Dear Parents and Carers,

First, a quick apology for the long newsletter! But as you know, we do so much in our wonderful school that I want to share it all with you. Grab a cup of tea (or something stronger - it is the end of term!) and enjoy ____________________________________

1. Principal for the Day – Teddy D. (Year 4)
What a way to finish the term! Today we welcomed our very first Principal for the Day, Teddy D. from Year 4, thanks to the P&C’s 80s Disco fundraiser. Teddy began the morning with an announcement over the PA, officially welcoming everyone to the last day of term.

His very first duty as Principal? To be the first Subiaco student to climb onto our brand-new senior playground! Teddy then created a roster so every Year 4–6 class could have a turn during the day and what a hit it was!

Throughout the morning, Teddy kept a watchful (and surprisingly firm) eye on the students, handing out “Teddy Tickets” to those showing excellent behaviour. The winners of the Teddy Ticket draw joined Principal Teddy, Mr Ramsey, Mr Hayward, Deputy Principal Finn, and myself for a KFC lunch in the principal’s office.

Teddy also awarded the “Best Behaved Class” prize, which came with an exclusive bonus—permission for one lucky junior class to play on the new senior playground. A fair but firm leader indeed!

I must admit, it has been a lot of fun (and a little humbling) watching Teddy take on the role with such authority. Sorry parents,  but judging by the thunderous applause when Teddy introduced himself, and the countless students asking if we can do it again next year, I fear the P&C may have created a very popular monster!
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2. Massed Choir Festival
Last Saturday night I had the privilege of watching our school choir perform at the Massed Choir Festival. Their voices were simply outstanding, and they represented Subiaco Primary with such pride and joy.

A heartfelt thank you to our music teacher, Mr Cianfagna, for his expertise and passion, and also to Chris Shorter and Gemma Hayley for their support and supervision on the night.
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3. Open Night
Last Wednesday we welcomed families to our Open Night. The classrooms looked fantastic, and it was wonderful to see so many students proudly sharing their learning journeys with their families. Our choir gave another delightful performance, adding music and joy to the evening. Thank you to all who attended—it was a true celebration of learning at Subiaco PS.
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4. Interschool Athletics
Congratulations to our interschool athletics team who competed with enthusiasm, courage, and great sportsmanship. A big thank you to Mr Clancy and all staff who assisted with training and on the day. Well done to our place-getters and a special congratulations to every student who represented Subiaco Primary with pride.
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5. Senior Playground
At long last it’s here! Our brand-new Senior Playground is officially open. Today, Principal Teddy gave every Year 4–6 class a turn, before inviting Teddy Ticket winners to join him for lunch.

A huge thank you to the P&C Playground Committee, the wider P&C, and every family who contributed. Together you raised over $120,000 to bring this incredible new space to life. It will be enjoyed by our students for many years to come.

And the good news continues-construction of the Junior Playground begins on Monday 10 November, with completion scheduled for Friday 21 November. Our younger students have plenty to look forward to!
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6. Hale School Symposium – Social Media and Mobile Devices
Last week I was honoured to represent Subiaco Primary on a panel at Hale School’s Symposium on Student Use of Social Media and Mobile Devices.

The symposium brought together educators, policymakers, and researchers to explore how schools can balance the benefits of technology with the growing concerns around student wellbeing. Key themes included:

• The developmental risks of early smartphone and social media use.
• The opportunity cost when screen time replaces play, sleep, and face-to-face interaction.
• Creative school policies, like phone-free environments and delayed access to smartphones.
• The importance of collective action by schools, parents, government, and tech providers.

At Subiaco, we are committed to continuing this dialogue. Like previous public health shifts (seatbelts, sunscreen, tobacco), we see this as a moment to work together to keep children safe, connected, and resilient. Next term, I plan to host sessions for parents to continue this important conversation, alongside initiatives such as WaitMate, which encourages delaying smartphone and social media access for young people.
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7. A Final Word
Stella and I have enjoyed another wonderful term in the school we love. Stella has even developed her own Wellbeing Policy, which you can find on the SPS website!

Thank you for your ongoing support, positivity, and contributions to our school community.

I wish you all a safe and happy holiday break. Please remember that Monday 14 October is a Staff Development Day, so students return on Tuesday 15 October.

From Principal Teddy and Principal McNeil—we wish you a restful and fun holiday!

Warm regards,
Heather McNeil

On Saturday 13 September, M4 held a stall at the Subi Farmers Market. This was the big moment after two whole terms of learning about fast fashion. We found out that fast fashion hurts the planet because people buy cheap clothes, wear them once or twice, and then they end up in landfill. We wanted to do something about it, so we decided to make something new out of old clothes.

Our idea was to make doorstops out of old jeans. Everyone brought in jeans they didn’t wear anymore, and we even used old pillow stuffing to fill them. We learned how to sew, and some of us even used a sewing machine for the first time! Parents, teachers and our Creative Schools expert, Tanya, helped to teach us how to use a sewing machine, but we did most of the work ourselves. By the end, we had made 77 doorstops, and each one was different, with its own funny or cute face.

On Market Day, we set up our stall early in the morning and sold every single one. We had so much fun being salespeople and interacting with the community. Lots of us got really good at talking to customers and explaining why fast fashion is such a big problem. People were excited to buy the doorstops, and it felt amazing to see our hard work pay off.

In the end, we raised just over $1,800, and all the money is going to Telethon. Even better, we saved 77 pairs of jeans from going to landfill. We were so proud of ourselves and had the best day ever. This project showed us that even kids can make a difference. Click HERE for photos.

This term Year 6 students Odette, Serafina and Kasia created a drama club to give interested Year 4, 5 and 6 students an opportunity to learn drama skills and experience improvisation.

Each year group were involved in 3 weeks of activities culminating in a final session where all the students participated in a combined giant session. Click HERE for photos.

Aahana - It was really fun and every week there was new and exciting activities.
Rakshana - We enjoyed doing lots of improvisation activities. I was really excited that lots of people joined in.
Suniti - It is a really interactive club and I have improved on my improvisation skills.
Zoe - My favourite activity was definitely the machine game. I also learnt that Odette knows the longest tongue twister in the world!!
Odette - I really appreciated the opportunity to teach my peers a subject that I love and it warms my heart to see them all so keen. I hope that they all enjoyed it and learnt a lot along the way.

Creative Schools came to an end this week in U4, and we finished by having a showcase for our parents and the school of the creative things we have been working on in class. We have been writing poems in U4 this term and integrated this with the paper skills and learning habits that Anne has been showing us to make an interactive book. Our interactive books had pop ups, pull outs, flaps, textures, springs, a sewing element plus much more. It told the story of our poem throughout, and we even created a matching soundscape for each page to set the mood for the reader. Our books were on display in the Undercover Area on Open Night. Thank you to everyone who came along and read them!

On Thursday, U4 passed on what we had learnt about the five habits of learning to the rest of the school. We ran workshops for classes from Pre-primary to Year 6 and in each workshop, students could participate in five activities that practised discipline, collaboration, inquisitiveness, persistence and imagination (the five habits of learning). The activities were designed to make each student think quickly, not dwell on their ideas and to try and think ‘outside the box’ and ‘with new eyes’. We have created a whole school structure using skewers and rubber and a whole school artwork through the power of collaboration. Thank you to all the classes who explored their creativity with us!

VacSwim offers fun swimming lessons over the October and summer school holidays. It aims to give children across Western Australia the skills to stay safe and confident in the water.

Who can enrol
Children aged 5 to 17 years old across swimming stages 1 to 16. For specific stage information refer to our website.

One program per child
To ensure a fair and equitable opportunity for all children to enjoy VacSwim, enrolment is limited to one program per child. This means:
• One enrolment permitted for October programs.
• One enrolment permitted for summer programs (December and January).

Families can register on a waitlist for additional programs if desired.

When enrolments open and close
Summer enrolments close Wednesday 15 October 2025.

How to enrol
The easiest way to enrol is Online.
You can also download an enrolment form to complete, print and mail by the enrolment closing date to:

VacSwim
Department of Education
Statewide Services Centre
33 Giles Avenue
Padbury WA 6025

Subiaco Dental Mobile School Holiday Dates
First Week: Closed:  Tuesday  30 Sep – Wednesday 1 Oct
The emergency clinic will be:
Mt Lawley Dental Therapy Centre
92 second Ave, Mount Lawley, 6050
(P): 9271 5561
(E): MtLawleyDTC@health.wa.gov.au

Subiaco mobile Open:  Thursday 2 – Friday 3 Oct.

Second Week closed: Monday 6 to Wednesday 8 Oct
The emergency clinic will be:
Mt Lawley Dental Therapy Centre
92 Second Ave, Mount Lawley, 6050
(P): 9271 5561
(E): MtLawleyDTC@health.wa.gov.au

Thursday to Friday 9 - 10 Oct
The emergency clinic will be:
Hill Crest Dental Therapy Centre
2 Bay View Street, Bayswater, 6053
(P): 9271 7184
(E): HillcrestDTC@health.wa.gov.au

Birthday Celebrations
If your child’s birthday falls on a school day and you would like bring in a treat for the class, please consider healthy, nut free alternatives. Commercially bought, individual cup cakes are acceptable but due to our healthy eating policy we would rather parents not provide chocolates or lollies.

Student Absences
Enter an Attendance Note on Compass
A parent explanation is required for all student absences. Please enter this on Compass. Parent reminders will be emailed every Monday for any unexplained absences.

Updating School Records
If your address, telephone number or email address has changed, please contact the school office.

Publications Permission
Upon enrolment, parents decide whether to give consent for their child’s name, photo or work to be published in school newsletters, school related activities, promotional material for the Department of Education and articles for the West Australian and community newspapers. This consent continues for your child while enrolled at our school. If at any stage you want to change the permission status, then you will need to notify the office in writing.

Have you got clothes, shoes, and accessories you no longer wear? 👗 Then join us at WMRC’s clothing swap!

📅Date: Saturday, 4 October
⏰ Time: Come anytime between 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
💰 Cost: $5.00
🚩Location: Alf Adams Pavilion, located on Solomon St, Mosman Park.
🚗 Parking: Street parking is available along Solomon St.

RSVP: https://events.humanitix.com/wmrc-clothing-swap-mosman-park

🧵💍 Please feel free to bring along any clothes and jewellery that need mending – Repair Lab will fix them on the spot! ✨

Clothing collection points will be available the week leading up to the event. A maximum of 5 items per person will be allowed at these locations during opening hours:

Evelyn H Library (Subiaco) (Fri 26th Sept – Thurs 2nd Oct)
The Grove Library (Fri 26th Sept – Thurs 2nd Oct)
Bay View Community Centre (Fri 26th Sept – Thurs 2nd Oct)
Mosman Park Council Office (Fri 26th Sept – Thurs 2nd Oct)
Alf Adams Pavilion (Friday 3rd Oct from 2.30pm – 4pm only)
If you have more clothing to donate, please bring the rest with you on the day of the swap!

Please ensure any clothing donated is clean and in good condition.

❌ Please no kids’ clothes or bric-a-brac at this event ❌

Member council tickets are available to residents from Claremont, Cottesloe, Mosman Park, Peppermint Grove & Subiaco. General admission tickets are available for Cambridge, Nedlands and residents from other councils.

Tickets are limited and non-refundable.

This event is part of WMRC’s Textile Trail 2025, taking place in October. To find out more, visit the Textile Trail webpage and WMRC’s Humanitix page.

Looking for ways to keep the kids entertained these school holidays? The City has a calendar full of fun events for children and teens of all ages.

The popular Lords School Holiday Program is back with sports days, cooking fun, LEGO workshops and more for younger kids, while teens aged 12–15 can get stuck into the Teen Holiday Hangout Program - think soccer, basketball, squash and loads of team games. With flexible dates and a whole lot of variety, there's something to keep every energy level happy!

Over at Subiaco Library and around town, the fun continues with a fantastic lineup of creative and interactive events. Kids can build mini greenhouses with author Narelle Wynter, explore the world of animals with real zookeepers, or get hands-on with LEGO builds and craft sessions.

Don’t miss the Intergenerational Storytime at Rankin Gardens with author Rebecca Grant - there’ll be puppets, songs, giant games and nature potion-making!

www.subiaco.wa.gov.au/see-do/good-to-know/news/spring-into-school-holidays-in-subi-85bae66d

Young Engineers Term 4
Young Engineers Australia brings world-class STEM education to children across the country.

The Subiaco Primary Club commences on Monday 20 October and runs for 9 weeks to Monday 15 December, 3.20-4.40pm.

In Term 4, the older children will get to experience a more advanced robotics program at Subiaco Primary. Apologies in advance, we are not running any classes for PP-Year 2 in term 4.

Bookings can be made at Bookings can be made at https://portal.iclasspro.com/yeperth/classes

Awesome Kids Markets
The AWESOME Kids’ Market is back! The next generation of local young creatives and entrepreneurs have been busy creating a vast array of homemade creations which they’ll have on sale throughout the festival.

Come along and check out all the glorious goods on offer.
https://awesomearts.com/awesome-festival/2025-perth/kids-markets
Free activities, affordable experiences, accessible and unique family festival in Perth CBD, featuring quality programming.

There’s something for everyone to enjoy at the Awesome International Arts Festival. https://awesomearts.com/awesome-festival/programs-tickets

For other community classes, activities and events that are available to families in Subiaco please click HERE.

Join us at the Subiaco Farmers Market on Saturday 4 October, for a special Bike Month celebration! The first 100 cyclists to arrive will receive a $10 voucher to spend at the market—so pedal over to City of Subiaco market stall to claim yours!

Mobike Services will be on-site to give your bike some free TLC with a complimentary service.

Plus, enter the free raffle for your chance to win one of these great prizes:

• Bike smart computer
• Front and rear taillight set
• ULAC U-lock bikelock

It's school holidays, so bring your bike, enjoy the market and make the most of Bike Month with us! 🚴‍♂️

SUBIACO PRIMARY SCHOOL
271 Bagot Rd, Subiaco WA 6008.
Phone: 08 9207 7900
Email: subiaco.ps@education.wa.edu.au