Term 4

Monday 15^th December – Kanga Cricket

Tuesday 16^th December- 3/4  Pool Party

Wednesday 17^th December – F-2 Pool Party

Wednesday 17^th December – Year 6 Graduation

Thursday 18^th December – 5/6 Pool Party

Thursday 18^th December – Last day of Term 4

Friday 19^th December - Pupil Free Day

Term 1 2026

Monday 12^th to Thursday 15^th January – Vacation Care

Monday 19^th to Thursday 22^nd January – Vacation Care

Tuesday 27^th January – Vacation Care

Wednesday 28^th January – First Day of Term 1 for students

This will be the final newsletter of 2025. Congratulations to all our students on a fantastic year of learning. Learning happens best when students ‘buy in’. Parents, teachers, others can value add, but the greatest learning momentum builds up with a positive attitude and a willingness to persevere, even when it is difficult or considered ‘boring’. I am proud of our students who demonstrate their willingness to keep going and who value learning. Well done!

Thank you to our staff; teachers, support staff and admin, who are dedicated to their profession and who are powerful advocates for the children in their care. The value add from their work is considerable. Thank you also to all the families who contribute to the positive culture of our school community. This really matters – and it makes our school a better place for the children.

I will be taking long service leave for Term One next year. Stacey Hogan will be the acting principal, and I will be able to relax knowing that Stacey is more than capable of managing that role and enhancing it with her unique brand of energy and care.

I wish all of you a refreshing holiday break and a Happy Christmas in whichever way your family celebrates.

School starts again for children on Wednesday 28^th January 2026.

OSHC
School Council is continuing to discuss and investigate using a private provider to run our OSHC service. If you have any questions or feedback regarding the OSHC service, and any potential private provider, you can reach out to any school councillor, Michael, Stacey or Kerryn. OSHC will begin as normal in 2026 (including vacation care in the two weeks leading up to the start of school). Any potential changes would not take place until after that time and will be communicated well in advance.

Reports
End of year reports will be available on Compass early next week. If you require a hard copy, please contact the office.

Michael
Principal

Family Credit
Families who have a credit amount in the family statement apart from the School Savings Bonus were sent an email on Tuesday.  If you could please complete the form and return it to Sandra by Monday.  Any refunds will be processed next week.

As we send out our final newsletter for the year, we’d like to thank our students and families for your support throughout 2025. With Christmas and the holidays just around the corner, we wish everyone a safe and enjoyable break. The office will be closed over the holidays, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back in the new year. Warm wishes from the office team!

Sandra and Kerryn. 

This week’s helpers are  Lucia-Mary Gosling and Henry Lerch

Congratulations to all our award recipients.

WE ARE FAIR
Max Wickham, for taking on feedback to improve your good copies of poems in your anthology.

Nate Millward, for consistently showing fairness through your respectful attitude toward teammates, opponents, and the umpire - and for always uplifting your team with your encouragement.

Nico Shepherd,  for demonstrating the Value of Fairness by bringing an enthusiastic attitude to learning each day and contributing actively to a supportive school climate.

Phia Smith-Deans, for consistently treating everyone with the same respect and care. You listen, include others, and make decisions that are fair even when it it’s hard.

WE ARE LEARNERS
Kleo Schlup Carson, for paying attention to detail during storywriting by using WOW words to make your stories come alive!

Rory McIntyre, for demonstrating the value of learning by working hard to write creative shape poems about stars and Christmas trees that included interesting word choice. Well done, Rory!

Clyde Lucas, for demonstrating the value of learning by working hard to write a creative shape poem about a thunderstorm that included interesting word choice. Well done, Clyde!

Neve Allen, for always taking a creative approach to everything you do in class- your care and attention to detail is admired!

Richie Burston, for creating a fabulous cover design for his published short narrative, Piper.

Grace Pritchard, for demonstrating the value of learning by publishing their whole years’ worth of writing with great effort going into their illustrations and presentation.

Jake Blair, for demonstrating the value of learning by publishing their whole years’ worth of writing with great effort going into their illustrations and presentation.

WE SHOW RESPECT
Kinu Edwardes, for always displaying calm focus and consistently transitioning between lessons in a quiet, respectful manner. You've  been a pleasure to teach!

Sara Davison,  for demonstrating the value of respect by: Embodying our three core values each session. Your encouragement and support for your teammates stand out as exceptional qualities.

Ted Attwood, for showing genuine respect to everyone while bringing a sense of fun that lifts the whole room.

Florian Whitley,  for demonstrating the Value of Respect by being an inclusive and helpful member of 5/6E, and for setting high personal standards as a valued member of our learning.

Wrap Up from Stace
As we wrap up another wonderful year at Yackandandah Primary School, I want to take a moment to celebrate just how far our students have come. They’ve once again demonstrated our school values beautifully — We Are Learners, We Show Respect, and We Are Fair — even on the days when their brains were as full as their lunchboxes. Whether tackling tricky tasks, navigating friendships, or remembering where their hat was left (a lifelong skill), our students have shown resilience, kindness, and a whole lot to be proud of.

As Leading Teacher of YPS, it has been a joy watching them grow not only as learners, but as thoughtful humans who cheer each other on and give things a go, even when it feels challenging. Their hard work, curiosity, and gentle moments of “Ohhh… NOW I get it!” remind me why this school community is such a special one.

I’d like to wish all our families a joyful, restful and festive break. I look forward to welcoming you back to school in the new year, ready to continue on with all the good stuff that makes Yack so great!

Stace

As we near the end of the year, we'd love to see all school library books returned by Thursday 18^th December please.

Please assist your child/ren this weekend to chase down any books that might be lurking under beds or misplaced around the house.

They can be returned any day next week and given to the classroom teacher, or dropped off at the front office.

Many thanks!

Here are some bright Christmas lights created using dry pastels by students in Year 3/4 and Year 5/6.

Well, that’s a wrap for Artwork of the Week! Mandy and I have loved the wild colours, vivid imagination and high level of creativity on display at YPS throughout the year! We’re already gathering ideas and collecting large cardboard boxes for the Folk Festival Opening Parade in 2026!!

Caz & Mandy

The final Hot Lunch for this year was a BBQ sizzle. 

Thanks to all the students and parents who helped out with Hot Lunch this year, your efforts are so much appreciated!

KANGA CRICKET
On Monday, 15 December, students in Years 3–6 are invited to participate in Kanga Cricket at the Sports Park from 9:00 am to approximately 1:45 pm. Students should arrive at school as usual, have the class roll marked, and then walk with their teacher and class to the Sports Park.

Students arriving late must sign in at the Front Office before heading to the Sports Park.

There will be 16 teams, with eight games running simultaneously on the oval. Teachers will supervise the event and keep score. The winning teams from Divisions A and B will then compete head-to-head in the Grand Final, while the remaining teams cheer from the sidelines.

Students are encouraged to bring their school backpacks containing a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen, plenty of water, lunch, and snacks.

There is no cost for this event.

POOL PARTIES
See below the dates for all pool parties

Grades 3/4, Tuesday 16^th December, 12:00 to 2:00pm

Grades F/1/2, Wednesday 17^th December, 12:00 – 2:00pm

Grades 5/6, Thursday 18^th December, 12:00 – 2:00pm

We have exciting news- We are running our OSHC program over the January holidays.

Week 1- 12^th – 15^th January

Week 2- 19^th – 22^nd January

Pupil Free Day- 27^th January

If your child is starting school in 2026, they are able to attend our vacation care program – the link to our enrolment form is below. We need to have the completed enrolment form before we can make bookings.

https://prodadmin.myxplor.com/enrollment_v2/centre/WWJsbWTyMn1RnUchHWzhZw

13^th December     Sierra

14^th December     Alfie

20^th December     Yuki

22^nd December    Will

23^rd December     Tom

25^th December     Felix

26^th December     Stella

30^th December     Sunday

2^nd  January           Edward

4^th  January            Halle

4^th  January            Eliza

6^th  January            Oscar

8^th  January            Bernie

8^th January             Grace

13^th January          Elle

19^th January          Penelope

19^th January          Jedd

22^nd January          Frankie

24^th January          Audrey

25^th January          Heidi

28^th January          George