I hope everyone has enjoyed a smooth and positive start to Term 3. There is already a great deal happening across our school, with opportunities to celebrate our students, listen to our community and plan thoughtfully for the future of Subiaco Primary School.
Principal’s Honour Certificates
Last week, I had the very special privilege of presenting Principal’s Honour Certificates to six students who have achieved something wonderful beyond the school gates:
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Jaxon B – Year 1: Bravery
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Sayesha S – Year 1: Art
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Levia S – Year 3: Calisthenics
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Orin W – Year 6: Ballet
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Kaela W – Year 6: Golf
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Indi M – Year 6: Swimming
These certificates recognise achievement in the arts and sport and, in Jaxon’s case, extraordinary bravery. Each student has demonstrated commitment, courage and determination, representing themselves, their families and Subiaco Primary School with great pride.
The Subiaco family extends well beyond our school gates, and it was wonderful for our whole school community to share in celebrating their success. We are incredibly proud of them all.
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Planning for Four Factions
Subiaco Primary School has a proud history, including a three-faction system that has served generations of students. However, our school has grown significantly, and our current faction structure has not grown with it.
We have now reached the point where a fourth faction is needed. This will create fairer and more balanced races and events, provide further opportunities for student participation and leadership, and strengthen each student’s sense of belonging within our school community.
As part of this change, all students will receive a new faction allocation for 2027. This will allow us to create four balanced factions across the school and ensure the new system begins fairly for everyone. Further information about the allocation process will be shared with families later in the year.
This is an important change and one that will be approached thoughtfully. Over the course of this term, our Faction Planning Committee will:
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consider a new theme for our factions, such as local animals, birds or plants;
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develop options for new faction names and colours; and
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plan how new faction shirts will be introduced gradually, so families have plenty of time to transition.
In Week 4, families will receive a short survey seeking their preferences for the overall faction theme. Later in the term, a second survey will invite families to help select the final names and colours from a carefully developed shortlist.
We will continue to provide updates through the newsletter and at school assemblies. We also understand that faction shirts are an expense for families, so there will be a clear transition period during which current shirts can continue to be worn.
This is an exciting opportunity to create a faction system that respects our school’s history while better meeting the needs of the Subiaco Primary School community now and into the future. Thank you for supporting this important next step for our school.
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Listening to Our Staff
At the end of Semester 1, staff were invited to reflect on a number of the changes introduced in 2026. The purpose of the survey was to understand what is working well for students and staff, identify areas requiring further attention and ensure that future decisions are informed by the experiences of those working with our students each day.
The feedback reflects strong support for the overall direction of the changes, while also identifying practical areas that can continue to be clarified and refined. These include wet-weather arrangements, supervision transitions, some break-time procedures, DOTT processes and opportunities to further strengthen our Visual Arts and STEAM programs.
The results will first be presented at the School Board meeting in Week 4 and then to staff at our Week 5 staff meeting. This will allow the feedback to be considered carefully before next steps are communicated more broadly.
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Student Voice at the School Board
Our next School Board meeting will be a particularly busy and important one. Board members will receive updates about our faction planning, BYOD review, staff reflection survey and other key areas of school planning and improvement.
We are especially looking forward to welcoming members of our Student Representative Council to the meeting. The students will present the results of their recent student survey, accompanied by their parents.
The SRC has already presented its findings to staff and did an outstanding job. The students spoke confidently and thoughtfully about the areas they surveyed, including STEAM, lunchtime clubs, play spaces, the Buddy Bench, buddy classes and a range of other changes and initiatives across the school.
It is very special to have our students present directly to the Board and to see genuine student voice contributing to conversations about their school.
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BYOD: Supporting a Shared Understanding
On Thursday afternoon, Adrian Lee, Associate Principal at Bob Hawke College, presented to our staff about the purpose of a BYOD program and the ways technology can be integrated meaningfully, safely and responsibly into teaching and learning.
Adrian has played a leading role in the development of Bob Hawke College’s BYOD program and works closely with families to build understanding of its purpose. His presentation provided staff with an opportunity to revisit the “why” behind BYOD, consider consistent classroom practices and better understand the digital skills students will require as they progress into secondary school.
We are also very pleased that Adrian and fellow Associate Principal Matt Titmanis will present an information session for SPS parents and carers on Thursday 3 September from 4.00–5.00pm in the school library.
Matt brings extensive experience in technology integration and innovative teaching and learning. Together, Adrian and Matt will explore the purpose of BYOD in a primary school setting, the progression into secondary school and the important role families play in supporting the safe, responsible and ethical use of technology.
This session is not simply about devices. It is an opportunity to build a shared understanding of how technology should be used as one purposeful learning tool among many—not as a replacement for explicit teaching, handwriting, reading, discussion, collaboration, physical activity or hands-on learning.
We are very grateful to Adrian and Matt for generously giving their time to support our staff and parent community. The invitation and RSVP details were sent to families through Compass yesterday. https://compasstix.com/event/560a6abf-2381-4fc9-8470-dcb4720bd990
