Dear Parents and Carers,
It is hard to believe that we have just one week remaining in Term 3.
At Thursday’s assembly, Ms Simons’ Year 3 class presented a wonderful item based on Timeless by award-winning Western Australian author and illustrator Kelly Canby. The story follows Emit, who lives in a world where everyone is busy and tries to catch time, wait for time and even buy more time. Ultimately, he discovers that if we want time for the things that matter, we have to make it.
The students brought the characters and message of the story to life and reminded us just how precious time is. It was also a fitting reflection as we approach the end of another very busy term. Time certainly has flown, and next week’s Open Night will provide a wonderful opportunity to see just how productive and hardworking our students have been.
Open Night – Wednesday 23 September
We are looking forward to welcoming families to our Open Night next Wednesday.
Our Junior and Senior Choirs will open the evening with a performance in the Undercover Area, commencing at 3:30pm. We invite families to gather there and enjoy the performance before the classroom doors open.
Open Night is an opportunity for students to proudly share their classrooms, learning and achievements with their families. Across the school, you will be able to view students’ work, see the learning that has taken place throughout the year and celebrate the progress they have made.
We will also be asking families to tell us what they enjoyed most about the evening and what they would like to see more of at future Open Nights.
We hope you can join us for this important celebration of our students and their learning.
WA Massed Choir Festival
Congratulations to the members of our Senior Choir, who represented Subiaco Primary School at the WA Massed Choir Festival on Wednesday evening. Subiaco Primary School performed in Concert 1 of the seven-concert festival series.
Performing as part of such a large choir is a memorable experience and the culmination of many hours of rehearsal and commitment. Our students represented the school beautifully, and we were incredibly proud of them.
A special congratulations to Adora Lopez, who was selected as one of the featured soloists. Adora’s performance was amazing and a very proud moment for our school community.
Thank you to Mr Frank Cianfagna for his dedication to the choir and for preparing and supporting our students throughout this wonderful experience.
Rupert Street Pocket Park
Following the Year 3 assembly item on Thursday, we welcomed City of Subiaco Chief Executive Officer Colin Cameron as our special guest.
Earlier in the year, students from Mrs Thornett’s Year 3 class contributed artwork to the Rupert Street Pocket Park project. Their designs have been incorporated into tiles and metal panels featured in the new community space.
Mr Cameron presented each participating student with an individual tile memento and a booklet documenting the development of the park. It was lovely to see the students recognised for their contribution to a project that will be enjoyed by the wider Subiaco community for many years to come.
We thank the City of Subiaco for involving our students and providing them with such a meaningful opportunity to contribute to their local community.
Pre-primary Playground
Work on our new Pre-primary playground is scheduled to commence next week.
The design has been carefully revised to ensure the equipment fits comfortably within the available space, protects the large established tree and retains more open space for our youngest students to move and play. The surrounding area will also be levelled and finished with softfall mulch to create a safe and welcoming play environment.
Site establishment, demolition and earthworks are scheduled for Monday, followed by the pouring of concrete footings on Tuesday. Installation of the playground equipment will then begin, with the softfall mulch, final inspections and compliance checks expected to be completed on Wednesday. The area will be securely fenced and access restricted while the work is underway. We thank the P&C for funding this project. It will be a wonderful addition to our Pre-primary environment.
Pre-primary Morning Drop-Off
Thank you to the Pre-primary parents who have spoken with us about the before-school arrangements. We have listened to this feedback and will make several changes from Week 1 of Term 4.
The Pre-primary classroom doors will open at 8:40am. This will allow our Pre-primary students to enter their classroom and settle with their teacher. It will also give families with older children time to walk them to their classrooms, which will continue to open at 8:45am.
Older siblings are welcome to remain in the Pre-primary area when they are accompanied by a parent or carer who is dropping off a younger child. At all other times, students in Years 1–6 must be seated in the Undercover Area until their classroom doors open.
We ask our older students to move calmly and respectfully through the Pre-Primary area and to be mindful of our younger children, toddlers and families. We hope these changes will make the beginning of the day easier and calmer for everyone.
Lockdown Practice
Today, our school conducted a lockdown practice as part of our ongoing commitment to student and staff safety.
While we sincerely hope that we never need to use these procedures in a real situation, it is important that students and staff know what to do and have the opportunity to practise in a calm and predictable way.
Our students listened carefully to their teachers and followed the procedures extremely well. Thank you to all staff and students for the calm and responsible way in which the practice was conducted.
BYOD Review
Following recent discussions with families, work is underway to establish a BYOD Working Party.
The Working Party will provide a structured and constructive way for parent, staff and Board perspectives to be heard as the school reviews its current approach. Its proposed scope includes:
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the educational rationale for device use
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the Year 4 entry point
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affordability and equity
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the level and purpose of device use in classrooms
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possible alternative resourcing models
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broader digital learning considerations, including emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
The membership of the Working Party and its Terms of Reference are currently being finalised. We are also considering how best to provide the school community with a clear picture of meaningful technology use across the different year levels and how this connects with curriculum requirements and students’ learning.
Options for broader community input are also being considered. Further information about the Working Party, its membership and opportunities for families to contribute will be shared once these arrangements have been confirmed.
This work will take time, and it is important that it is undertaken carefully, respectfully and with a shared commitment to achieving the best possible outcomes for our students.
Interschool Athletics Carnival
Next Thursday, our talented athletes will represent Subiaco Primary School at the Interschool Athletics Carnival at the WA Athletics Stadium in Floreat. We wish all our competitors the very best and look forward to seeing them do their best, support one another and represent our school with pride. Good luck, everyone!
Favourite Colour of the Rainbow Free Dress Day
What a colourful way to finish Term 3! Thanks to our Social Justice Group, students are invited to wear their favourite colour of the rainbow for our Free Dress Day on Friday. Please bring a gold coin donation, with all proceeds going to the charity chosen by the Social Justice Group. We can't wait to see the school filled with colour!
End of Term
As this is our final newsletter for Term 3, I would like to thank our students, staff and families for their hard work and support throughout another incredibly busy term.
There is still one important week ahead of us, including our Open Night, and I look forward to finishing the term by celebrating the wonderful learning and achievements of our students.
I wish all our families a safe, relaxing and enjoyable holiday break. I hope you have the opportunity to slow down, spend time with the people who matter, and return refreshed for Term 4.
Warm regards
Heather McNeil
