It’s hard to believe we are already halfway through Term 2 – a term full of rich learning, strong community connection, and exciting opportunities for our students.

Mothers' Day Afternoon – A Heartwarming Celebration

Earlier this month, we were thrilled to welcome so many of our mothers, carers, and special guests into classrooms for our Mothers’ Day afternoon. The energy throughout the school was electric, and it was great to see the smiles, laughter, and shared moments between children and their loved ones. Thank you to all who attended and made it such a great afternoon.

Swimming Program – Building Confidence in and around Water

Our Prep to Year 4 students recently completed their two-week intensive swimming program. The program focused on building water confidence, developing key swimming skills, and learning about water safety. We saw enormous growth in the students’ confidence levels – well done to all involved!

Year 5/6 Camp

Our Year 5/6 students returned from a great camp experience, filled with adventure, teamwork, and personal growth. There was chatter that this was a winner in camp activities and experiences for our students. Students embraced every moment, stepping outside their comfort zones and building stronger connections with their peers. We thank our dedicated staff for making this experience possible and supporting the students throughout the week.

Respectful Partnerships – Families and School Working Together

One of the cornerstones of Chelsea Primary is our commitment to maintaining respectful and positive relationships with all families. We deeply value open communication, kindness, and collaboration. Whether it’s a conversation at the gate, an email, or a classroom catch-up, every interaction matters. Thank you for your continued partnership in creating a safe, welcoming, and inclusive school environment.

Inclusive Education – Supporting All Learners

All Victorian government schools are inclusive by principle, and at Chelsea Primary, we are committed to ensuring every child feels welcomed, supported, and able to thrive. As part of the Department of Education’s Disability Inclusion initiative, we are strengthening the way we plan and support students with diverse learning needs.

This includes additional resources, professional learning for staff, and a dedicated Inclusion Team working closely with teachers, families, and allied health professionals. Together, we aim to remove barriers to learning and create an environment where every student can succeed—academically, socially, and emotionally.

Learn more about the Disability Inclusion Reform here:

https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/disability-inclusion-profile/policy

2026 Enrolments – Planning Ahead

Chelsea Primary is currently at full capacity. As we begin planning for 2026, we ask that any current families with a child starting Foundation (Prep) next year submit their enrolment application as early as possible. Early enrolment helps us with workforce planning, classroom structures, and ensuring we can continue to provide the very best for all of our students.

Leading the Way – Chelsea as a Model School

This term, we have proudly hosted six visiting schools from across Victoria who came to observe our implementation of Explicit Teaching aligned with the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0). These visits have showcased the exceptional work of our staff and the clarity, consistency, and care that define our teaching approach.

Learn more about the VTLM 2.0 here: Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0: Policy | VIC.GOV.AU | Policy and Advisory Library

La Trobe Momentum Project & the SOLAR Lab – Sharing Our Practice

Next week, Chelsea Primary will welcome three visiting schools participating in the La Trobe Momentum Project. This initiative brings together schools committed to evidence-based practice and continuous improvement. We are excited to share our journey and collaborate with other leaders to build system-wide impact across Victoria.

As part of this partnership, schools are also engaging with La Trobe University's Science of Language and Reading (SOLAR) Lab, which supports educators in adopting evidence-based approaches to literacy instruction. You can learn more about their work here:

Home - The Science of Language and Reading Lab

As always, thank you for your continued support and trust. Chelsea Primary School is a special place because of the strength of its community – students, staff, and families alike.

Warm regards,

Taylor Irish

Principal

Chelsea Primary School

Enrolments are now open!

We urge all parents who wish to enrol their child/children at Chelsea Primary School for 2026 to enrol by Friday 25th July.

Enrolment forms can be found on our website or can be collected from the office. Please provide birth certificate and copy of current immunisation statement, along with proof of address documents when submitting forms.

We would appreciate if existing families could advise us of siblings enrolling  as soon as possible to assit with our planning.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office staff.

ART ROOM NEWS

Prep

Prep students have been exploring the work of Indigenous artist Bronwyn Bancroft. Using her bright colours and use of lines and shape for inspiration, students have created bright and colourful landscapes using watercolour and paint markers.

Year One

Year One students have been looking at different Indigenous artworks by Jimmy Pike. Inspired by his bright, bold use of colour, all students have created their own beautiful wildflower art using watercolour.

Year Two

Year Two students have been looking at Indigenous leaf artwork by Gloria and Rosemary Petyarre and their use of texture and space. Students painted gorgeous papers, which were then used to create a fabulous leaf collage, showing consideration of positive and negative space.

Grade Three

To link with their classroom learning, the Grade 3 students have been exploring the art skill of collage to create Viking ships in the ocean. They painted textured paper using different colours and materials, then painted their backgrounds and created their ships with collaged sails. Finally, they ripped their textured paper to build their ocean scenes. The finished artworks look fantastic and are now on display outside the staffroom, make sure you check them out!

Grade Four

Grade 4 students are currently working in small groups to construct their own ‘community’. Linking to their classroom learning, they brainstormed many different aspects of their local community before choosing one to create. They are enjoying painting, sticking and using a range of different materials as they work together to build detailed box constructions. Once complete, we hope to share them with you all, so watch this space!

Grade Five

Grade 5 students are currently exploring the art skill of collage, using the elements of colour, line, shape, value, texture, and space to create vibrant collages of African animals. The students are enjoying being creative and finding the right coloured or textured paper for each aspect of their collage. And in some cases, even painting their own paper to suit their design. Their work is still in progress, but the pieces are already looking fantastic!

Grade Six

Grade 6 students are working on painting their own versions of The Great Wave of Kanagawa by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. They’ve been focusing on using different values of colour, adding depth, and building detailed backgrounds to bring their waves to life. They’ve also been learning about how different sizes and shapes of paintbrushes can affect their painting styles. The students are really enjoying the process, and there’s still a little way to go before they finish. I can’t wait to see what they end up creating!

Dear Foundation Families,

We’ve had a wonderful few weeks in Foundation, filled with learning, laughter, and growth! 

English
In English, students have been making fantastic progress in phonics, where we’ve been learning all about digraphs—two letters that make one sound—such as sh, ch, and th. During writing sessions, we’ve been developing sentence writing skills, focusing on including the who, what, and where to make our writing more descriptive and complete. It’s been wonderful to see so many students excited to share their writing with the class!

Maths
In Maths, we’ve been strengthening our addition and subtraction skills by using number lines to help us solve problems. Students have shown great enthusiasm during these lessons. We are now beginning to explore place value, which will help build a solid foundation for future number concepts.

Integrated Studies
Our integrated topic this term has been all about families and what makes each one special and unique. Students have shared stories and made beautiful connections with their classmates. We are now shifting our focus to learning about the history of our beautiful country, Australia.

Developmental Play
Developmental play continues to be a highlight of our week! Whether it’s building magnetic masterpieces, role-playing in the home corner, or exploring creative materials, the students are showing teamwork, imagination, and joy in their play.

Reminders & Upcoming Events

• Readers: Readers are changed every Monday by your child's classroom teacher. Please ensuring you are reading most days with your child. 
• Talent Show – Foundation students are welcome to audition for the talent show, which will take place on the last day of term. We can’t wait to see their talents shine!

What a busy and exciting term it has been as we head into the assessment period! Our Year 1 and 2 students have shown incredible resilience and perseverance throughout their learning, which has been wonderful to see.

One of the highlights this term was celebrating Mother’s Day. It was so special to welcome our students’ mothers and other important people into the classrooms. The children loved sharing their learning spaces and moments with those who mean so much to them.

We also marked Education Support Day, a chance to recognise the invaluable contributions of our classroom aides and admin staff. Their support makes a real difference to our students’ learning and wellbeing, and to the running of the school.  It was delightful to celebrate their dedication.

In Year 1, students have been fully engaged in exploring Ancient Egypt as part of their English program. This fascinating topic has helped build their content knowledge and expand their vocabulary. Meanwhile, Year 2 students have been learning about Uluru, focusing on its cultural significance. They have been developing persuasive arguments about why this special place should be protected, deepening their understanding and communication skills.

In Mathematics, both year levels have been focusing on addition and subtraction. Year 1 students are mastering addition with regrouping strategies, while Year 2 students have progressed to subtraction with regrouping. Building fluency in these skills lays the foundation for tackling more complex problems later in the year.

Overall, it has been a fantastic term full of growth and achievement. We are so proud of our Junior School students for their hard work and enthusiasm!

— The Year 1 and 2 Teaching Team

Grade 3 and 4 Term Highlights 

It has been a busy and exciting term for our Grade 3 and 4 students! 

The Grade Threes have been thoroughly engaged in learning about Vikings, exploring how they lived, traveled, and their role in history. From longships to Viking gods, students have enjoyed discovering the fascinating world of these fierce explorers. 

Meanwhile, the Grade Fours have been diving into the topic of community. They’ve been learning about the importance of teamwork, local roles, and how we all work together to make our neighbourhoods strong. Next, they will also start exploring the First Fleet, beginning to understand what life was like for the early settlers and convicts who arrived in Australia. 

A shared highlight for both year levels has been using laptops to complete the 100 Word Challenge. This creative writing task has sparked some amazing writing pieces and helped students practice their writing skills in a fun way. 

Students also enjoyed swimming lessons, building confidence, and having fun in the pool. We all enjoyed a wonderful Mother’s Day celebration, where families were invited to an afternoon of creativity, with both year levels proudly showcasing their artistic skills. 

We are so proud of all the learning and effort shown this term! 

May started off with a bang in the Senior School, with senior students finding themselves on television courtesy of our weekly Behind The News (BTN) commitment. From there, we were set for a BIG month! 

In the classroom, the Year 5s and 6s have deepened their learning of their English Units (Year 5: War Horse, Year 6: Connections to Asia) by making strong connections to their texts and applying them in their creative and informative writing. Year 6 have also just started a debating unit to further develop their speaking and presentation abilities and confidence.  

In Maths, the fractions and percentage units undertaken will prepare the students to explore probability prior to term assessments across all the strands of maths learned in the year so far. Many tour groups from other schools (locally and from overseas) have visited the Senior classrooms this month during Maths to observe and learn from our school, and the students have awesomely demonstrated their learning every time!  

For Humanities, the Year 5s will showcase their Geography Travel Expo on 25th June 2:45-3:45pm in the Year 5s classrooms, and the Year 6s will present their Asian Cultural Exchange home projects in class during the week following the 17th June due date.  

The month of May also provided many opportunities for beautiful connections and relationships to be displayed or developed. Making fruit salad sticks and sharing cards at the Mother’s Day and Special Friends afternoon in the classrooms was very special. As was the heartwarming opportunity for the Year 6s to have intergenerational interactions with the local Aged Care residents in Lifeview Argyle Court. The Year 5s will visit later in June.  

Representing your school is always a special memory for a child, and the Year 5 and 6 students had many opportunities in May, including: Kingston Junior Mayor (4 x school captains), Interschool Sport (ISS) Winter commencing, District Cross Country, and Divisional Cross-Country Representation. Well to all those who participated and beat personal bests!  

The month has finished off in the biggest and best way possible – with the Senior School Camp! Held at the beautiful PGL Campaspe Downs near Kyneton on 28-30th May, it has been an action-packed three days of showcasing our resilience, drawing on all five senses, and having as much fun as possible! Rock-climbing, giant swinging, canoeing, flying foxes and leaps of faith were all part of the program, and we ate like kings and queens to keep us going. New relationships were created and a deeper sense of self developed across the cohort. Thanks to Miss A for organising and coordinating such an awesome camp. We’ll be back in 2027 for sure! 

See the Chelsea Primary School Event Calendar on the school website (https://www.chelseaps.vic.edu.au/all_events) or the Senior School Term 2 Calendar on Dojo, for all upcoming Year 5 and Year 6 events for the month of June.  

Here for you,  

Miss A, Ms Ebbott, Mrs Savoury and Mr Munday.  

Fundraising with the Entertainment membership

Go somewhere warm this Winter! 

Support Chelsea Primary School by becoming an Entertainment Member today and start saving on day-to-day essentials, new experiences and enjoy exclusive deals when you book your next holiday adventure! 

The best part is that 20% of your membership goes to Chelsea Primary School to support the vital work we do! 

Get your membership here:
https://subscribe.entertainment.com.au/fundraiser/1821w69

P.S. Starting Monday until June 30, your supporters will receive a Multi-City upgrade AND a bonus $30 Gift card ?

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.