Mentone Park Primary School acknowledges the Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we learn and play.

We value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and cultures’ and recognise their connection to lands, waters and communities.

We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

Thank you to all the families who attended our recent Meet the Teacher conferences. It was wonderful to see such strong engagement from our community. These meetings are an important opportunity for families and teachers to connect, discuss student progress and goals and continue building the strong partnerships that support student success. We appreciate the time families took to attend and value the collaborative approach we have to supporting every child’s learning at Mentone Park Primary School. 

Today we celebrated International Women’s Day at our whole school assembly. Our students enjoyed a wonderful dance performance from sisters Scarlett and Maddie, along with Zoe, which was a fantastic way to begin the celebration. 

We were also fortunate to hear from a panel of inspiring guest speakers who shared their experiences and journeys with our students. Our speakers included Amy Smith, Collingwood AFLW player and former Mentone Park student, Emily Stewart, Police Officer, and Helena Ryan, Wing Commander. Each speaker spoke about the importance of perseverance, leadership and believing in your potential. 

It was a valuable opportunity for students to hear from strong role models and to reflect on the many ways women contribute to our community and society. We thank Amy, Emily and Helena for generously giving their time and inspiring our students. 

Our 2027 Prep Tours are now well underway and we have been delighted to welcome many prospective families into our school. It is always a proud moment to showcase our school and share the many opportunities available to our students. During these visits, we highlight the strong start our Prep students receive through our engaging literacy and numeracy programs, our supportive, safe and nurturing learning environment, our focus on student wellbeing and the many opportunities for children to build confidence, friendships and a sense of belonging from their very first year of school. 

Regular school attendance is essential for every child’s learning and development. Each day at school provides valuable opportunities for students to learn new skills, strengthen friendships and develop positive habits that support future success. 

Attending school consistently helps students to: 

• build important knowledge and skills for learning 

• develop social and emotional capabilities such as communication, resilience and teamwork 

• form positive friendships that contribute to confidence and a strong sense of belonging. 

Even small amounts of absence can quickly add up. Missing just one day a fortnight can result in approximately four weeks of missed learning over the course of a year. Wherever possible, we encourage families to schedule appointments outside of school hours and plan family holidays during school breaks. Thank you for your ongoing support in ensuring students attend school regularly and arrive ready to learn each day. 

Have a wonderful long weekend. 

Leisa 

Dear Parents, Guardians & Caregivers, 

I hope you’ve all had a good week and are looking forward to a fun long weekend! 

Junior Mayor 2026 

Each year, the City of Kingston invites all primary schools to participate in the Junior Mayor Elections. Schools select four Year 6 students to represent them, with one student nominated as the Head Speaker. Students prepare a two-minute speech responding to the question: 

What are three ways Council could help young people get involved in activities, programs and decisions in the community? 

The Head Speaker delivers the speech, supported on stage by three team members. Presentations may include visual aids such as posters or small props. At the conclusion of the event, one Head Speaker is selected as Junior Mayor for 2026/27. 

Our School Captains (Oscar, Matilda, Flynn & Aubrey) will proudly represent MPPS in this year’s event. They will begin working collaboratively on their speech, and once a speaker is selected, will support them in preparing for their presentation early in Term 2. We look forward to seeing their leadership and creativity shine! 

Community of Practice Visit 

As part of our Community of Practice (CoP) network initiative, members of leadership teams across local primary schools visit one another within clusters to conduct learning walks, gather data and share improvement strategies. These visits support consistency across our Kingston network and provide valuable opportunities to discuss common challenges and effective practices. 

On Thursday 26th of February, the MPPS Leadership Team visited Patterson Lakes Primary School alongside colleagues from Mordialloc College, Bonbeach Primary School and Le Page Primary School. During the visit, we observed classrooms, engaged in professional dialogue and discussed Patterson Lakes’ improvement initiatives for 2026. 

We thank Patterson Lakes Primary School for generously hosting us. Mentone Park Primary School looks forward to hosting a network visit in Term 3, 2026. 

NAPLAN Reminder – Years 3 & 5 

NAPLAN assessments for Years 3 and 5 will take place in Weeks 7&8. Students have been participating in familiarisation and practice activities to ensure they feel confident and comfortable with the online format (Year 3 Writing remains paper-based). 

Our 2026 NAPLAN Schedule is: 

• Writing – Wednesday 11th of March 

• Reading – Thursday 12th of March 

• Conventions of Language – Monday 16th of March 

• Numeracy – Tuesday 17th of March 

All assessments begin at 9:00am in the 3-6 Building. 

We approach NAPLAN in a calm and supportive way, reinforcing that it is just one measure of student progress. Please note there may be minor timetable adjustments for other year levels on these days. 

Carpark Reminder – Supporting Our Neighbours 

We have received a friendly request from Bayside Early Learning Centre and Kindergarten Mentone East, located in Blackwood Avenue opposite MPPS, asking that our families please refrain from using their private carpark during school drop-off and pick-up times. 

As they continue to build their enrolments, it is important that their carpark remains available for their families and that driveways and delivery areas are not blocked. We value being respectful neighbours and appreciate your support in ensuring their access always remains clear and safe. Thank you! 

Yours sincerely, 

Nathan Hutchins 

Assistant Principal 

Important Dates

In the Spotlight / Overview

Our Preps continue to grow more confident and capable each week. It has been wonderful to see them taking increasing responsibility for their learning and belongings. 

With Harmony Day coming up, we have started talking about belonging and celebrating the many cultures that make our community so special. We are exploring the idea that everyone belongs and that our differences are something to be proud of. 

A very special thank you to Aisha’s mum, Sidra, for the wonderful presentation she gave about Ramadan. The students were so engaged and curious, asking thoughtful questions and showing great respect. We are incredibly grateful for the time and care she gave to sharing her culture and traditions with us. A reminder that we welcome anyone who would like to share their culture family’s culture with us during Harmony Week. 

Out in the yard, friendships continue to grow and change. In the early years of school, it is very normal for children to experiment with different friendship groups. You may notice your child talking about playing with different classmates from week to week, this is all part of learning how friendships work. Parallel play is also very common at this age, where children happily play alongside one another rather than directly together. We are supporting students to use kind words, include others and practise simple problem-solving skills as they build these important social foundations. 

Thank you, as always, for your continued support at home. 

Reminders

Communication / Readers 
Information has been sent home regarding our Take Home Reading Program (please see Compass for more information). 

Student Reading Diaries 
Please send this to school each day inside the Reading Pocket. Reminder: all students require a Reading Pocket, which can be purchased from PSW. 

Specialist Subjects 
Our Specialist timetable is displayed on our classroom window for reference. Please note that occasionally there are alterations to the timetable. 

Sunscreen 
If your child is sensitive to sunscreen or would prefer to use their own, please send it to school labelled, and we will keep it in a tub to remind students to reapply. A large pump pack of sunscreen is always available for student use. 

Toys 
As per this week’s compass post, please avoid sending toys to school. If your child wishes to share a new toy (e.g. something they got for their birthday) please share some pictures with us via email and we will be sure to share them with the class! 

Literacy 
In Writing, we have been focusing on weekend recounts. Students are learning that good recounts tell us who was there, where it happened and what they did. We have been building our understanding of nouns (naming words) and verbs (action words) and spotting them in our sentences. 

Students are beginning to understand that a sentence needs to make sense and include both a “who” and a “do” word. It has been exciting to see their confidence grow as they attempt more independent writing. 

We are also continuing to strengthen our handwriting through pattern work and careful letter formation. 

InitiaLit 
In InitiaLit, we have been building strong early reading skills. Students have been learning how to blend sounds together orally and listen carefully for beginning sounds in words. 

We have introduced our first letter-sound correspondence, focusing on the /m/ sound and linking it to the letter ‘m’. The students have loved our picture sound sorts and hands-on activities as they begin to connect sounds to letters. 

Maths 
In Maths, we have continued learning about time — talking about weekdays and weekends and putting events in order using words like first, next and last. 

We have now moved into counting and number work. The Preps are practising counting forwards and backwards all the way to 20 and are becoming much more confident with their number sequence. We have started using five-frames to help students clearly see and organise numbers, which will prepare us for using ten-frames later on. Students are also matching groups of objects to the correct numeral and practising careful counting, making sure they only count each item once. It has been wonderful to see so many proud smiles during Maths time! 

Wellbeing 
We have continued exploring our TIER values. 

In Week 5, our focus was Integrity — doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. 

This week, we focused on Respect — showing care for ourselves, others and our learning environment. Respect can be shown through the choices we make. 

We have now begun The Resilience Project lessons, this program will support students as they build emotional awareness and confidence in their transition to school. 

Recognising TIER Role Models

Week 5: Eloise M - For being a Teamwork superstar who shares, helps her friends, and takes initiative to make our classroom a better place. Well done, Eloise!

Week 6: Sam B - For doing an amazing job with his writing by forming his letters carefully and remembering to leave finger spaces between words. Well done, Sam! 

Important Dates

Important Dates

In the Spotlight / Overview

Parent Teacher meetings 

It was wonderful to see such an amazing turnout at our Teacher ‘Meet and Greet’ last Tuesday! Our teachers thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many parents and carers and having the opportunity to learn more about their students; their interests, goals and what makes them unique. 

Building strong partnerships between home and school is so important, and evenings like this help set the tone for a positive and successful year ahead. Thank you for taking the time to connect with us. We are looking forward to a fantastic year together! 

Reminders

NAPLAN Schedule 

The 2026 NAPLAN schedule for our Year 3 and 5 students is as follows: 

Writing* - Wednesday 11/3/26 - Yr 3 and 5 from 9am 

Reading - Thursday 12/3/26 - Yr 3 and 5 from 9am 

Conventions of Language - Monday 16/3/26 - Yr 3 and 5 from 9am 

Numeracy - Tuesday 17/3/26 - Yr 3 and 5 from 9am 

* Year 3 Writing NAPLAN assessment is completed by students by hand on paper 

Year 3/4 Homework Expectations  

Reading  
Students read for 20-30 minutes at least three times a week, and record that reading in their Student Diary. 

Maths  
Students will have set tasks in Mathletics that should take 20–30 minutes to complete. Their logins are glued into the inside cover of their Student Diary. If the tasks take longer than 20-30 minutes to complete or students have trouble completing a task, they will let their teacher know. 

Parents/carers: Please advise your child’s teacher if your child won’t be able to complete homework due to family commitments or circumstances. If your child is unable to access Mathletics at home, we can provide a worksheet to complete – please let your child’s teacher know ASAP. 

Literacy: We are completing our Novel Study of The Wild Robot. We are also practising writing under test conditions ready for NAPLAN. 

In SpellEx, Year 3 students are learning about homophones and different ways to spell the long vowel sounds /ā/. Year 4 are learning different ways to spell the long vowel sound /ē/ and how suffix ‘y’ and suffix ‘l’ ‘y’ change a word. 

Numeracy: We are learning about different strategies to add and subtract 2- and 4-digit numbers. We have also been practising 5-times and 4-times tables. 

Wellbeing: We are learning about character traits and empathy. 

Inquiry: We are learning about Australia’s key water sources and how these water sources support ecosystems and human life. 

Recognising TIER Role Models

Congratulations to our most recent TIER Role Models! 

Evelyn D – For demonstrating outstanding attention to detail throughout our Place Value unit, consistently producing thoughtful and beautifully presented bookwork. Her care and pride in her work are truly commendable! 

Sofiia C – For being such a thoughtful and caring friend, going out of her way to help others feel supported and understood. 

William K  – Will has made a fantastic effort this week to improve both his handwriting and his summarising skills during our The Wild Robot novel study, showing great focus, determination and pride in his work — well done, Will! 

Xander M – For writing a convincing and engaging persuasive text ‘Everyone Should Have a Private Robot’, using a wide range of persuasive devices to strongly support his arguments. 

Important Dates

In the Spotlight / Overview

There has been a real buzz in Senior School, with our Year 6 students proudly receiving their school tops and jumpers, while the Year 5s eagerly count down to their turn next year. We travelled for our first Interschool Sports match and students represented Mentone Park beautifully. With a two-week break ahead, we are excited for the next game in Week 8. In Maths, we have been using factors to simplify multiplication and division and applying written algorithms to multiply two-digit numbers. In Literacy, our War Horse novel study continues to inspire creative narrative writing. 

Reminders

Senior School Water Safety 
Thanks to everyone who has given consent and made payment for our water safety program. This will take place in the final week of this term. Please ensure you also submit the necessary important information about your child’s current swimming ability. 

Camp! 
A Compass event for our Senior School Camp has now been published. The camp will take place in the first week of Term 2, from Wednesday 22nd April to Friday 24th April. Please take the time to carefully read through all the information provided. Consent and payment are due by the end of Term 1. Additional forms have been sent home with your child earlier this week. We would greatly appreciate these being completed and returned by the end of Week 8 (Friday 20th March), as they are required to be submitted to Waratah Beach Camp by the end of term. 

Senior School Homework Expectations 
A friendly reminder about Senior School homework expectations. Please continue to encourage your child to read at least three times a week and ensure they record this in their student diaries. Students also have assigned Mathletics tasks to complete throughout the week. Their classroom teacher(s) will review results weekly and adjust activities accordingly. 

Literacy: We are learning to recall the suffixing rules, and review previously taught suffixes. 

We are learning to read and respond to queries from our class novel War Horse. 

We are learning to combine sentences with coordinating conjunctions 

Numeracy: We are learning to use factors to simplify multiplication sums. 

We are learning to multiply by two-digit numbers using a written algorithm. 

We are learning to use factors to solve division problems. 

We are learning to divide using and algorithm and represent remainders as fractions. 

Geography:  We are learning how Australians manage environmental challenges such as droughts and floods and their consequences. 

Wellbeing: We are learning to express gratitude for our bodies and all they do for us. 

Recognising TIER Role Models

Dhaanya P – Excellence – Integrity - For settling in and contributing to a positive classroom environment. You are a welcome addition to 5/6G. Keep it up! 

Jacob P – Excellence – For applying yourself with focus and working diligently on your narrative during one of our literacy sessions this week. You made an effort to strengthen your problem, resolution and conclusion. 

In the Spotlight / Overview

In the past 2 weeks of STEM, students in F-2 have learnt how sound travels in waves and is made by vibrations. They have completed experiments where they could see, feel and hear different sounds. Students in 3/4 have been exploring magnetic forces and friction. They have discovered not all metals are attracted to magnets, and that different surfaces can slow down an object’s movement. Students in 5/6 have been learning about how light moves, and how to draw ray diagrams to show how light travels over short distances. 

See some pictures below of our experiments! 

Reminders

It’s been great to see so many students excited about STEM and science learning for this term. Shout out to 5/6D for great teamwork during your light bending experiment in week 5!

F: We are learning about sounds at our school. We are learning about light and dark places at our school. 

1/2: We are learning how sound travels. 

3/4: We are exploring the strength of magnets. We are exploring the effects of friction on moving objects. 

5/6: We are learning about how light travels. 

Recognising TIER Role Models

Week 4: Declan R – Teamwork, Excellence. For sharing his understanding of light and collaborating with his team to create a peek box demonstrating how light travels. 

Week 5: Lacey M – Excellence. For sharing her scientific explanation of how sound travels to our ears. Well done superstar! 

In the Spotlight / Overview

Establishing new routines and expectations has been the core focus upon return to the Art Room for 2026. All year levels have been exploring/reflecting on our school TIER values and have been developing artworks that will soon be displayed proudly outside the art room that demonstrate our love for MPPS and all things colourful! Prep to Year 2 have been exploring colour through the text ‘The Mixed Up Chameleon’ by Eric Carle and sorting its colours into primary and secondary. They have then been creating their own chameleons using oil pastels and started the year off by making their own bag tags! Year 3-6 have experimented with colour theory by mixing primary and secondary coloured paints to form tertiary colours and placing them on a colour wheel. Our next step will be adding our names over the top so that they stand out boldly from the colour wheel background.

Reminders 

Sometimes things get a little messy in the art room and therefore everyone is encouraged to have an art smock. This could be a purchased one (eg. from somewhere like Officeworks) or an old shirt (adult sized are great for kids!). If these could please be labelled with name and grade, it would be greatly appreciated. There is a tub of spares always available in the art room, however please note that these are used by students across the entire school.

Art P-2: We are learning about Primary and Secondary colours.

Art 3-6: We are learning about colour theory and why it is important to artists.

Recognising TIER Role Models

Week 5: Maddie L – Demonstrating EXCELLENCE & INTEGRITY in the Art Room. You worked hard exploring colour theory and did a sensational job cleaning up the paints. Thank you!

In the Spotlight / Overview

What an active and exciting start to the year in PE, particularly for our students in Years 3-6 who participated in our Yr 3-6 House Swimming Sports. It was a wonderful day where students earnt points for their Houses by demonstrating our TIER values and having a go. The event served as trials for District Swimming where we took along 26 superstar swimmers, proving to be Mentone Park’s best results in a decade as we took home 1^st in the handicap! An incredible achievement for our school. A huge congratulations to Charlie M in Yr 4 who will progress to Division. Beyond our major events, all year levels have been participating in Positive Play activities that explore the themes of sportspersonship and fair play. This includes cooperation with others, trial and error, critical and creative thinking, problem solving, inclusion and establishing roles and responsibilities.

Reminders

Everyone is encouraged to have a go and to try things in some capacity. If for some reason your child is unable to participate in PE (eg. injury), please don’t hesitate to let me know via Compass so that I can ensure they are catered for.  

PE P- 6: We are learning about positive and fair play.

Recognising TIER Role Models

Week 5: Oscar S – Demonstrating RESPECT at District Swimming. So impressive to see you offer handshakes to all your competitors, regardless of the outcome. Thank you for representing Mentone Park proudly!

Week 5: Charlie M – Demonstrating EXCELLENCE at District Swimming. Congratulations on your 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd placing and well deserved invitation to Division! Amazing job at representing Mentone Park!

In the Spotlight / Overview

In the past 2 weeks of Auslan students across the school have been learning and reviewing emotion signs, classroom objects and school signs. We have been practising these signs in new games including ‘Missing what?’, ‘Missing who?’ and ‘Describe my bag’. 

Reminders

It has been great to see some students out in the yard practising their Auslan, signing ‘How are you?’ or ‘Thank you’ when someone holds the door open for them. Shout out to 3/4G for being the most respectful class during week 4. Keep practising your fingerspelling and greetings, try add in a description of how you feel! 

F: We are learning about the Auslan alphabet. We are learning about greetings in Auslan. 

1/2: We are learning some basic greetings and question signs in Auslan. We are learning about emotion signs in Auslan. 

3/4: We are learning some school and class signs in Auslan. We are reviewing emotion signs in Auslan. 

5/6: We are learning some school and class signs in Auslan. We are reviewing emotion signs in Auslan. 

Recognising TIER Role Models

Week 4: Peggy Y - Excellence. For trying her best when learning question signs and showing enthusiasm with all our activities this week. Well done!