Newsletter 9th April 2025
Principal's Message
Happy Holidays
We wish everyone a happy and safe holiday period. The last day of this term is Friday 11th April. Students will not be returning for Term 2 until Monday 28th April. Please note, that it is Monday (not Tuesday, as if often the case). Next term we will have our School Development Day (pupil free) on 19th May.
Farewell and Thanks
Denise Jetta (Aboriginal & Islander Education Officer as well as Special Needs Education Assistant) will be on leave for the rest of the year as she takes up a temporary position working with high school girls. We hope she enjoys her time away from KPS (but not too much as we want her back next year).
Thanks to Veronica McPhail (Education Assistant) for filling in this term in P1 on Thursdays and Fridays. She will soon be able to go back to enjoying her retirement.
Jordan Minney (Education Assistant) is also finishing her time at KPS. She has worked flexibly around the school and this term in the ECE. We wish her all the best and hope to see her on a casual basis in the future.
We will have some new staff to welcome for Term 2.
Elise Pedley (Science and Maths Enrichment teacher) is away for Term 2 and will be replaced by Alana Elliott. Please make her welcome. We wish Elise all the best and look forward to seeing her in Term 3.
Wet Weather
Now is the time to prepare for the coming wet weather in Term 2. Students are able to play in the rain (not heavy rain) if they have wet weather gear – no umbrellas though. Remember, there is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing!
2026 Kindy Enrolments
2026 Kindy enrolments will open on 28th April 2025 and close on 18th July 2025. If you’re planning to enrol your child, be sure to submit your application for enrolment within this timeframe.
For more details and to complete your enrolment, please see the link below.
Creativity – one of our school values
Research has consistently shown that arts education positively impacts students’ academic performance, emotional well-being and social skills. By integrating arts into the curriculum, schools can nurture a generation of well-rounded individuals who are better equipped to navigate a complex and rapidly changing world.
Building a Creative Future
The recent announcement about a financial boost to Arts Education is part of a broader strategy to position Australia as a global leader in creative industries. The aim is to not only benefit students but also contribute to the growth of Australia’s cultural and creative sectors. This is a focus of our Business Plans and one of our core values. We are proud of our Arts programs: Visual Arts and Music, as well as the opportunities we provide students to use their creativity across all the learning areas. We also provide opportunities at break times for creative play, such as the loose parts play run from the bike shed area. We continue to develop opportunities to build creativity into our programs.
Keeping our School Safe
During the holiday period school premises are more vulnerable than usual to vandalism and damage by intruders and can become targets for a small number of offenders. The upcoming holiday period is from Saturday 12th April – Sunday 27th April 2025.
We would also like to let you know that there will be some works happening in the Early Childhood area and the classrooms
If you are in the vicinity, please listen for unusual noises; look for suspicious vehicles parked at the school and notice if groups of children or teenagers are congregating around the school. Your involvement can really make a difference in preventing damage to our school. I urge you to report any suspicious activity immediately to:
SCHOOL WATCH – 1800 177 777 or
POLICE – 131 444
This week's Value
Foyer Display - Room 6
The Room 6 students have been learning about the importance of ANZAC Day and why we show respect to all Australian soldiers. Using their research skills, they have been exploring different ANZAC symbols to understand their meanings and significance. Through their learning, they develop a deeper appreciation for the sacrifices made by soldiers and the ways we honour their bravery today.
What's Been Happening
Containers for Change Artwork Competition
The new bike shed has an area for the Containers for Change bins. We wish to cut some holes in the wall to allow the containers to be dropped into the bins from outside. We would love the children to come up with some artwork that could be added to the wall that incorporates the holes in the design. For example, the holes could be the mouths of some characters in the artwork. Below is the template for the artwork. You should receive a paper copy before the end of term, but the link below gives you a digital version in case it is useful.
Student Voice Forum
Last week the Student Council ran their Student Voice Forum. Two students from each of the classes from Year 1-6 joined the forum. The Student Council asked for their feedback on:
- What they would like changed in the school
- New ideas for the school
- What charities we could support financially or with service and how we could raise funds
- New faction name ideas
Over the next few newsletters, we will share their feedback.
The Student Council will consider what ideas they can work on, and this can include how they will spend their $2000 budget (funded by the P&C).
Suggested Changes
Junior | Senior |
Higher monkey bars Real swings or more swings Bigger pre-primary & kindy playground Bridge junior with water More eating or playtime Add a smaller spida and a bigger spida and repair the spida Add sail shades Hammocks More brain breaks and area for brain breaks More library time More bird baths Treehouse More fans in the library More dress up days New sandpit toys More swimming lessons | Add swings to the junior/senior playground New soccer nets – easy to move and maybe retractable nets Nature play More shaded areas Make the undercover area bigger Lunch orders on an additional day and with more food options and fresh foods Paint the wall near the outside library wall near undercover area/bushes Add a swing Cut some sharp branches in the bushes outside the undercover area Redo the surface of the tennis courts Add new clubs Senior sport – add Year 4 Make the art room bigger Repair the oval gate stairs Plant more trees Glam up the toilets – senior and junior Science for seniors New lost and found bin |
Upcoming Events
Battery Recycling
Next term, we will begin collecting used batteries for recycling. We will install a EcoBatt recycling bin in the corridor between Rooms 7 and 8 (outside the deputies’ office). You are asked to place sticky tape over the ends of batteries to prevent potential fire risks. More information will follow next term.
Library News
Georgie and Quinn are two very proud students. Their very talented mum, Amy Dunjey has just published another stunning picture book, titled “All About Love”.
Amy has also donated a copy of all her books to our school library.
Congratulations Amy! We love your books.
Sport News
Inter School swimming Carnival
On Thursday 27th March our swim team competed against Victoria Park, East Victoria Park and Lathlain in the interschool swimming carnival. It was a fun, but hot, day with lots of support for all schools. Our team swam amazingly across the whole carnival. Congratulations to our individual winners: - Harper, Year 4 champion girl, Toby and Ioane Year 5 champion boys, Elsie Year 6 runner up champion girl and Finn Year 6 champion boy.
The final results were
1st Kensington 588
2nd Lathlain 427
3rd Victoria Park 372
4th East Victoria Park 260
Thanks to the Kensington community for their assistance with running the carnival - Kelly, Ed, Amy, Martine, Angelica and Ethan. To our Year. 6 crew: - Sura, Delphi, Lara and Vivienne, you did a fantastic job in your support roles at the carnival. Mrs Stanford did an amazing job organising this whole event for the schools. We thank her for all her hard work.
Summer Carnival
Last week our summer sport teams played in the summer carnival. Although we came home without any shields, we were winners on the day with our behaviour, attitude and following the true sport values. The results were: - Newcombe ball 4th, Tee ball 3rd, Volleyball 3rd, Girls cricket 3rd, Boys cricket 2nd and the summer carnival shield 3rd. Thanks to our coaches Mr Griffiths, Mrs Skinner, Mr Jennings and parents Amy and Bronwyn for their coaching at the carnival and throughout the term at senior sport. A big thank you to Mrs Stanford for organising our participation.
Edu-dance Concert
The concerts will take place on Thursday 10th April in the undercover area. Parents and friends are invited to come and watch. The students have been working hard all term learning their routines. Thanks to Miss B our EduDance teacher.
2.15pm: P3, Rm 2 and Rm 5.
2.40pm: P1, Rm 1, Rm 3 and Rm 4.
Running Club
Our last session for the term was on Tuesday. We will recommence on the first Tuesday of Term 2. On Tuesdays, we will run on the track and on Fridays, we will run on the oval. New runners are welcome. Parents, if you would like to assist, please see Raema.
Hockey PP - Yr. 4
Thanks to WASP hockey club for providing hockey clinics to the Pre-primary to Room 10 students this week. If you would like to sign up for hockey, please follow the link below.
School Board
The Board met on Monday, 31st March. Office bearers were elected: Claire Stone remains as the Chair, Vanessa Leggo is the Vice Chair and Clint McNerney is the secretary. The following was discussed: Deeds of Licence and policies for review in 2025 (Mobile Devices, Homework and Assessment & Reporting). A draft budget was tabled and explained, targets for the new business plan were finalised, the annual report was tabled, and it was flagged that the P&C had a subcommittee to review the uniforms. The Constitution and Terms of Reference will be discussed at a future meeting, and the Board Calendar was updated.
The meeting ended with a farewell dinner for those leaving the Board, combined with a welcome dinner for those joining the Board. New members attended an induction before the meeting.
P & C News
Containers for change bins
The new Containers for Change bins are now located inside the bike shed. Please ensure that only eligible containers are placed in these bins. Currently, the bins are accessible only from inside the bike shed until the outside art installation is completed later in the year.
DUCKs Dads & Kids event program for 2025
Thanks to all of the amazing KPS Dads and Father-figures who have been actively involved in their kids lives, helping with DUCKs and at the school. You make a difference.
We had a great turnout at the DUCKs Dads Kick-off meeting in March to get to know each other, make new friends and develop our activity ideas for 2025 - Great work Team!
Special thanks to all of the dads who helped out with the DUCKs BBQ at the KPS Movie Night in March, especially a big shout out to new dads Luca, Lomuel and Shane for getting in there and making that time count. We also had some secondary student volunteers from Wesley College and Santa Maria College, which was fantastic to have them onboard.
Thanks to Toby Brown for running an amazing Bike to School event on 19 March - top effort.
Thanks also to Luca, Shane and Malav for rising early and helping with the school ANZAC Day Ceremony set-up this morning (9 April).
DUCKs Program 2025
- Thurs 1 May - Dads catch-up Vic Park Hotel ~ 6pm (TBA)
- Sun. 10 May - Dads and Kids - Mini Golf - Collier Park
- Sat. 7 June - Dads and Kids - Lego Masters
- Sun. 3 August - Dads and Kids - Paper Planes and Pizza
- Sun. 31 August - Dads and Kids - Railway Tunnel Walk
- Sun. 26 October - Dads and Kids - Astronomy Night (Date to be confirmed)
- Fri. 7 Nov - 8 Nov. - Dads and Kids Annual Campout (Save the date to not miss it!)
Please check info in the DUCKs WhatsApp group chat for the latest updates.
For new dads wanting to join DUCKs, please contact us at:
Thanks guys,
Conrad Slee
DUCKs - Dads United for Children of Kensington (primary)
Containers for Change
