Welcome, or indeed welcome back, to all Primary Years families for the commencement of the 2025 school year.

The first few days are often a blur for our students. With the staggered start, we hope to have gently introduced our Year 5s to all things Primary and the wider College itself. I am sure they are still weary after the excitement, nervous energy and all that takes place within the first few days.

Year 6 commenced yesterday and were keen to move into the role of Senior Primary leaders. They have been charged with the responsibility of ensuring that Year 5s are looked after in the coming days and weeks - all part of being a good leader.

Staff changes / additions

With the departure of Miss Butler during the holidays, we have been fortunate enough to welcome back Mr Matt Russo to the 6B classroom.

Mr Russo is well known to students and families, having taught for several years within Primary Years. The lads in 6B are most fortunate to have Mr Russo as their mentor.

We also lost Mrs Conn (Primary Years Head of Diverse Learning) and Mr Sayers (Primary Teacher Aide) from our Diverse Learning Department. We have welcomed Ms Street (Primary DL Teacher, Year 5), Ms Meredith (Primary DL Teacher, Year 6) and Mrs Van Kerkwyk (Primary Years TA). I know that all three of these new staff members already feel a part of our community and will be wonderful additions to the College.

General information

A reminder to please read ALL sports information recently provided. It is incredibly important in these first weeks. Please read the Wednesday Sport Newsletter, become familiar with ‘Clipboard’ and stay up to date with all things sporting. Don’t forget the ‘Iona Sport’ booklet that Mr Russell sent last week (23 January) - it is a treasure trove of important information.

Munch and Crunch: As our Iona timetable is a five-period day, morning tea does not commence until 10.52am. As such, Primary students will be invited to bring something that is easy to consume within their classrooms (poppers, water, fruit, muesli bars, biscuits, etc. - no soft drinks or messy foods please). Boys will use the break between Periods 1 and 2, and this should see them through til morning tea.

Locks and lockers: All students should have been issued with a locker and a lock by the time this newsletter is received. Please remind them to NOT share their lock codes. They should write them in a safe place within their diaries. Students keep bags, phones, smart watches, wallets, earphones, etc in their locker, hence the need for codes to be kept private.

Year 13s: Year 5 parents, your children may have come home and mentioned the ‘Year 13s’ in their class. This is correct! These volunteering students are returning Old Boys (mostly from 2024) who are part of a program within Years 5 and 7, to work with all students to settle in, navigate movement around the College and generally assist classroom teachers within their classrooms during the first two weeks.

Bus and train travel: As students begin to move to train and bus travel, please remind them of care and behaviour. We have large numbers of students who use both forms of transport each day, and safety and behaviour are high priorities.

Lunchboxes: Could all lunchboxes be named on the outside please? Many students have the same or very similar lunchboxes and names would certainly help identifying them correctly at the end of breaks. The same could be said of ALL personal belongings. We do have a lost property area, but we find that if items are clearly labelled, this greatly reduces lost property concerns.

Smart watches: A new and quickly evolving phenomena is the rapid increase in the use of smart watches by our students. These can be a misused item at school, and are therefore required to be placed within lockers during the day, as per phones.

Hair, uniform and bags: My sincere thanks for the manner in which our students have returned to the College after holidays. Please refer to the College diary about what is suitable regarding appropriate hair standards, correct uniform and what bags (including sporting) are permitted.

Term 1 Primary Date Claimer

Year 5 and Year 6 Parent Information Evening: Tuesday, 4 February, commencing at 6pm (in IPAC).
Please refer to the Parent Information Evening section of this newsletter for further details.

Primary Interhouse Swimming Carnival: Friday, 7 February, held in our College pool (family members are welcome). Please refer to Mr Russell’s sports information.

New Families Welcome BBQ: Sunday, 9 February, 3-5pm on Harron Oval.
Please refer to the Community section of this newsletter for further details.

Year 5 Wellbeing Day: Thursday, 20 February. Further information will be communicated to Year 5 families.

National Young Leaders Conference: Monday, 24 February. Further information will be provided to the families of our Primary Leaders.

Primary Cricket / AFL Team Photos: During school hours.

Year 6 Camps: Monday 3 - Friday 7 March. Further information will be communicated to Year 6 parents soon.

Year 5 NAPLAN Testing: Wednesday 12 - Wednesday 19 March.

Primary Dream and Lead Conference: Monday, 17 March. Further information will be provided to the families of our Primary House Leaders.

Finally, my sincere thanks to all families for the enthusiastic engagement with the College during this first week. It is always somewhat ‘organised chaos’ but you have made it much easier for your children and the staff to begin our year in a truly positive manner.

Know that you are always welcome to reach out to us, and to me in particular, if you have concerns, questions or moments of success that you would like to share!

Mr Peter Holmes
Dean of Primary Years