Our updated staff list can be found here. You might notice the absence of Bernadette Sparkes and Angela Hatzis, who have both retired. As a very long term employee, Bernadette worked as our First Aid Officer for 17 years, leaving a considerable legacy in managing the health needs of our community. Ready for almost anything, she accompanied thousands of students to camps, adventure and sporting events, inseparable from her overflowing First Aid bag. 

Angela has worked in schools for 22 years, with 3 of those at LPS. Her expertise in managing complex tasks that require organisation and persistence, always with a smile, will be difficult to replace.

We will certainly miss both Bernadette and Angela, thank them both for their many contributions and wish them all the best for a relaxing retirement.

As we expected, Australian Education Union (AEU) members rejected the (first) proposed industrial agreement last term. Staff at our school overwhelmingly supported this stance and believe that our teachers, Education Support Staff and school leaders deserve better. 

After the first proposed Agreement was rejected, the AEU continued industrial action. The Department's revised industrial agreement was also rejected yesterday.

At a time when we are still struggling with a chronic shortage of school staff, we hope an Agreement can be reached soon, and one that retains and attracts our essential professionals.

By nature, industrial action is disruptive and principals receive quite short notice of teacher strikes. As we did previously, all communications regarding industrial action will be conveyed to parents by one or both of our two communication channels: eNews or Sentral email. Please understand that we we will communicate simultaneously with all parents as soon as possible when needed. See the information on the next page about how classes are affected by tomorrow's stop work action, which is the reason for this early edition.

Thanks to our teachers and those parents who met for Parent Teacher Meetings over the last two weeks. With recent Department of Education changes to reporting to parents, these meetings offered parents an opportunity to discuss their child's needs and progress. Although some teachers' meetings are not yet finished, there were (so far) over 60 parents who made appointments with teachers but didn't turn up. Please understand that we cannot reschedule these 'forgotten' appointments.

Individual NAPLAN results have arrived at LPS. These should be sent to parents in the next few days in sealed envelopes, addressed to parents, with Grade 3 and 5 students. Please keep them in a safe place, as you will find that many secondary schools request a copy for enrolment or scholarship applications.

If you use the convenience of our Classroom Cuisine lunch order service, please consider volunteering. We still need parent helpers to distribute the orders and it's a quick job. Unfortunately, Friday orders have been suspended until we can find more volunteers. See the Contribute: Parents Group page for details on how you can assist.

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

Notice to Parents and Carers:

The Australian Education Union has called on its members to take strike action tomorrow, Thursday 23 July 2026.   

Based upon the information provided to me, ten of our teaching staff will be taking part in the strike action. 

EAL Parent Teacher Meetings are postponed.

As anticipated, it has been challenging to cover all affected classes. In providing supervision for as many classes as possible, we are relocating some teachers, splitting some classes, cancelling some specialist classes and employing many CRTs. Nevertheless, the usual learning program will be disrupted for Grades 1 - 6 in particular. 

As a consequence:  

• students in Prep should have their usual program with minimal changes and will be supervised at school.
  
• students in Grades 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 will have a modified, disrupted program, but can be supervised at school.
• students in Grade 4 will be split across their cohort, significantly disrupting Grade 4 programs and increasing the numbers of students in every Grade 4 class. If you can keep your Grade 4 child at home tomorrow, please do so. This will help with class numbers and avoids us nominating classes or students to stay home. These absences will be approved.

Additionally, as the Department understands the disruption to learning programs, student absences tomorrow will be approved for any students whose parents choose to keep them at home. Please add these to Sentral as soon as possible to assist us with our planning for the day.

Despite widespread effects in many other schools (and no teachers at all in some), parents should only rely on the above information to reflect the situation at LPS.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Curiosity  •   Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

A reminder to all our new families to create their Sentral Parent Portal accounts as soon as possible, as this is the school's main avenue for communications to 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 have been sent home with your children. The Sentral Parent Portal is also used to upload documents, and includes the 2026 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
• Thrive: Superstars, recognising those who have wonderful achievements to share
• Priority Projects: where we update you on projects that are improving our school

As well, all year levels and specialists regularly share their news in these pages:

• Prep
• Junior School - Grades 1 & 2
• Middle School - Grades 3 & 4
• Senior School - Grades 5 & 6
• Specialists

We hope that you'll be using these resources to become more familiar with our school.

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

Last term, our Prep students had a wonderful time developing their Maths skills through learning about 'Friends of 10' and 2D shapes. They explored different ways to make 10 using hands-on games and activities, helping to build their confidence with early number concepts. Students also learnt to recognise, name and describe a variety of 2D shapes and enjoyed finding them in the world around them.
 

As part of our inquiry learning, we explored the similarities and differences between families, celebrating what makes each family unique. Students discussed the different types of homes people live in and discovered that, while our families and houses may look different, they are all places where we feel safe and belong. A highlight of the term was welcoming parents into the classroom to work alongside their child to create a 2D collage of their house using cutting and sticking techniques. This special activity encouraged creativity, strengthened home-school connections, and celebrated the diversity within our Prep community.
                          

To further explore and celebrate diversity, the Prep classes also enjoyed a Cultural Day. Students had the opportunity to 'travel' to China, Australia and Japan, where they learnt interesting facts about each country and participated in a hands-on craft activity inspired by each culture. It was a fun and engaging way to develop an appreciation for the different traditions, places and people that make up our world.
                              

Curiosity  •   Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience

In our first week back, Grade 5 students have been exploring the mathematical concepts of translations, reflections and rotations of 2D shapes. To put their learning into practice, students became graphic designers and created a brand new logo for Laburnum Primary School.

We began by examining some of the world's most recognisable logos and discovered that many are made from simple 2D shapes that have been transformed in creative ways. Inspired by these designs, students worked in pairs to create their own irregular shape and used transformations (reflecting, rotating or translating) to develop a unique logo design.

In the design stage, students played with different ideas on whiteboards: 
                       

Here are some of the fantastic finished designs:
  

In Reading, students have been exploring the messages and themes within texts. They learnt to identify the author's purpose, analyse characters and events and explain how themes are developed throughout a story using evidence from the text.

In Writing, the focus is on creating informative texts. Students are developing their research skills by locating reliable information, taking effective notes and paraphrasing ideas into their own words before publishing well-structured information reports. 

In Mathematics, students will continue building their understanding of fractions. They compare, order and represent fractions, solve real-world fraction problems. The students will strengthen their understanding of transformations by exploring translations, reflections and rotations. 

Our Inquiry unit, Wildlife Warriors, will encourage students to investigate sustainability and the important role humans play in protecting our environment. Through this unit, students will examine conservation efforts, explore environmental challenges and discover ways they can make a positive difference in their own community. 

Throughout the term, students will also participate in a range of Wellbeing activities. These sessions will explore different dimensions of wellbeing, helping students develop resilience, positive relationships, emotional awareness and strategies to support their overall health as they prepare for the transition to secondary school.

Curiosity  •   Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience

 If you would like to register an Expression of Interest for private instrumental lessons at LPS, external instrumental tutors are available to teach the following instruments.

violin
viola
percussion
oboe
trumpet
euphonium
trombone
flute
clarinet
saxaphone
guitar
piano
drums

 Please see the Forms page to register. Instrumental Tutors invoice parents directly for these lessons at school.

The Instrumental Music program is only available for students in Grades 1-6.

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute 

BDPSSA Division Cross Country
We're excited to share that nine of our students advanced to the BDPSSA Division Cross Country Championships, an outstanding achievement! The event was held at Ruffey Lake Park on 1 June. Special congratulations go to Sam V and Neve L, who finished in the top ten at Division to qualify for the Regional Cross Country Championships at Yarra Glen Racecourse.
                          

Division Runners:

Eastern Metropolitan Region Cross Country Championships

Congratulations to Sam V. and Neve L. after finishing in the top ten at Division to qualify for the Regional Cross Country Championships at Yarra Glen Racecourse. Competing against some of the strongest runners from across Melbourne is an outstanding achievement, and both Sam and Neve represented our school with determination, resilience and pride. We are incredibly proud of their efforts.

House Athletics update:

On Wednesday 12 August 2026, the annual LPS House Athletics Carnival will take place at the Tom Kelly Athletics Track. We're looking forward to an exciting day of competition, teamwork and House spirit for all students in Grades 3–6. If any parents are available to volunteer on the day, we would greatly appreciate your support. Parent helpers play a huge role in making the carnival an enjoyable and unforgettable experience for our students. Please get in touch with Mr Bowman by Monday 3 August  if you can help.

Grade 6 Update

A reminder that the Grade 6 Summer Sports Round Robin Tournament will be held in Term 3 on Friday 11 September. Our teams will be competing in Basketball, Volleyball/Stars, Tennis Hot Shots, and Cricket against our 7 district schools at various locations throughout the day.

What's Happening in PE: 

Prep
This term, our Prep students have been focusing on developing their jump rope and punting skills. In jump rope, they are building coordination, rhythm, and timing as they practise basic skipping techniques. Punting activities are helping students improve their foot-eye coordination, balance, and kicking precision. These engaging activities are designed to enhance their overall movement skills in a fun and enjoyable way. 

Grades 1 and 2  
This term the students are working on developing their underarm and overarm throw. Through various drills and games, they will refine their throwing technique for distance and accuracy.
                       

Grades 3 - 6 
This term, students in Grades 3–6 will be practising a variety of track and field events that they will compete in during the House Athletics Carnival, including sprinting, hurdles and field events. These sessions will help students build confidence, develop their skills and prepare for a fantastic carnival.
Students will also continue focusing on invasion games—activities that promote strategy, teamwork and spatial awareness. Through fun, game-based sessions they will develop key skills such as ball control, passing and positioning while learning the fundamentals of sports such as soccer, handball and basketball.

Level Sport: 
In their weekly one-hour Level Sport sessions, Prep students continue to build on their fundamental motor skills introduced in their core PE lessons, refining coordination, timing, and footwork. 

Grade 1 students will similarly focus on further developing their overarm and underarm throw, while Grades 3 and 4 students will enhance their understanding of invasion game strategies and tactics through engaging, team-based activities. 

For students in Grades 5 and 6, Level Sport sessions are dedicated to refining skills in their selected summer sports: Basketball, Volleyball, Tennis, and Cricket. Through targeted drills and practice, they’ll work on more advanced techniques as they prepare for upcoming interschool sports competitions.

Curiosity  •   Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience

Tony’s Pies Fundraiser - Thank you!
Thank you all for your contribution to this year’s pie fundraising drive. We have successfully raised $992 that will go towards the school’s priority projects.

A big shout out to all the parent volunteers that contributed their time to making this fundraiser a success and a special thank you to Angela M who coordinated everything.

Upcoming Events
We have some more exciting events planned in this term - Father’s Day Stall and Footy Pie Day so stay tuned for further information and dates.

Lunch Orders – Urgent Help Needed for Term 3 and 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 us 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.

Due to low sign up this term the decision has been made to only offer lunch orders on Wednesdays. We are therefore putting a call-out to fill ALL spots for Term 3 and 4 in the coming week, so that we can confidently continue to offer this service knowing we have enough volunteers. If we can fill all spots before the end of July then we can continue to offer this service and reinstate Fridays in Term 4. Even one or two shifts makes a big difference!

To sign up for lunch orders for Term 3 and 4 (it's only 30 minutes of your time on a Wednesday or Friday) 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 work with children in Australia - so if you haven't got one it is very straightforward and only takes 10 minutes online here.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to the parents group at parentsgroup.lps@gmail.com or pop a question up on your year level WhatsApp group.

Get your LPS Umbrellas!
Winter has seemingly arrived early the last few weeks, so now is as good a time as ever to purchase your large, sturdy and long-lasting LPS umbrella. Available for sale at the school office for just $25!

Curiosity  •   Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience

The International Competitions and Assessments for Schools, or ICAS for short, is an independent, skills-based assessment program, designed to match and test skills that are learned in the school classroom.

Every year Laburnum Primary School participates in the ICAS competition in English, Mathematics and Science. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to challenge themselves academically.

Entry is available to students in Grades 4, 5 and 6 ONLY.

As ICAS is not part of the Victorian curriculum provided to all students, the tests will be held before school on the following dates:

• English ICAS test – Tuesday 11 August at 7:45am
• Science ICAS test – Tuesday 18 August at 7:45am
• Maths ICAS test – Wednesday 26 August at 7:45am

Families enter their child through the ICAS Parent Payment System. To enter follow the link below and use the school access code to enrol your child.

Access details for parents:

Your school access code is:  ZPF593

Your parent page link is: 
https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/parent-payment/ZPF593

FINAL REMINDER: LPS enrolments close on 27 July. All enrolments must be made by this date.

If you enrol your child, please mark these dates in your calendar. Students cannot sit missed tests.

More information will be provided closer to the test dates.

QR Code for the parent page link: 

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

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 on the Chess Club image for Term 3 registration.

Please click on the logo for information for Term 3 classes.

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute