Newsletter 10 September 2025
Principal's Message
New Software System Coming – Compass
The school is moving to the new Department software system - Compass. It will replace our old database. As part of this, we will be using a different source for our SMS attendance messages. Please expect SMS messages from 'Kensington' from Wed 17 Sep 25. These messages will provide you with a link to respond and provide a reason for an absence. Do not reply to the SMS - click on the link in the SMS.
We aim to reduce the number of apps parents need to access as we progress with transferring to the new Compass system next year.
National School Opinion Survey for Parents
Every two years, we survey our community using the National School Satisfaction Survey. This survey is created by the Department and modified for our community by the School Board. This year is a survey year. Below is a link to the parent/carer survey. We ask that you complete this survey by Friday, 19th September (end of Week 9). Print out the thank you page when you have finished and give a copy to your children (or send a screenshot to your children’s teacher). They will earn an icy pole, and the class with the best response rate will also earn a class prize.
This information is very important to the school as it helps us evaluate our work and identify what is working well and what can be improved. We also survey our staff and the Year 5/6 students to get their feedback. The Board then uses this information to guide our efforts to continually ensure that we are offering the community the best education for the children.
Reminder for Kindy Families: Enrol for Pre-primary Now!
If your child is currently attending Kindergarten at our school, it's time to take the next important step in their learning journey - enrolment for Pre-primary!
In Western Australia, Pre-primary is the first year of compulsory schooling, and all children who turn five by 30 June 2026 (born between 1st July 2020 and 30th June 2021) must be enrolled to start in Term 1 next year. Even if your child is already attending Kindy here, a separate enrolment form is required to secure their place in Pre-primary.
Why enrol now? Early enrolment helps us plan class sizes, staffing and resources to ensure a smooth transition and the best possible start for your child. You will also ensure you receive any preparatory information required for the start of Pre-primary.
What to do:
- Visit the front office to collect an enrolment pack
- Return completed forms as soon as possible
- Include all supporting documents, as listed on our website
Let’s work together to make sure every child is ready for a confident start to school life in 2026. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office.
Long Hair
We encourage all students with long hair to tie it up. This is not for aesthetic reasons but to avoid the transfer of head lice from one person to another. Children tend to get very close to each other and often their heads meet when they work or play together. This is enough for head lice to transfer from one head to another, and it is quite a process to rid a child of head lice as it requires at least two applications of treatment.
Be Sun Safe in Term 4
A reminder that it is important to slip, slop, slap, seek and slide to be sun safe in Term 4, particularly. Please ensure your child has the necessary clothing (in school colours) and sunscreen to be safe.
"Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, and Slide" is a five-step sun safety slogan from the Australian Cancer Council's SunSmart program, reminding people to: Slip on sun-protective clothing, Slop on broad-spectrum SPF50+ sunscreen, Slap on a wide-brimmed hat, Seek shade, and Slide on wraparound sunglasses to protect against harmful UV radiation.
Slip Slop Slap Seek Slide clip
Speak Up Awards
A huge congratulations to Jessie from S4, who has made the grand final of the Speak Up Awards, a state-wide public speaking competition. Jessie presented her speech in the semi-finals yesterday and did an amazing job. She will present her speech again in the grand final in a couple of weeks, competing against 11 other students from across WA. We are all super proud of her efforts, and we wish Jessie all the best for the final!
Achievements
Certificates
This week's Value
Foyer Display
Foyer Display - S3
S3 has been exploring energy-efficient house design through an inquiry project. Students began by researching different sustainable building materials and how these can help reduce electricity bills while creating more efficient homes. From there, they sketched out their own house floor plans and considered a range of design features. Using Tinkercad, students then created Computer Aided Drawings (CAD) of their houses. Finally, they used AI image generators to bring these designs to life, producing detailed images that matched their drawings and highlighted the unique features of their homes.
Upcoming Events...
Faction Names
Later this term the students will be asked to vote on new names for our factions. The two options are listed below. Once students have had time to consider these names, the Student Councillors will visit each class and ask them to vote by show of hands.
Option 1: WA Animals
Reason: The animals represent our place in the world and can be good mascots as they are cute. They, like us, live together in WA.
Noongar | English | Faction |
Noombat | numbat | Parmelia (Yellow) |
Kwoka | quokka | Endeavour (Green) |
Maali | black swan | Cygnet (Red) |
Djidi-djidi | willy wagtail | Investigator (Blue) |
Option 2: Four Elements
Reason: All these elements co-exist which represents “together we achieve” as they work together to make our world. The colours of the factions match well with the elements. At events you can become the element – e.g. “Run like the wind (Air)
Noongar | English | Faction |
Boodja | earth | Endeavour (Green) |
Kaal | fire | Cygnet (Red) |
Kep | water | Investigator (Blue) |
Mar | air (wind) | Parmelia (Yellow) |
Student Council - Planning Day
The student council worked with Associate Professor, Carol Carter, from Curtin University (she is also on our School Board) on Monday 1st September to learn more about creativity, which is one of our school values. She also introduced them to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, which align with our Cultural and Environmental Citizenship priority. As a result of this work, our Student Council have decided to run a competition for the Year 1-6 students encouraging students to use their creativity to come up with ways to address or promote the Sustainable Development Goals to create a better world. There will be prizes for each year level and a grand prize. Students will be asked to submit their work digitally. More information will come in the next newsletter and the next assembly.
What's Been Happening...
Book Builders Challenge
The Book Builders Challenge is a creative writing and publishing initiative where students write, illustrate and produce their own books with guidance from professional authors and illustrators. It fosters storytelling, design and collaboration across participating schools. Term 2 saw a fantastic wave of creativity from students at our school, along with the other participating schools - Collier, East Victoria Park and Manning - with 348 first-draft manuscripts submitted across these schools. Students are currently refining their final books - picture books, chapter books or graphic novels—guided by award-winning authors and illustrators. Workshops have covered everything from character creation and worldbuilding to editing and layout design. Special visits from Hannah Beazley and Geoff Baker added excitement, and the journey continues with support from teachers and mentors. The project will culminate in a Book Launch at the end of September, where one standout book from each school will be professionally published, with proceeds going to the school’s P&C.
Sport News
Congratulations, Cooper
Cooper qualified for the Australian team to compete at the UNAA Ninja Warrior Competition in Dallas, USA, in July 2025. Cooper represented Australia in the under-11-year-old category. This included extreme obstacle rigs as well as a 3km run with obstacles. Amazing effort, Cooper!
Your Move School
Our school has registered as a member of the Your Move Schools program.
Your Move encourages students and their families to get active by walking or riding a bike or scooter to school.
Making a small behavioural change by actively travelling to and from school a few times a week can result in huge benefits for your child and the community:
- Reduced congestion, travel times and parking problems around schools
- Reduced carbon dioxide emissions around the school
- Lifelong improved health and emotional wellbeing due to instilling positive physical activity habits at a young age
- Improved concentration and academic performance
- More sustainable and cost-effective transport outcomes, such as reducing the need for investment in parking that may only be utilised for a short period each day, and reduced road infrastructure maintenance costs.
Bike Education
The Year 3 students are participating in four bike ed sessions. They’ll get to grips with some essential bike riding skills, road safety smarts and even pick up some bike maintenance tips – all while having a blast. This program has been funded by our sporting school grant.
Running Club
Next Tuesday will be the last running club session until Term 4. There will be no sessions in Week 10. We will recommence on Tuesday of Week 2.
School Board
The Board met this week to discuss the proposed updated school uniform and to hear about how the school is implementing the Cultural Citizenship priority. They also looked at Semester 1 attendance data, the financial reports, the proposed faction name options and the new database that the school is moving to (see above for details) called Compass, part of the Dept of Education’s Kaartdijin Solution.
Containers for Change
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.
Community News
South Perth Toy Library
Hawaiian's Space Escape Bus
Hawaiian’s Space Escape Bus, proudly supporting Telethon, is touching down at a shopping centre near you and we want you, and your astronauts, to be a part of the Space Crew.
Brace yourselves - this immersive journey will transform you into members of a space crew on a mission to discover a new planet fit for human life. Onboard, you can expect to crack codes, solve puzzles, and complete six hands-on challenges designed to spark curiosity, teamwork, and a whole lot of fun.
Booking details:
- Tickets are $5 with all proceeds going to Telethon.
- Your nearest participating shopping centre: Park Centre
- Reserve your time and seat aboard the Space Escape Bus by clicking here.
This initiative is part of Hawaiian’s commitment to creating meaningful community experiences and proudly supports Telethon, helping fund life-changing programs for WA children and families.
Be part of something extraordinary and help us make this cosmic adventure truly unforgettable.
Please note:
The activity features flashing lights, sound effects and confined spaces that may not be suitable for all people. Hawaiian’s Space Escape Bus is accessible via a ramp and handrails for those requiring wheelchair access or using mobility aids.
From Hawaiian’s Park Centre
