Term 2, Week 6
Hello everyone,
Welcome to the mid-point of Term 3. I haven’t done a Principal’s update yet this term, as I’ve been reflecting on how to adjust the frequency to keep these updates focused and meaningful. There’s been plenty happening, so here’s what’s been going on.
In Our Community
This term has seen some fantastic community events, including the Mother’s Day lunch, breakfast, and stalls, which brought people together beautifully. Well done to our Parents Battle of the Band for their recent win. It’s been great to see families enjoying these opportunities to connect.
Our students have also been busy with choir performances, cross country, and gala days, showcasing their talents and school spirit.
Looking ahead, I’m excited about our upcoming Winter Solstice Night Market and Disco, which was such a hit last year. I’m sure many families already have June 20 marked in their calendars.
Enrolments for Prep 2026 are now open, and following a successful Open Morning and Information Evening, we’ve received a high number of enrolments for this stage of the process. A reminder to families with younger siblings due to start Prep next year to get their forms in as soon as possible.
In Our Classrooms
Our implementation of Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) continues to gain traction, and we’re seeing real benefits for students. Staff and students have established the key EDI routines and practices, and we’re now seeing teachers begin to apply these approaches to a broader range of learning areas. This includes using EDI strategies in novel studies, where students engage deeply with rich texts, and in core knowledge units that provide a structured and sequenced approach to content across subjects like history and science. These areas open up new opportunities for differentiation and extension, building on the foundational “differentiation by support” we already use in EDI lessons. I’m looking forward to sharing more detail about these practices and their impact in future updates.
Families have been telling us how much they appreciate the shift to more explicit, structured teaching. They’ve noticed their children are more engaged, confident and able to explain what they’re learning because the lessons are clear, focused and build step-by-step. And it’s not just our Prep students, who are making great strides in reading fluency. Across year levels, we’re seeing stronger foundations and more confident learners who can apply their knowledge in different contexts.
We know families have questions about how EDI supports different learners, and we’ve had some great discussions to explain the approach. We’ve listened to concerns and worked closely with teachers to embed practices that provide clear pathways for all students, while offering real challenge and support where needed. It’s important to remember that EDI is the core approach in programs like UFLI and Spelling Mastery. While teachers are applying it to other areas because it works, lessons from last year’s inquiry units still bring opportunities for creativity, collaboration, and exploration. As we deepen these practices and explore new content areas, we’re seeing how our inclusion of EDI can provide both structure and space for students to grow.
We’ve also had some great conversations with families about how EDI supports creativity, collaboration, and different learning needs. I’ll be sharing an FAQs document soon to address common questions about our move to evidence-based practices.
Our model is being noticed by others too. This year, we’ve hosted visiting principals and leadership teams from Gardenvale, Sandringham, Sandringham East, Ormond, and Hampton Primary Schools. They’ve come to observe our approach as they consider similar changes in line with the Department’s new policy on phonics and explicit instruction. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with visitors noting the strong classroom culture, high expectations, and genuine engagement from our students.
I’m also looking forward to rolling out the second phase of our updated reporting model later this term. As you know, we’ve made significant changes to reporting this year based on feedback from families, teachers, and students. Families told us they wanted earlier and more meaningful feedback on student progress, which we delivered with last term’s progress reports. The new streamlined semester reports will cut unnecessary detail, giving teachers more time to focus on assessing, providing feedback, and planning quality learning. These reports will also reflect the changes in the Victorian Curriculum 2.0. I’ll provide more detail on what to expect closer to release.
In Our Staffroom
We’ve continued to expand our intervention team and are recruiting more tutors to extend the program to additional year levels. We’ve welcomed several new education support staff to our team to strengthen support for students with additional needs.
Thanks again for your continued support. It’s been a busy term with lots of positive progress, and I look forward to sharing more updates with you in the coming weeks.
Warm regards,
Tom Cain
