What a term at Chelsea Primary School!

What an incredible term it has been at Chelsea Primary School! As we wrap up the first term of 2025, I'm excited to share some highlights and upcoming events with you. Our dedicated staff have worked tirelessly to ensure a smooth transition for every student into their new class environment. We've fostered strong connections between students, teachers, and classmates, creating a safe and supportive atmosphere for learning.

As always, our team at CPS is committed to delivering an evidence-based curriculum that promotes academic excellence and student well-being. Our consistent approach ensures a safe classroom environment where every child feels secure and empowered to thrive in their learning journey.

Here are some notable moments from this term:

RIDE2SCHOOL DAY

On April 21^st we celebrated our Ride2School Day. It was heartwarming to see so many students and families actively commuting to school. A special highlight was our fantastic new bike shed, which was buzzing with energy as students arrived on their bikes. It’s great to see the shed being put to good use, with more and more students choosing to ride to school. A big thank you to Mrs. Smith/Mr Munday, teachers, and ES staff for their support in making this event a success.

CROSS COUNTRY TRIALS

Our students participated in the Cross Country Trials today, showing tremendous effort and sportsmanship. It was inspiring to see so many students take part and push themselves to do their best. Congratulations to all who participated! We’re looking forward to seeing how our talented runners perform in the upcoming district event on Friday, May 9^th.

SWIMMING PROGRAM

The swimming program at Toby Haenen Swim Centre in Chelsea Heights was a huge success. A big thank you to Miss McDonald for her outstanding work in organising this program. Thanks also to the many parent helpers who offered assistance. I know all the students had a wonderful experience, though there were a few tired faces at the end of the program!

SWIMMING INTERSCHOOL SPORTS

Congratulations to our students who represented Chelsea Primary at the Swimming Interschool Sports. They competed with great enthusiasm and teamwork, and we couldn’t be prouder of their efforts. A huge thank you to the teachers, staff, and parent helpers who supported our swimmers during these events.

WHOLE SCHOOL PHOTO DAY

This year’s individual, class, and family photos were taken a few weeks ago. It was fantastic to see all the students in uniform! We had over fifty family portraits this year, keeping our photographers on their toes all day. We will notify families when the photo packs arrive at school.

NAPLAN

Congratulations to our Year 3 and 5 students who participated in the NAPLAN assessment of Reading, Writing, Conventions of Language, and Numeracy over the last two weeks. We are very proud of their dedication and diligence. A special thanks to Tanya Whiteside and David Hewet for their organisation and coordination. Results will be forwarded to parents later in the year.

2025 PREP - FOUNDATION ENROLMENT

I invite all current families with a child ready to start Foundation in 2025 to collect an enrolment pack from the office or complete the enrolment form on our website: 2025 Enrolment Form.

Enrolments for 2025 will be accepted starting Term 2, 15th April. To be eligible for Foundation enrolment in a State Primary School, a child must be 5 on or before the 30th of April.

Tours for prospective families within our Designated Neighbourhood Zone will continue next term. You can book a tour on our website: School Tour.

HARMONY DAY

Last Friday, we celebrated inclusion, respect, and a sense of belonging for Harmony Day. Students enjoyed sharing their family’s cultural links and foods. The afternoon parade was a colourful community event with splashes of orange and traditional clothing to acknowledge the significance of this event.

As we approach the Term 1 holidays, I would like to wish all of our families a safe and enjoyable break. Take this time to relax and recharge, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back for another exciting term in April.

Warm regards,

Taylor

School Safety Message Road Crossings, Bikes & Scooters

Safety is our top priority, and we ask for your support in ensuring all students follow these important guidelines, especially our new prep students who are learning these safety rules.

Parents and guardians, please remind children to be extra cautious when near roads.

• Always use the designated school crossing and wait for the signal from the crossing supervisor.
• Look both ways before stepping onto the road.
• Never run when crossing the road.

Scooter & Bike Safety in the School Yard

To prevent accidents, scooters and bikes must not be ridden inside the school grounds. Students should dismount and walk their scooters and bikes once they reach the school gates. Please store scooters and bikes safely in the designated area during school hours. The new bike shed will be open hopefully within the next few weeks.

By following these simple rules, we can keep everyone safe. Thank you for your cooperation and for helping us create a safe environment for all students.

NEWSLETTER - FOUNDATION

The last couple of weeks have been full of exciting learning experiences for our Foundation students!

In Phonics, we have been working through single consonant letters and their corresponding sounds to help us decode, blend, and read words. We have also been practising our letter formation and learning to sound out consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words to spell.

In English, our major focus has been on understanding sentences—what they are, what they include, and how to write them correctly. Our preppies are learning to use finger spaces between words, start sentences with capital letters and end them with full stops, and write neatly on the line. We have also been enjoying some wonderful mentor texts, including ‘Jetty Jumping’, ‘The Grouchy Ladybug’, and ‘The Snail and the Whale’. These stories have helped us learn new vocabulary and make connections with the characters and their experiences.

In Maths, we have been developing our number sense through explicit lessons on counting to 20, using tens frames, and exploring number bonds to understand addition. We have also been learning about subtraction and using number lines to better understand number order. Daily reviews of these concepts are helping our preppies build confidence in their skills and develop a love for Maths!

In Integrated, we have been diving into the wonderful world of Nursery Rhymes, reciting rhymes such as ‘Hickory, Dickory, Dock’, ‘Humpty Dumpty’, and ‘Little Boy Blue’. These classic rhymes have sparked wonderful discussions and learning opportunities. We have also been exploring fables like ‘The Lion and the Mouse’, ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’, and ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’, which have linked beautifully to our Wellbeing curriculum, as well as our mentor texts in English. The children have been captivated by these timeless stories and the important life lessons they teach.

We’ve been working on establishing key classroom routines, with a particular focus on our morning routine. The students have been practicing arriving on time, lining up with their classmates, entering the building quietly, putting away their belongings, and taking out their water bottles before settling on the floor for roll call. These routines help our preppies start the day with confidence, allowing them to settle in quickly and thrive in the classroom environment. A big thank you to our families for their ongoing support of this essential routine!

A major highlight over the past two weeks has been the P-2 swimming program at Toby Haenen Swim School in Chelsea Heights. The preps have absolutely loved hopping on the bus each day and learning new skills in the pool. It has been fantastic to see their confidence grow in the water! A heartfelt thank you to all the parents who generously volunteered their time to ensure our students had a positive experience!

We are so proud of all the learning and achievements happening in Foundation so far. We can’t wait for more fun and exciting experiences ahead as we draw closer to the end of their very first term at school!

From the Foundation Team,

Marie, Sam, and Pammy

Junior Years Newsletter

The Junior Years have had a fantastic start to 2025! It’s been an exciting and action-packed first term, with the students engaging in a variety of activities and learning experiences.

Both Year 1 and Year 2 students recently participated in the two-week intensive swimming program at Toby Haenen. The students did an outstanding job, showing great confidence in the water and improvement in their swimming skills. It was wonderful to see their progress over the course of the program.

On Friday, March 21st, we celebrated Ride 2 School Day, an initiative designed to encourage students to walk, ride, or scoot to school, promoting physical activity and healthy habits. It was fantastic to see such many students participating, arriving at school with smiles on their faces and enjoying a healthy breakfast together.

In English, the Year 1 students have been working hard on planning and writing their own creative narratives using their imaginative characters. Year 2 students have been busy writing information reports on fascinating topics, including orcas and elephants.

In addition to this, the Year 2 students have begun exploring Ancient Greece as part of their Core Knowledge unit. Meanwhile, students across both year levels have been focusing on addition and subtraction strategies in Maths.

We’ve continued to emphasise the importance of good learning behaviours, with students across the school consistently demonstrating positive choices and dedication to their learning.

Looking ahead, we have two exciting events coming up: the Easter Bonnet Parade and Harmony Day celebrations. Looking forward to celebrating both these exciting days!

Wow, what a wonderful Term 1 we have had in the Middle Years!

This term has been jam-packed with so many events for the students to enjoy, such as Open Roads, Ned’s Resilience Ride, Easter bonnet decorating, Ride-2-School Day and Harmony Day. We also have the Easter Bonnet Parade and Cross Country to look forward to!

A massive congratulations to the Year 3s for completing NAPLAN! We are so proud of each and every one of them, and are ecstatic about their amazing efforts and resilience during this time. The Year 4s have also been showcasing their resilience and responsibility through presenting their Me Box homework and creating positive affirmation posters in class.

Within the classroom, the Year 3s have continued to enjoy their Mentor Text Matilda, and the Year 4s are so excited to see how Kensuke’s Kingdom ends! Both years have also been learning about persuasive writing. The Year 4s may now surprise you with a couple of facts about deforestation, their focus topic for these pieces.

The Year 3s and 4s have both been practising their addition and subtraction strategies! The Year 3s have been learning more about time and the Year 4s have been learning about data and maps.

We’re very proud of the amazing effort of all students so far this year. We can’t wait to see what Term 2 has in store for us!

What an awesome first term we have had!! We are so proud of all the senior students for consistently displaying the Chelsea Primary School Values to a high standard throughout the term. Your dedication and commitment to these have not gone unnoticed, and it’s wonderful to see the positive impact these values have on our school community.

Literacy:

Our students have been diving into some fascinating core knowledge topics this term! Our Grade 5 students have been exploring the Renaissance, uncovering the incredible achievements in art, science, and culture that shaped the modern world. Meanwhile, our Grade 6 students have been investigating the Industrial Revolution, learning how major innovations transformed industries, cities, and daily life.

Each week, students have eagerly participated in our BTN comprehension sessions, where they engage with current events in a safe and informative way. These sessions help build critical thinking and comprehension skills while keeping students informed about the world around them.

We also continue to focus on essential writing skills with weekly explicit handwriting sessions to improve legibility and fluency. Additionally, touch typing practice is helping students develop more efficient and accurate typing skills—an essential skill in today’s digital world.

We are so proud of our students’ engagement and enthusiasm for literacy! Keep up the fantastic work!

Numeracy:

This term, both the Grade 5 and 6 classes have been focused on refining their math lesson structures. Lessons have been structured to include Mental Maths exercises, times table chants, concept reviews, and prime work.

Grade 5 students have been working diligently on reviewing fundamental mathematical concepts in preparation for NAPLAN, ensuring they have a strong grasp of essential skills. Meanwhile, Grade 6 students have concentrated on number-based concepts, deepening their understanding and application of key mathematical principles. Both grades have shown great dedication and progress throughout the term.

NAPLAN:

As most of you would be aware, the Year 5 students participated in NAPLAN in weeks 7 and 8 of term 1. A massive shout out to Mr Hewett and Ms Whiteside for organizing this and running some preparation sessions to ensure students felt comfortable and reassured going into the tests. An even bigger shout out to the Year 5 students themselves for displaying nothing but resilience, hard work and determination. An absolute credit to every student. Miss A and Miss Ebbott are so proud of you all. Well done.

Inter-School Sports:

Our weekly sport mornings have been fantastic, providing students with the opportunity to develop teamwork and communication skills. It has been great to see students not only working with their peers from the senior school cohort but also interacting with students from surrounding areas. The Lightning Premiership was a highlight of the senior calendar this term, and it was fantastic to see all students displaying positive sportsmanship. This event truly showcased the spirit of our students as they competed with enthusiasm and respect. As we move into Term 2, students will have the opportunity to choose from four winter sports. These include AFL, Soccer, Netball, and Tee ball. We look forward to seeing our students continue to develop their skills and enjoy these sporting activities.

Looking forward to term 2:

We have many fun and exciting things planned for term 2. Below is a snapshot of some dates. A Term 2 calendar will be released first week of the term.

• Tuesday 22^nd April – First day of term 2
• Friday 25^th April – ANZAC day public holiday
• Friday 9^th May – District X Country
• Monday 26^th May – Curriculum Day
• Wednesday 28^th to 30^th May – Senior Camp at Campaspe Downs
• Friday 13^th June – Winter Lightening Premiership

Thankyou:

As we wrap up our first term of 2025, we look forward to building on these successes and continuing to support our students' growth and learning. Thank you to all the parents and guardians for your ongoing support. Have a wonderful break and we look forward to seeing everyone in Term 2!

Team Senior,

Mr Munday, Miss Ebbott and Miss A

Students have made a wonderful start to STEM this year. Their curiosity and enthusiasm have been inspiring to see.

Preps

The Preps started their first term of STEM with a design challenge, where they built the tallest free-standing tower possible. During our Biology unit students developed their science inquiry skills by observing and identifying living and non-living things. Students explored what living things need to live and grow, investigating cut flowers and the lifecycle of sunflowers.

Students identified living and nonliving things in the school. They drew and made a playdough model of their dream class pet. The preps explored Australia’s unique animals and investigated how animals grow and change. Students finished the term comparing the features of living things and practiced grouping animals by designing their own Zoo map. 

  

Grade 4’s

Students started the term continuing to develop their evolving coding skills. They identified algorithms, sequences and repetition in real life and applied this knowledge to coding.

Grade Four students also investigated living things during our Biology unit. Students explored characteristics of animals and how they are grouped according to their observable features. They completed scientific drawings of vertebrates and invertebrates and explored life cycles. Students also investigated how living things depend on each other and the environment to survive as they researched food chains and the energy period.

Grade 5 and 6’s

Grade Five and Six students also started the term coding by using nesting and conditional repeat loops as they created algorithms. During our Biology unit students explored adaptions of living things. Students investigated how human adaptations impact on daily life by completing an opposable thumb experiment. Students explored structural and behavioural adaptations of Australian animals and plants and how these adaptions help them to source energy, protect themselves and reproduce.

John Monash Science School:

We were excited to be invited back to the 'Little Scientists, Big Science' program run by John Monash Science School (JMSS). Twelve students from CPS attend sessions where they work through experiments and content ranging from biology, chemistry and physics. Students are having so much fun extending their science learning and soaking up the inspiring environment at John Monash.

iSea iCare:

Our iSea iCare ambassadors had a wonderful day at their first iSea iCare workshop this term, where they presented their learning to a foundation class from St Joseph’s School. Our ambassadors were inspired to run workshops with the preps next term and have lots of exciting plans for the year ahead. Well done iSea iCare team, your enthusiasm and commitment are so impressive to see.

Looking for a fun way to improve your strength?

A new strength fitness program is coming to Chelsea Primary.
UPLIFT is a full-body workout using simple equipment and set to iconic music. 

Instructor Katie Schneider will be holding classes in the gym on Saturdays 9am - 10am. $15 for a regular class.

If you'd like to know more, contact Katie on 0407 983 078.

Did you know that Glen Education, are the leading provider of kindergarten programs in Kingston,  dedicated to delivering excellence in early learning?

At Glen Education, we celebrate the uniqueness of each child in the context of their community.  Glen Education is built on strong values of Respect, Authenticity, Integrity, Community, Celebration, and Excellence, ensuring every child’s learning journey is meaningful and supportive.

Conveniently located across the road, Glen Chelsea Kindergarten offers a nurturing environment that fosters growth, creativity, and confidence. If you’re looking for a place where your child can lay the foundations for a successful and thriving life, we invite you to get in touch with us and discover the Glen Education difference.

Visit:  gleneducation.org.au or email us at info@gleneducation.org.au