Term 4 Week 2

Principal's Report

Diwali

Diwali, also called Deepavali or Deepawali, is the Hindu festival of lights. It symbolises, light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance…themes relevant to every culture and indeed every school.

This week many of our students celebrated this festival, with a lunch filled with sweets, laughs and friendship, organised by our Days of Cultural Significance committee and supported by our P&C.

Wishing you and your family a Diwali filled with light, laughter, and endless joy. Let's celebrate the festival of lights by spreading love and kindness... in a community that is known for it’s empathetic support of each other.

Term Overviews

We may be heading towards the end of the year, but the learning never stops.

Please find below overviews of your kids’ learning for this term.

Have a look, print them up, stick them on the fridge and bring up in conversation with your kids, the content and skills being taught... your kids will wonder how you know so much... and will be chuffed to talk about it themselves.

School Spectacular

Today, our Senior Choir attended the first of many rehearsals for this year’s School Spectacular.

If you have not seen one of these concerts, you really should consider going... celebrating our Public Education system in all its glory!

Many thanks to Mr Stanek for working so hard behind the scenes to prepare our kids for this memorable opportunity.

School Band - Are you up to the challenge?

On November 20, we will be holding a special Band Demonstration Assembly.

This will be an opportunity for students to see the band in action, hear about the various instruments and find out how to join.

The band provides a simple way for your child to learn a musical instrument while also giving them an opportunity to perform and work as a team.

More information will be sent home after that assembly, but start the conversation with your child now... it could be the beginning of a life-long passion.

 Not Returning to Vardys Road Public School in 2026?

The accurate number of students attending Vardys Road Public School next year is a critical factor in our planning and organisation of classes for 2026. To ensure that we have a smooth start to the new year, we need to know exactly how many students will be at Vardys Road Public School. This affects the number of classes and teachers allocated to the school by the Department of Education.

It is essential that we have written advice:

• if your family is moving, please advise what school your child/children will attend in 2026
• if your child/children will be starting school later than the first day in 2026
• if your family will not be at school for the start of 2026 please submit a letter explaining the absence and clearly state your intended return date. Without this we are not able to include your child/children in class formations and this greatly impacts on the start of classes for next year.

We kindly ask families with students currently in Kindergarten to Year 5 (2025) who already know they will not be returning to Vardys Road Public School in 2026 to complete the online form via the School Bytes Parent Portal.

To do this, please go to the Forms tab, then select Parent, and complete the relevant form.

Class Placement

It is at this time of the year that schools start to plan for their next year’s classes and programs.

To assist us in our planning, families who are considering enrolling a child in our school are asked to contact us as soon as possible.

We also encourage parents/carers who would like discuss an issue that may affect class placement for next year, to contact the office staff to make an appointment to see me.

Parents/Carers obviously know their children the best out of the many people who teach and support their children at school each day. It is therefore crucial that social, emotional, behavioural and educational issues are discussed early so the outcomes of these discussions can be made part of the class placement process later in the year.

This information will be used by the teachers to best place your children in the most appropriate class next year.

The teachers will also be looking at friendship groupings. This often involves students nominating students who they work well with in class. Please note that this information is combined with parent/carer input, academic needs, behavioural data, student groupings and many other considerations and as such student nominations are not always congruent with the students’ greater needs.

We will be discussing this with the kids later in the term and parents/carers are asked to do the same.

While social connections are an important consideration in forming classes, often this information is counter-balanced by other crucial factors.

Preschool Screening

Our aim this year is to have every preschooler starting at Vardys in 2026, screened by an Occupational Therapist and Speech Therapist before starting in Kindergarten.

These screening sessions are going to be conducted as part of the playgroup sessions on the mornings of Tuesday 11^th November, 18^th November and 25^th November.

Parents and carers of preschoolers are asked to register their attendance at here.

Helmets

A reminder that all children riding bikes or scooters to school are expected to be wearing helmets.

Please double check that as your child rides down the driveway in the morning that they have remembered this important part of their morning routine.

A quick conversation now could save a lot of heartache further down the road.

Congratulations Eli

Congratulations Eli in successfully proceeding to the state Athletics Carnival for High Jump.

Eli jumped a massive 1.33m Personal Best!!!

He will now be rubbing shoulders with the best athletes in the state... what an honour!

We are excited for a great term ahead!

Ian Short 
Principal

Term Overviews

SUPPORT UNIT – Term 4 PARENT INFORMATION 

Happy Term 4 from Purple team! We can’t believe it is already the final term of the year, but we are ready to 
have a wonderful term of learning while celebrating how far we have all come! 

ENGLISH & INTEGRATED UNIT 
Our integrated unit this term is “Celebrations”. We will learn about how our families celebrate occasions like birthdays, Christmas, Diwali or Luna New Year. We will compare similarities and differences between families and celebrations. To support this unit, we will be asking families to send in information including types of celebrations the student participates in, as well as family photos of celebrations. A note will be sent home soon with this information. All activities in the integrated unit will focus on building students’ vocabulary and language.

Students will continue to complete differentiated phonics, phonological awareness and reading activities. These foundational skills are critical for learning to read. They are practised every day at school, and are included in students’ homework for additional revision. 

MATHEMATICS 
In Mathematics this term, we will have a class wide focus on time. We will learn how to sequence events, how we measure time (days of the week and months of the year), and how to read time on clocks. You can support us by talking about time at home – the day of the week, month of the year, using language like “morning”, “afternoon” and “night”, and by helping students build their clock reading skills. We will also have fun with hands on learning to explore mass, volume, and capacity.

Students will continue to have access to Mathletics. Mathletics is an online learning tool and app that engages students with interactive activities, games and challenges. To access the site/app, students need to log in using the URL https://login.mathletics.com/ and enter their details (found in their homework book). Students can pick and choose from the activities available. Try and obtain a weekly score of 1000 to earn Mathletics awards!  

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PD/H/PE) 
PE Programs, run by Mr McDonald, are designed to develop agility, flexibility, balance, hand-eye co-ordination 
and foot-eye co-ordination. Our class teachers will present lessons on Child Protection, learning about body 
parts, public and private, and safe adults. Sports Uniform is to be worn on Fridays.  

LIFE SKILLS 
This term, we will continue enjoying our hands on cooking and life skills lessons. We will also be building life skills by rehearsing making small purchases. Keep an eye out for a note about the details of this initiative.  

HOMEWORK AND HOME READING 
Weekly homework resumes this week. Homework is due on Friday morning and will be sent home on Friday afternoon. 

THERAPISTS 
Many students in the Support Unit are engaged with a range of specialised therapists such as OTs, Speech Therapists, or Behaviour Therapists. These specialists are wonderful sources of information, and classroom teachers look forward to collaborating with them to share goals and strategies. Many therapists request that sessions be held onsite during school hours. Wherever possible, we ask that therapy be held offsite, outside of school hours, to protect the learning time and routines of the school setting. With 6-8 students in each class, each with multiple therapists, it would not be possible to maintain a classroom structure if all therapy was held onsite. Please communicate with your child’s classroom teacher in regards to any therapy requests. Each 
request will be considered by the Learning Support Team. Any therapists coming onsite will need to be screened by the Department of Education. Sessions onsite will need to be arranged carefully with the classroom teacher, 
with the intent of minimising disruption to class routine. While all requests will be considered on an individual basis, our therapist policy guides that 2 hours of therapy onsite is the maximum for each child that can be reasonably supported. 

QUERIES OR CHANGES  
Please contact your child’s teacher with any concerns or questions. We are available on the ClassDojo app, or via email. We look forward to working with you to support your child’s educational journey!  

Miss Rankine, Miss Kavanagh, Mrs Nathaniel, Mrs Stansbury and Miss Urio.

STAGE 2 OVERVIEW TERM 4 

Welcome to Term 4. After a well-earned spring break our students have settled back into routines and we look forward to a busy and exciting term ahead. Term 4 is an exciting time and the students have a lot to look forward to. This includes Year 6 Games Day, the Verve performance evening and Presentation Day. We have already held the finals of our Stage 2 Public Speaking Competition and were very impressed with our class representatives. 

Stage 2 staff are set and looking forward to creating a purposeful and engaging final term for 
2025. 

English  
In English this term, students will continue to develop their reading and writing skills through the study of mentor texts. Both grades will be studying narratives. Year 4 will be looking at 200 Minutes of Danger by Jack Heath. Year 3 will be studying Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda. Reading lessons will explicitly teach skills in fluency, understanding the author's purpose, vocabulary choices and comprehension. Phonics, handwriting and digital transcription lessons will also be taught. In addition, students will have time to reflect on their learning and make responses to literature. 

Maths  
This term, Stage 2 will be continuing to work with whole numbers and fractions, as well as using the different operations to solve words problems. We will be exploring different types of measurement, such as time, area and volume and will be performing experiments involving chance and considering possible outcomes. Students will continue to engage in regular practise and development of their core numeracy skills through daily reviews. A reminder that each student has access to Mathletics and completing regular activities is a fun way for the students to practise what they are learning at school. 

Other Key Learning Areas (KLAs) 
In Science, students will be investigating ‘Changes of State’. They will learn about differences between solids, liquids and gases, classifying objects and identifying their properties. Students will work scientifically and collaboratively to investigate what happens to different materials when they add heat or when heat is taken away. 

In Geography, students will have the opportunity to compare and examine the different natural  features of Australia and China and consider how important native vegetation and natural resources are to people and animals. 

After exploring Visual Arts, Drama and Music earlier in the year, we will now be studying Dance. The students will experience dance styles from different decades and participate in a variety of dance routines. We can’t wait to perfect The Twist, Sprinkler and Ketchup Song!  

SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD AT SCHOOL 
If you have any concerns regarding your child’s progress or wellbeing, please contact the class teacher or Stage 2 Assistant Principals. 
Please be aware that the School Counsellor and Wellbeing Officer work with the school Learning Support Team to provide additional support when appropriate.  

We look forward to a successful term with all that we have to offer our students at Vardys Road Public School. Our aim is to make sure every child can strive for their best in an environment where everyone belongs. 

Mrs Kylie O’Brien and Mrs Andrea To   
Assistant Principals

Stage 3 Overview – Term 4 

Stage 3 are very excited for what will be happening in Term 4! Year 5 students only have one term left before they become the leaders of the school for 2026 and Year 6 students are soaking up all they can in their final term of primary school before they head off on their next big adventure!  

In English, Year 5 will be studying the mentor texts Ngaawily Nop: An old story retold by Kim Scott, Joyce Cockles and Roma Winmar, and Noorn: An old story retold by Kim Scott and Ryan Brown. In this unit, students will learn about the textual concepts of ‘imagery, symbol and connotation’ and ‘narrative’. Students will identify the difference in purpose between Dreaming Stories and Songlines. They will investigate how authors use symbols and imagery to share cultural perspectives in literature and analyse how figurative language enhances meaning. Students will be guided to create and present their own informative podcast about Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultures, traditions, languages and the significance of preserving rich cultures.  

Students in Year 6 will analyse the mentor text Queenie in Seven Moves to deepen their understanding of the textual concepts of ‘narrative’ and ‘imagery, symbol and connotation’. They will learn how authors write engaging narratives through the use of figurative language and events that create tension. Students will identify and experiment with narrative conventions such as subverted plots. They will use their own personal lived experiences and innovate from the mentor text to create a narrative, song and multimedia presentation, applying their understanding from the unit. 

In Maths, students will continue daily reviews to consolidate their understanding and develop long term memory retrieval. Students will deepen and extend their understanding across a range of focus areas including Representing Numbers using Place Value, Multiplicative Relations and Chance. They will be applying their knowledge in a range of ways including solving word problems. 

Our Geography unit this term is ‘Natural Disasters’, which will involve students observing how the Earth’s climate influences natural disasters, how people respond to and manage droughts and floods and the impact of the Black Saturday bushfires. Students will complete an inquiry project on a natural disaster event in Australia or around the world. They will explore how and why this disaster occurred as well as how it affected the community and environment. 

In STEM, Stage 3 will learn about engineering design and will use this information to build a prototype bridge in groups. Our unit ‘Thanks for the support’ allows students the opportunity to explore different bridge types, the purpose of them and how they were created.  

Year 5 students will have many exciting leadership opportunities available to them this term which many have already started considering. Expression of Interest forms have been returned and during Week 4, the next step will begin with prefect speeches. The Sport House leadership process will occur from Week 6 onwards.  

Year 6 students are very enthusiastic for the activities that they have been looking forward to all year! In Week 4 we see one of the most anticipated events of the year, Year 6 Games Day. Students are currently in the process of planning their activities and deciding what gift they would like to present to the school with the money they will raise. Week 10 brings Year 6 to the end of their primary school days, starting with the Year 6 Farewell on Monday night, 15th December. Year 6 have been eagerly preparing for this occasion through 
their item dancing sessions. Thursday 18th December is the Stage 3 Fun Day. The final day of school, Friday 19th December, brings Year 6 to the end of their primary school journey, but not without participating in the annual Teachers vs Year 6 dodgeball game and the Guard of Honour at 2:50pm.  

The Stage 3 teachers are looking forward to working together to complete another busy term. We are proud of everything that has been achieved by our wonderful students this year. Well done Stage 3!

Swim Scheme

Starting Tuesday, 14th October, some students began participating in a 10-day swimming program, which they are thoroughly enjoying. The program offers a great opportunity for students to develop their swimming skills, build confidence in the water, and have fun while staying active.

Junior and Senior Boys Relay Teams Represent our Zone with Pride

Last term, our junior and senior boys relay teams showed outstanding teamwork and dedication as they came together to represent our zone in the inter-school athletics competition.

Both teams trained hard in the weeks leading up to the event, pushing each other to improve and build strong team chemistry. Their commitment paid off on the day of the competition, where they performed with energy, determination, and great sportsmanship.

A huge congratulations to Eli, who has qualified for State in High Jump! His hard work, talent, and dedication have earned him a well-deserved spot at the next level, and we are all cheering him on as he prepares to compete against the best in the State.

Well done to all the boys involved – your efforts made our zone proud!

Happy Diwali

Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, was celebrated this year on October 20th. This special occasion is an important time for our Hindu, Sikh, and Jain students and their families, symbolising the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.

To recognise this meaningful festival, our school held a small celebration where students who celebrate Diwali shared some delicious sweets with their classmates. It was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to learn more about the traditions and joy of Diwali.

Wishing all who celebrate a bright, joyful, and prosperous Diwali!

K-6 Assembly

It’s been a joy to watch our students shine in their class assembly items this year, delivering some truly spectacular performances. We’re excited to continue showcasing our final class presentations for the year at our Term 4 K–6 Assemblies.

Assemblies will take place at 2:10pm on Mondays in Week 3 and Week 6.

Our Term 4 Program:

Week 3 - Monday 27th October – K Daisy and 3 Poppy will be kicking off Term 4

Week 6 - Monday 17th November - Lavender, Iris, Violet and 3 Cherry

Mrs Kelly's News

Vardys Road Showcase of Talent

Applications Now Open!
Do you have a hidden talent waiting to shine on stage?

Whether you sing, dance, act, or have a unique skill to show off, we want YOU in the spotlight!

Grab your application form now and return it to Mrs Barker by Friday 31st October 2025.
Auditions will take place in Weeks 5, 6, and 7.

Don’t miss your chance to be part of this exciting event!

Kindergarten 2026

Is your child coming to 'big' school in 2026?

Enrol now so you don't miss out on our Orientation Sessions. Information will be sent directly to enrolled families.

SESSION 1: Monday 10th November 2025- From  9:30AM - 11:00AM

SESSION 2: Monday 17th November 2025 - From 9:30AM - 11:00AM

From The Office

Welcome Back!

We hope you had a safe, restful, and enjoyable break!

It’s been wonderful to see all our students returning with smiles, energy, and stories to share. Whether you spent the break travelling, relaxing, or enjoying time with family and friends, we’re so glad to have you back and ready for the exciting term ahead.

We’re looking forward to a fantastic new chapter filled with learning, growth, and memorable moments.

Let’s make it a great term!

Warm regards,
Mrs Catalanotto, Mrs Anderson, Mrs Alonso and Miss Costa

Do you know someone eligible for Kindergarten in 2026?

Apply on-line now (through our website) for 2026!

Year 6 Games Day

Year 6 Games Day 2025 is just around the corner, and it's sure to be a blast!

Date: 4th November 2025

Bring in $5 on the Day

Wear school uniform and sport shoes.

Students will have a chance to enjoy a fun filled day. It will be especially exciting for our Kindergarten students, who will experience their very first Games Day!

There’ll be laughter, energy, and bursts of colour filling the air at Vardys Road as we come together for a day of fun and unforgettable memories.

A big thank you in advance to our Year 6 students, who are working hard to organise such a fantastic event.

We can’t wait to see what you’ve planned!

Afterschool AFL Clinics Starting Soon!

Exciting news for our students, afterschool AFL clinics will be kicking off soon at Vardys Road Public School!

Today, our students were lucky to get a taste of what’s to come, with a special introductory session run by skilled AFL coaches. The clinic gave students the chance to learn some basic skills, play fun games, and experience the energy and excitement of AFL in a friendly and supportive environment. It was a great opportunity to get active, work as a team, and most importantly to have fun!

The full program will begin shortly, running after school on selected days. These clinics are a fantastic way for students of all skill levels to develop their fitness, coordination, and confidence while enjoying one of Australia’s favourite sports.

If your child is interested in participating, keep an eye out for the registration forms that will be sent home soon. Spots may be limited, so be sure to return your form promptly to secure a place.

We look forward to seeing our future footy stars on the field!

P&C News

Uniform Shop:

This term, the shop will be open during the following days and times:

• Mondays: 8:30am - 9:30am
• Wednesdays: 2:15pm - 3:00pm
• Thursdays: 9:00am - 10:00am
• Fridays: 2:20pm - 3:20pm  

As we head into the warmer months, if you have any winter school uniforms that are piling up in your wardrobes feel free to drop them to the uniform shops' secondhand item pool.

Online ordering is always available, and orders should be delivered to your child’s classroom within the next day or two (be sure to include your child’s name and class in the Notes section at checkout):
https://www.vrpspc.org.au/s/shop  

We love welcoming new members, or welcoming back old ones, so if you’ve been meaning to join or rejoin we’d love to have you! Send through your membership form or get in touch with any questions via email: team@vrpspc.org.au , or check out our website: https://www.vrpspc.org.au for further information. 

Recipe of the Week

Frankenstein Pops

Ingredients

• 290g pkt white chocolate melts
• 1 1/2 tbs vegetable oil
• Dr Oetker Green Food Colour Gel
• 20 white marshmallows
• 1/2 cup (75g) dark chocolate melts
• dark chocolate writing icing
• white chocolate writing icing

Method

Step 1

Melt Nestlé Bakers’ Choice White Choc Melts following packet directions. Stir in vegetable oil. Tint with Dr Oetker Green Food Colour Gel.

Step 2

Insert lollipop sticks dipped in melted chocolate into marshmallows. Dip marshmallows in chocolate and shake off excess. Stand in polystyrene to set.

Step 3

Melt Nestlé Dark Choc Melts following packet directions. Place in a sealable plastic bag. Cut off 1 corner. Pipe onto the pops to make hair.

Step 4

Use white and dark chocolate writing icing to make eyes, scars and mouths.

Thought of the Week