Term 3

Wednesday 19^th August – Pyjama Day

Friday 21^st August – Down Hill Skiing

Monday 24^th August – District Athletics, Albury

Wednesday 26^th August – District Athletics (Back Up Day)

Wednesday 26^th August – BSC half day transition

Thursday 27^th August – 5/6 excursion BSC production dress rehearsal

Monday 31^st August to Friday 4^th September - Week 1 Swimming Program

Monday 7^th to Friday 11^th September -  Week 2 Swimming Program

Wednesday 9^th September to Friday 11^th September – 3/4 camp Urban Camp

Thursday 17^th September – Division Athletics  

Friday 18^th September- Book Character Day

Friday 18^th September – Last Day of Term 3: 2:30pm finish

Term 4

Wednesday 14^th October – 2027 Foundation 1^st Transition Day

Friday 16^th October - Hume Regional Athletics

Tuesday 20^th October – Pupil Free Day (Staff Professional Development

Wednesday 28^th October - 2027 Foundation 2^nd Transition Day

Wednesday 28^th October – BSC half day transition

Wednesday 28^th October – Hot Shots

Monday 2^nd November – Pupil Free Day (Curriculum Development)

Tuesday 3^rd November– Melbourne Cup

Monday 9^th November – Cultural Performance

Wednesday 11^th November - 2027 Foundation 3^rd Transition Day

Wednesday 25^th November - 2027 Foundation 4^th  Transition Day

Wednesday 2^nd December – BSC information night 6-7pm

Monday 7^th – 9^th December – BSC 3 full-day transition

Tuesday 8^th December – Statewide Transition

Wednesday 16^th December – Year 6 Graduation

Friday 18^th December – Pupil Free Day (2027 Preparation)

Congratulations to all the students who participated in the House Athletics sports at Les Obrien Field yesterday. It was great to see that there was genuine support for everyone participating. Huge thanks to parents and secondary school students who gave their time to help make the day a success. And, of course, thanks Robyn for the extra hours of work, worry and organisation in pulling it all together.

There is the possibility of another planned stop workday next Wednesday 19^th August. This will depend on the outcome of an Australian Education Union member vote. We will know the outcome on Monday. If the stop work is going ahead, we will contact you on Monday afternoon with details.

Michael Edwards

Principal

Year 3/4 Camp

A gentle reminder that the Year 3/4 camp payment needs to be made before the camp unless other arrangements have been made with Sandra.

School Swimming Program

The School swimming program will be running from Monday 31^st August to Friday 11^th September.    Further information will be sent home next week.  The cost of the swimming program is included in the school contributions.  If you haven’t paid the contributions but would like to pay the swimming portion the amount is $55.  If you have paid the contributions in full there is no need to make a separate payment for the swimming.

Voluntary Family Contributions

Thank you to all the families who have paid the contributions for this year.  Yackandandah Primary School rely on these financial contributions to assist us with the purchasing of art, music and physical education equipment and resources which in turn, supports us in offering specialist French, Music and Art classes and allows us to enhance the learner experience.  These contributions also enable us to enhance the learner experience.

The contributions can either be paid via Compass or directly into the school bank account.

Below is a summary of the suggested voluntary contributions per child.  When paying into the school bank account please ensure you put your name and contributions in the reference.

This week:  Jake Blair and Zack Dickeson

Next week:   Hugo Dickeson and Zack Dickeson

Congratulations to all our award recipients.

WE ARE FAIR

Jimmy Ralph -  being very helpful with taking the recording sheets to the office so the athletics results could be tallied.

Frankie Shegog-Dunn - getting on with classroom activities and  working independently but also asking for help when you're stuck 

WE ARE LEARNERS

Dusty May - for being attentive during Maths and improving his understanding of fractions.

Amelia McNicol - for being engaged and making positive contributions during class, especially during Sounds Write.

Olivia Fewster - for observing the world around her and showing a genuine interest and passion for being part of the solution. 

Hazel Perry - by planning, writing and publishing a Bob Graham like story. You used wonderful language and gloomy to bright illustrations. 

Sunny Davison - by planning, writing and publishing a Bob Graham like story. You used wonderful language and gloomy to bright illustrations.

WE SHOW RESPECT

Macklan James-Hillier - for being kind and thoughtful, always having a go, and bringing a cheerful attitude to the school Athletics Carnival. Well done, Macklan!

Leo Collimore - for participating with enthusiasm in our Athletics Carnival, giving your best effort for every event with a smile on your face!

Mia McNeil - for doing your very best in every event at our Athletics Carnival and cheering on your friends for doing the same. You were a role model for both participation and behaviour!

Celebrating Success in the Victorian Parliament Prize

Congratulations to Esmeralda Haslett and Tom Murphy on their outstanding achievements in the 2026 Victorian Parliament Prize competition.

The Parliament Prize is an annual competition that invites Victorian students to consider what they would say in Parliament if they were a Member of Parliament and submit a 90-second video presenting their own Member Statement.

This year, many students from our Senior Learning Community embraced the challenge and entered the competition, demonstrating thoughtful ideas, strong communication skills and an interest in issues that matter to them and their communities. We are incredibly proud of all students who participated and represented our school so positively.

With 1,180 entries from more than 180 schools across Victoria, the competition was highly competitive. We are especially delighted to celebrate the achievements of two of our students:

• Esmeralda Haslett was awarded a Finalist Certificate, placing her among the top 12 students in the Grades 5 and 6 category.
• Tom Murphy received a Highly Commended Certificate, placing him within the top 6% of entries in the Grades 5 and 6 category.

These are remarkable accomplishments, and we congratulate Esmeralda and Tom on their success. Please take a moment to  read their competition entries below.

Well done, Esmeralda and Tom, and congratulations to all of our senior students who participated in this year's Parliament Prize!

2026 Parliament Prize Entry by Tom Murphy (Highly Commended)

Can you believe that the average Australian adult breathes in approximately 3,000 airborne plastic particles, and ingest tens of thousands of microplastics each year? What are microplastics you may be wondering. Microplastics are tiny bits of plastic that are less than 5 millimetres in length and get in our bodies through plastic getting into tap water, bottled water and can also leech from plastic food packaging and plastic tea bags. Sounds terrible, right. The truth is, we are eating and breathing plastic every day and most of us don’t even realise it. That’s why I’m here to say that the Victorian State Government needs to increase awareness around the amount of plastic that goes in food and drink packaging.

Just like the Government made campaigns on the negative health impacts of gambling, smoking, and drink driving, we need one about how people can reduce microplastics in their life. For example, we need to let people know that they can ditch plastic cookware, avoid bottled water, eat whole unprocessed foods and so much more. This is just the beginning. 

Don’t we want a healthier future? This is a problem that needs to be dealt with, because it doesn’t just affect me, it affects everyone. Isn’t it time to be aware of how microplastics can actually affect our health? 

2026 Parliament Prize Entry by Essie Haslett (Finalist)

Imagine this: your child is walking home from school and suddenly, BAM! There is a car coming straight for them going 100kmph. Hi, my name is Essie Haslett, and I go to Yackandandah Primary School, and I want to address the speed limits on residential roads on the outskirts of Yackandandah.

The speed limits on roads must change. On the outskirts of Yack, the speed limits are above 80, even though it is still a residential area. Because of this, parents do not allow children to walk to school or sports. 

This matters to me because I live on a residential road and I am still not allowed to walk to school because huge wood trucks drive around like they own the place, going 80. I also think everyone deserves to feel safe when they go walking and living on a residential road where the speed limit is 80 and there is no foot path whatsoever, doesn't make me, or my neighbourhood feel safe. Parents should be able to know if their children are coming home safely or not.

We must change the speed limits on residential roads like Back Creek Road and Keeble Way. I cannot do this by myself, so I am going to need the help of the Victoria Government. Everyone deserves to live where the speed limit is not harmful to their everyday life.

YPS Musicians Shine Bright at the Albury Wodonga Eisteddfod!

Our Yackandandah Primary School music students shone brightly at the Albury Wodonga Eisteddfod (AWE) last week! It was absolutely wonderful to see Yack represented so well on the big stage.

The piano events were held in the stunning Ballroom at Adamshurst in Albury. Our students had the incredible privilege of performing on a divine Shigeru Kawai grand piano, making the experience even more magical for our young musicians.

I was glowing with pride the whole time watching our students display such dedication, courage, and musical talent. Preparing for a performance takes an enormous amount of effort, and every single student should be incredibly proud of how they played.

A massive thank you goes out to our wonderful YPS families. It truly takes a team to make events like this work, and we greatly appreciate your support in helping students prepare, driving them to and from the venue, and cheering them on.

8 Y/U Own Choice

3^rd Ned Burston

10 Y/U Romantic

1^st Richie Burston

10 Y/U Own choice (A)

HC Marley Makin

3^rd Amaya Whitley

10 Y/U Australian

2^nd Richie Burston

10 Y/U Own choice (B)

1^st Richie Burston

10 Y/U Piano Duet

1^st Amaya and Marley

12 Y/U Piano duet / trio

HC Cooper and Felix

1^st Richie and Patrick

Open Age Sibling duet

3^rd Richie and Evie Burston

This year's theme is a 'Symphony of Stories', and the artwork to illustrate the idea of characters bursting out of a book with musical instruments was created by Briony Stewart, author/illustrator of 'Gymnastica Fantastica!' Students in Year 3/4 A, 2/3R and 3/4E have already started to read some of the short-listed books for the CBCA Awards in Art, creating artwork inspired by the wonderful illustrations and ideas presented by the authors and illustrators. YPS will celebrate Book Week later in the term, with a book character dress up day on Friday 18^th September, the very last day of term! There will be a 'symphony' of characters in procession for the traditional Yackandandah Book Character Parade at an assembly in the morning - parents, families and grandparents are most welcome to attend, followed by class art activities with a focus on the short-listed books - so make room for artwork to go up on the fridge! This is advanced notice for parents and students to start thinking about their favourite book character and to start inventing a colourful, tuneful costume. 

CALL FOR ARTISTS EOI Due Date Extended to Monday 31st August 2026!!

The Yackandandah Folk Festival Street Parade sub-committee is seeking a creative artist to design and curate the 30th Anniversary Opening Street Parade in March 2027.

This is a unique opportunity to work with representatives from four local schools, Kindergarten, community groups and businesses to create a vibrant, visually exciting parade. A suggested theme is ‘Neon 90’s’, or you may propose your own concept.

This paid role includes:

• Developing the parade’s creative direction
• Delivering two community workshops
• Collaborating with a highly engaged regional community

Artist fees are aligned with NAVA guidelines, with additional support for materials and venue provided.

EOI closes: 4pm Monday 31^st August 2026

Please email Caz: carolyn.doyle@education.vic.gov.au for further details or go to the Folk Festival tab on the Yackandandah Primary School website.

Dear Broccoli, written by Jo Dabrowski and illustrated by Cate James, is a playful take on encouraging fussy vegetable eaters to appreciate the nutritional value of broccoli. Jo Dabrowski's whimsical letter writing style has prompted the Year 3/4s and Year 2/3s to create their own collage of gourmet food bowls, covered in "toxic" broccoli, corn, carrots...pick your own revolting vegetable! (Take note of the disgruntled faces!) Next week we will add text in  the form of a written letter, Dear Broccoli/Dear Corn/Dear Carrot, and add bold black outlines. The quote "if you can cut, you can collage" absolutely rings true in these brilliant collages by students in Year 3/4; Olivia, Nicky, Penny, Dara, Eliza, Macey, Kinu, Toby and Zoe!!

This week's Hot Lunch was Fried Rice, yummo! 

Thanks to Dan, Jacqui, Elise and Bridget for filling the volunteer gaps to make lunch today, your efforts are much appreciated. 

The volunteer roster is almost complete, thank you everybody! 

We are still very short on September 11, please reach out if you can help, even if you can only do an hour - we are happy to split the volunteer shifts. 

Hot Lunch Volunteer Roster, Term 3: https://forms.gle/6X53sKJJRHg2LsgK7

Cross Country Skiing Day
Last Friday, 33 students in Year 5/6 experienced cross-country skiing at Falls Creek, some for the very first time, embarking on an expedition to the Nordic Bowl, to try out their newfound skills on cross country skis! After some short quick laps around the Bowl, there were adventurous expeditions beyond the bowl, muddy encounters by our top skiers and some monumental snowball making on an epic scale! The students didn't stop all morning and were still skiing well past lunchtime!!  A brilliant effort by all the parent helpers on the day, trying to keep our future Olympic skiers hydrated, fed and upright, no easy feat when most of them didn't want to stop skiing!!! A fantastic day was enjoyed by all!! 












Some Photos From House Aths 

15^th August           Lucas

16^th August           Harper