community – their time and effort have truly enriched the Laburnum Primary community.

Going forward, we are going to shine a spotlight on volunteers who have given significant time to making our major fundraising events a success. We will start with those involved in our most recent fundraiser.

We would like to sincerely thank Angela M for her outstanding effort in organising and running this year’s Pie Drive. Her dedication, hard work and commitment ensured the event was a great success, delivering delicious pies to all and raising valuable funds for the sensory garden. Angela's enthusiasm and attention to detail made all the difference. Angela also helps out regularly with the lunch orders and is always willing to put her hand up for any job when needed.  We truly appreciate the time and energy you invest in LPS’s Parents Group, thank you Angela!

Entertainment App Membership
Buy a subscription and support our school!
Your Membership to The Entertainment App will save you up to 50% on dining, shopping and activities – all while supporting our school! Vouchers are for businesses right across Australia, New Zealand and Bali, and once you activate your membership you have 12 months to use the vouchers.
The app costs $70 for 12 months, and currently if you order the entertainment app you will receive a bonus $30 VISA gift card.

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

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

LABURNUM PRIMARY SCHOOL 
SECOND-HAND UNIFORM SHOP

Curiosity  •   Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience

Recently, Dr Zach Greig met with the 2025 Stand Up Project (SUP) Leaders for an evaluation and reflection session. It was inspiring to hear their thoughtful responses as they shared what they had learned and how their leadership had made a positive impact across the school community.

The students also shared stories of what it felt like to be the teacher and reflected on how well the classes they taught listened and engaged with their lessons. It was wonderful to see the pride they took in their roles and the confidence they developed through the experience.

Below you will see some of their feedback and quotes regarding their impact. The session also provided an opportunity for the students to look ahead, recognising the important role they will play in mentoring the 2026 SUP Leaders. Their enthusiasm and commitment to fostering inclusion and kindness continue to strengthen the values of our school.



 

We look forward to seeing the Stand Up Project continue to grow and make a difference as it enters its second year at LPS.

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

Students learnt about friction, by exploring how toy cars and marbles moved across different surfaces. We also tested the strength of magnetic fields through different materials like wood, fabric and plastic.

Students will put all of this knowledge together to come up with their own challenges for the Science Challenge Show at our Expo in Week 10. Come along and share the fun!

   
During Science, we have looked at many different concepts and the students created a ‘Wobbly Woodpecker’. This experiment uses friction to make the cutout bird wobble down the elastic band, instead of just falling. Students compared the cutout using cotton twine, a spool of ribbon and finally the elastic band. They all noticed the elastic band was the only one able to make the woodpecker wobble.

Hope to see you all at the next Year 4 expo, when the students demonstrate their learning for our Inquiry unit: Science Challenge Show.

Curiosity  •   Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience

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.  More information is on our website here.

Please click Chess Club image for T4 registration

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute