27 March 2026
Welcome to week 8 - 2026!
“Be brave, jump in, and see how far you can go!”
IN THIS EDITION:
- An Update on School Facilities and Air Conditioning
- Food for thought
- Easter Raffle
Robogals Robotics Workshop Inspires Our Year 5 Girls
- Bike Track
- Reading Challenge
- Community Shines at Astronomy Night
- Meet the Teacher
- Camp Australia
- Upcoming events and promotions
KEY DATES
🌊 School Holiday Swimming Fun: 3–17 April
🎖️ ANZAC Day Assembly: 24 April
📅 ANZAC Day Public Holiday: 27 April
NOTES
🕵️♂️ Lost & Found Reminder
If a student has misplaced their headgear, jacket or goggles, please check our Lost & Found boxes. We currently have several items waiting to be collected!
An Update on School Facilities
and Air Conditioning
I would like to provide our community with an update regarding our ongoing efforts to improve our school facilities, particularly concerning air conditioning.
At the beginning of 2025, our primary focus was to save and raise funds to install air conditioning throughout the school. Following the election, the State Government announced a new initiative to fund air conditioning in government schools. While Coolbinia Primary School was not included in the initial round of funding, I have been working closely with our local member, Frank Paolino MLA Member for Mt Lawley, who has been advocating strongly on our behalf. We remain very hopeful that Coolbinia will be included in the next round of funding.
During the election, we received $80,000 in funding via Frank Paolino. It is important to note that these funds were specifically "earmarked" as minor works for two high-priority projects:
- The development of the stage area for Edu-Dance on the oval (now completed).
- The creation of a new Art Room in the Early Childhood undercover area (nearing completion).
Under the terms of the grant, this $80,000 could not be redirected toward air conditioning. To put it into perspective, the total cost to air-condition our school is estimated to be in excess of $300,000.
We are committed to seeing this through and will continue to keep you updated as we advocate for the best possible environment for our students.
Food for Thought
There has been significant shift in the consumption of media by children. The cartoons of the 1980s shows like He-Man and the Masters of the Universe or Transformers where each episode followed a clear pattern: a problem arose, good, defeated evil, and a lesson was often explained outright at the end. Children were directly told what was right: be brave, tell the truth, help others. These programs were simple, structured, and reassuring in their clarity.
Today’s children are growing up with very different kinds of shows. Programs like Bluey or Steven Universe still teach values, but in a subtle and emotionally driven way. Instead of clearly stating the lesson, they invite children to observe relationships, navigate feelings, and understand different perspectives. Bluey is a very popular show that is shown worldwide, in many of the episode’s issues and adventures in the school demonstrate exploration of patience, empathy, and connection without ever spelling out a moral.
Where earlier shows focused on teaching children how to think with moral clarity, modern storytelling is more concerned with helping children understand themselves and others. Characters are allowed to make mistakes, feel confused, or even fail and that process becomes the lesson.
For families, this presents both an opportunity and a responsibility. While today’s programs the morals and values are vague and while they support emotional intelligence and social understanding, they do rely on conversation and reflection to fully bring out their value. Children often don’t recognize the message without guidance.
As a community, we can support children by engaging with what they watch asking questions like, “How do you think that character needed to resolve the situation “or “What would you do in that situation?” In doing so, we bridge the gap between past and present: combining the clarity of earlier lessons with the emotional depth of today’s storytelling.
After all, the goal remains the same not just raising children who know what is right, but children who understand why it matters.
A Huge Thank You for
Supporting Our Easter Raffle!
What an exciting day for our school community! Thanks to the generosity of our amazing families, so many of you donated prizes and purchased tickets for our Easter Raffle, helping to make the event a wonderful success.
The raffle was drawn today during assembly, and the atmosphere was electric. Students eagerly (and quietly!) waited to hear their names called, with excitement building throughout. The kids were thrilled, and even the teachers got into the spirit, with a little friendly competition as they tried their luck with extra tickets.
This year’s raffle was bigger than ever, featuring an incredible 46 prizes for students and families, along with two special prizes for teachers. It was fantastic to see how much both students and staff enjoyed the event. We’re thrilled to share that the P&C raised an outstanding $2,311.20. Every dollar will go straight back into supporting our school community, what a fantastic result!
A huge thank you to our wonderful school community and generous local businesses for their support. This raffle would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of our fantastic P&C team, who organised everything so seamlessly.
Congratulations to all our lucky winners! For those who were not at school today, the office has been in touch to share the good news.
Robogals Robotics Workshop
Inspires Our Year 5 Girls
On Wednesday, our Year 5 girls took part in an engaging, hands-on robotics workshop led by the Robogals Perth team. Robogals is a student-run organisation based at the University of Western Australia (UWA) that aims to inspire and empower young women to explore interests and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
During the session, students were introduced to robotics and block coding using Sphero robots. Working collaboratively in teams, the girls learned how to program the robots to move, respond to sensors, and complete a range of problem-solving challenges. As they experimented with different coding commands, students strengthened their computational thinking, teamwork, and persistence, while gaining insight into how programming is used to control real-world technologies.
Programs like Robogals support the Australian Government’s Girls in STEM initiative, which seeks to increase participation and confidence among girls in science and technology. While STEM skills are essential for all students, women currently make up only around 15–27% of the STEM workforce. This highlights the importance of providing meaningful opportunities that encourage girls to explore these fields from a young age.
Robogals offers students the opportunity to work alongside inspiring university role models and experience the creativity and problem-solving involved in engineering and technology. The energy and enthusiasm throughout the session were fantastic, as teams tested, refined, and improved their robots’ movements.
Our school remains committed to supporting STEM learning for all students. Opportunities such as robotics workshops, clubs, and Digital Technologies lessons continue to provide valuable hands-on experiences for both boys and girls. We sincerely thank the Robogals team for visiting our school and inspiring the next generation of engineers, scientists, and innovators.
Bike track
A huge thank you to all the staff, parents, and students who generously gave their time and energy to help paint our new Pre-Primary Bike Track on Saturday 21 March.
Thanks to funding from Your Move, we have successfully completed the first coat of our circuit. Before long, students will be enjoying the track while building their skills and confidence to support a healthy, active lifestyle.
The second coat and line markings will be completed in Term 2, so keep an eye out for a new sign-up sheet to get involved.
Special thanks to Vansh and Anush (not pictured), Luke and Dave, and Maddy and Evie for their fantastic contribution.
Premier’s Reading Challenge 2026
After last year’s success, Coolbinia Primary School is excited to join the Premier’s Reading Challenge again! This is a fun way for students to discover amazing stories, improve reading skills, and enjoy reading.
Challenge Dates: 23 March – 12 June 2026
Reading Goals:
- Kindergarten to Year 6: 12+ books
- Year 7 to 12: 6+ books
What counts as reading: Books, short stories, graphic novels, eBooks, audiobooks, poetry, and literary podcasts, there’s something for every age and reading level!
Rewards: Weekly prizes for logged reading and a certificate signed by the Premier at the end of the challenge.
Parents – Here’s how to help:
- Go to the Parents and Carers section of the website.
- Create an account and add your child/children.
- Help your child log the books they read each week.
- Encourage them to read every day to reach their goal.
Thank you for supporting your child’s reading success!
📚 More info: Premier’s Reading Challenge WA
Coolbinia Primary School English Committee
Community Shines at Astronomy Night
The weather was finally on our side! An enormous thank you to Matt, Trevor, Mara and Andy from Perth Observatory for hosting our Coolbinia Astronomy Night on Wednesday, 25 March.
More than 120 members of our community came along to picnic under the stars, patiently queue for telescope views, and listen to the fascinating insights shared by the Perth Observatory team. Highlights of the evening included views of the Moon, Jupiter and its four Galilean moons, the Jewel Box cluster, and the Orion Nebula, among many other celestial wonders.
Attendees enjoyed observing through two 8-inch optical telescopes, a 10-inch telescope, and the impressive See star S30 Pro. It was especially wonderful to see students bringing along their own telescopes and binoculars, adding to the excitement and shared sense of discovery.
A fantastic night for our community!
Meet the teacher
Freya Jamieson - Visual Arts (Year 1–2)
Freya Jamieson is the Year 1–2 Visual Arts Specialist at Coolbinia Primary School. She is a passionate and experienced teacher who designs engaging, hands-on art programs that nurture creativity, confidence, and skill development in young learners. Freya also leads the Arts Committee and supports whole-school art initiatives, including student displays, competitions, and creative events.
The Year 1–2 Visual Arts program aligns with the Western Australian Curriculum and is carefully structured to build students’ understanding of the Art Elements across the year. Each term focuses on key concepts and skills:
- Term 1: Students explore line, shape, and movement.
- Term 2: Students investigate colour theory, including primary, secondary, warm, and cool colours.
- Term 3: Students experiment with texture, pattern, and overlapping to create depth and space.
- Term 4: Students respond to different artistic styles and explore how artists communicate meaning.
Throughout the year, students are introduced to a diverse range of artists from different cultures, time periods, and artistic movements. Lessons are practical, creative, and skill-focused, with students working across drawing, painting, collage, and mixed media. They develop confidence in using art tools while strengthening fine motor skills, visual awareness, and creative expression.
The program aims to ensure every child sees themselves as an artist — capable of trying new things and expressing their unique ideas with imagination and pride.
Support and Stretch (Year 1)
Freya Jamieson also leads the Year 1 Support and Stretch program, working closely with classroom teachers to identify students who would benefit from targeted support or extension. These small-group sessions are designed to address specific learning needs or to extend students who are ready for additional challenge.
Support and Stretch sessions take place on Wednesday and Thursday mornings and focus on phonics, writing, and mathematics. Sessions are short, explicit, and purposeful, helping students build confidence, strengthen foundational skills, and consolidate learning.
Games and activities targeting specific skills are also sent home, supporting families to actively engage in their child’s learning journey.
This program ensures that all students are supported to work
confidently at Year 1 level, while also providing opportunities for extension and growth.
Camp Australia Update
This week we welcomed autumn with a range of creative and nature-based activities. Children explored seasonal colours through autumn playdough, created leaf lions using fallen leaves, and took part in an autumn drawing challenge. It has been a wonderful week of creativity and outdoor fun.
Looking Ahead
Next week we will celebrate with Easter themed activities as we finish Term 1. Children can join an Easter Drawing Competition, create their own baskets, and take part in an Easter LEGO challenge. We are also excited to host a COSCA Easter Egg Hunt on Thursday, a fun community event for all.
Holiday Program Rocketeers
Our holiday program begins with the Into the Wild Project, featuring nature play, creative builds, and exciting challenges including the Dusk to Dawn Dash. Highlights include Big Art Day Jungle Jamboree, a Sound Switch takeover, and Plus Plus construction activities. Find out more: OSHC Before & After School Care | Camp Australia.
Service Update
We are pleased to announce that Pema Tshomo has stepped into the role of Assistant Service Leader. We look forward to the positive impact she will continue to bring to our service. Congratulations Pema!
Upcoming events and promotions
CHESS IS BACK! ♟️
Interested in helping your child build confidence, make new friends, and develop critical thinking skills?
Chess for life has been running primary school chess clubs for over 25 years at schools including Subiaco PS, Wembley PS, and Wesley College.
Open to Years 2–6
Cost: $175 per term
When: Tue 7.30-8.30am Library
Learn more and book:
https://www.perthchessschool.com.au/
Thank you for your support!
Before School Soccer Returns in Term 2!
We’re excited to announce that Before School Soccer is back for Term 2, kicking off on Wednesday 13 May from 7:30–8:30am.
Mark Lee Football Coaching is delighted to welcome both returning and new players to this popular program.
Founded in 2009 after a professional playing career across England, Scotland and Australia, Mark and his experienced coaching team have been running sessions at the school since 2015. The program offers a fantastic way for children to start their day active, energised and smiling.
Each session focuses on play-based learning and small-sided games, delivered in a fun, engaging and supportive environment. Children are grouped by age to ensure the best experience for everyone, and younger participants can be escorted to class after the session.
Program Details:
Dates: Wednesday 13 May – Wednesday 17 June
Time: 7:30–8:30am
Cost: $129 per child (6-week program)
To register your child or find out more, please contact Mark:
📞 0430 788 703 📧 mark@mlfc.com.au
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