Issue 04, 2026 (April #2)

From this term, teachers will provide advance notice of assessments on each subject’s cover page. This will include:

• The date of the assessment
• The type of assessment (for example, a test, assignment or practical task)
• The topics being assessed, so you can see what learning is involved
• Recommended textbooks and other resources to help with preparation
• Any subject‑specific requirements, such as equipment or permitted notes

While teachers already provide course and assessment outlines as required by SCSA, this change puts the key details your child needs in one clear, easy‑to‑find place. This makes it easier for students to plan ahead and for families to stay informed about upcoming assessment commitments across the semester.

By regularly checking your child’s upcoming assessments in SEQTA you can keep abreast of assessment dates, now by checking the subject cover pages, you can help your children manage their time at home better, prepare effectively, and reduce last‑minute stress. We encourage you to use this information as a starting point for conversations at home about upcoming assessments and study planning.

This shared approach between school and home aims to support organisation, confidence and success for all students.

Dear Students, Parents and Carers

Welcome back to school for Term 2! We hope you had a restful break and are ready for another exciting term of learning and growth. As we embark on this new term, we want to share some important information with you:

SmartRiders
Student SmartRiders are your child’s key to convenient travel. The free travel for school students on school days requires that there is a positive balance on the SmartRider. Please ensure that your child‘s balance is positive for the purposes of tagging on and off the buses. The simplest way is to use BPay. The Transperth Biller Code is on the front of your card, and the reference number is your SmartRider card number excluding the letters “SR”. Students who forget their SmartRiders are expected to speak with the bus driver as they alight the bus.

Uniform Expectations
Wearing our school uniform fosters a sense of belonging and pride. It creates a positive identity for our school community. We encourage all students to wear their uniforms neatly and tidily during school hours and while traveling to and from school. We have a two-week transition to winter uniform period, please use this time to ensure all the winter uniform items are neat and well fitting, and replacements purchased where needed.

Staffing

We warmly welcome Su Gueh, Matty McNab and Lowri Wythes back to the school following their Long Service Leave. We hope they had a restful and enjoyable break and look forward to having them back with us. 

Due to Rhys Channing and Anne Crock taking their well deserved Long Service Leave, there will be some temporary staff changes this term.  Sheryl Compton will be in the role of Acting Head of Secondary Teaching and Learning and Emma Stachowicz as the Head of Department Humanities and Social Science. While these adjustments are unfortunate, they are necessary to ensure continuity of learning and support for students. 

We warmly welcome our new Performing Arts Theatre Technician Dylan Randall and Music Tutors Lachlan O'Driscoll, Valentina Macias Fernandez and Ariff Bin Wan Fadzil to the school. We also welcome back Tiffany Song in HASS.  We look forward to the skills and experience they will bring to our community. We appreciate your understanding and support during this time.

World’s Greatest Shave
Our school community thrives when we work together. This term we have a variety of activities to look forward to and for students to get involved in. The annual Year 11 River Cruise is in week 2, this is always a fantastic evening for the students to socialise in a semi formal setting and enjoy time with each other.

This year’s World’s Greatest Shave is booked for Thursday 7 May. There are details on the Daily Notices for students to sign up, gather some sponsorship and help contribute to fundraising for the fight against leukemia.

Let’s make Term Two a fantastic journey of learning, friendship, and achievement.

Kind regards

Ms Jannine Webb
Head of Secondary

Dear Parents and Carers

 Welcome Back to Term 2

Welcome back to Term 2. I hope the school holidays were a time of rest, enjoyment and the chance to make special family memories. We are very excited to welcome our students back to school and look forward to greeting them on Wednesday as we begin another positive and productive term together.

I would like to sincerely thank all of our parents for the ongoing support you continue to show our staff. Please know that all positive feedback shared with me is always passed on to our wonderful educators and staff, who truly appreciate hearing it.

As we move into Term 2, students will be transitioning to our Winter uniform. Thank you to our community for consistently supporting our high expectations regarding uniform standard

School–Home Partnerships

Parent–teacher meetings were held on Tuesday 21 April, and I hope these meetings provided a valuable opportunity for our families. Feeling informed about your child’s learning is incredibly important and remains a key part of our commitment to strong school–home partnerships.

Throughout the year, if you would like to meet with your child’s teacher again, please don’t hesitate to reach out. In addition, we are committed to releasing four assessments to parents each term to ensure you are well informed about your child’s progress. I encourage all parents to connect with classroom teachers if you have any questions about assessments released via SEQTA. This feedback process is an important part of our commitment to providing timely and meaningful information to families.

Learning Journey

Our Term 2 Learning Journey will take place on Tuesday 12 May (Week 4) at 2:00pm. Further correspondence will be sent closer to the date; however, we wanted to provide families with as much notice as possible.

Learning Journeys are a wonderful opportunity to visit the classroom with your child, learn more about current learning activities, and explore your child’s specialist learning areas. These events always have a lovely atmosphere, and I look forward to seeing as many families as possible join us.

Staffing Announcements

From the beginning of Term 2, Mrs Brittany Tippett is our Kindergarten to Year 2 Deputy Head of Primary, and Mr Marcello Pennachio will be our Year 3 to 6 Deputy Head of Primary. Expanding leadership across the Primary School is an exciting step, allowing for increased support for our staff, students and families.

I am also very pleased to announce that Mrs Bree Waller has been appointed as our new Learning Enrichment Coordinator. Mrs Waller is already a valued member of the Frederick Irwin community and brings considerable experience as an educator and leader. She is very much looking forward to supporting our students in this new role. Mrs Tippett has already begun the handover process with Mrs Waller, and we will ensure there is a smooth and seamless transition.

We also farewell Mrs Jenny Beesley in Week 4 of this term, who will be leaving Australia to be closer with family. Mrs Beesley has made such a positive impact on our Music programme and although we will miss her, we fully support her decision. We appreciate the passion and commitment that Mrs Beesley has brought to our School and wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavours. We are currently interviewing candidates for her role and Mrs Beesley will ensure that there is a thorough handover. 

I look forward to a positive and productive Term 2 and welcoming our families back into the school community throughout the term.

Mr Noah Clark
Head of Primary - Meadow Springs Campus

Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome back to school for Term 2. I hope you and your families enjoyed a restful and refreshing break. As we begin the new term, I would like to share some important information and reminders.

Staffing Update

Please note the following staffing arrangements for Term 2:

Indonesian - Miss Van Reeken has returned from maternity leave. We sincerely thank Ms Septiana for teaching Indonesian during Semester 2 last year and Term 1 this year in Michelle’s absence.

PH1 - Mrs Jaye Fogarty will take on the role of Acting Early Learning Coordinator one day per week while Ms Bond is on long service leave. To support Mrs Fogarty in this important leadership role, Mrs Dawkins will teach PH1 on Wednesdays.

PH2 - Ms Karen Bond will be on Long Service Leave for Term 2. Mrs Jen Siddons will teach PH2 full‑time for the duration of the term.

Playgroup

During Ms Bond’s absence, Miss Van Reeken will coordinate Playgroup on Thursday mornings, commencing Week 2. Information about the Halls Head Playgroup for pre‑schoolers and their families can be found on Facebook: FIAS Playgroup – Halls Head Freddies Koorlangka

Parking Update

Please be aware that the overflow parking area accessed via the oval gate on the southern side of Waxflower Vista is no longer available for parent and guardian parking. This area is now part of the construction site for Stage 2 of the Early Learning Centre (ELC). Stage 2 will provide Year 1 and 2 students and staff with brand‑new classrooms and facilities, scheduled for completion for the beginning of the 2027 school year. However, to continue to provide parents/guardians and visitors with adequate parking, 12 additional new car parking spaces have been added to the north-west corner of the existing parent/guardian carpark. 

We kindly ask that the accessible parking spaces are kept free for parents and visitors who are registered permit holders.

Lunchtime Changes – Play First, Eat Last

This term, the Halls Head campus is trialing a “Play First, Eat Last” approach to lunchtime. This change is in response to staff and parent feedback indicating that many children are so eager to play that they are not finishing their lunch, and in some cases, food is being thrown away. Allowing children time to slow down and eat for the final 10–15 minutes of lunchtime also supports a calmer transition back into classroom learning.

Winter Uniforms and Uniform Standards

A reminder that during Terms 2 and 3, the full winter Frederick Irwin Anglican School (FIAS) uniform is required for all Year 3 to 6 students, commencing from Week 2.

Please also ensure that students from K-6 arrive at school neatly and correctly dressed, in accordance with all FIAS uniform standards. This includes expectations related to hair, jewellery, and school shoes.

For detailed information, please refer to the School Uniform Policy on our website: https://www.frederickirwin.wa.edu.au/school-community/uniform 

Thank you for your continued support as we commence Term 2. We look forward to another productive and positive term of learning together.

Kind regards

Mr Rob Gratton
Head of Primary - Halls Head Campus

Year 12 ATAR Student Mytam spent a few days with the team at Peel Dental Studio, including former Alumni student Dr Clare Bailey.

If any members of our community are interested in taking part and supporting our students please contact the School at admin@fias.wa.edu.au

The 2025/26 season has come to a close, and once again, we can be incredibly proud. This year, Frederick Irwin continued as one of the largest clubs in the Mandurah Basketball Association, fielding 63teams from Pre‑Primary through to Year 12. We also had three senior teams, with staff and ex‑students continuing to proudly represent Frederick Irwin, a strong indicator that our sporting culture extends well beyond a student’s time at school.
Basketball in Mandurah is played across six days of the week and is a huge part of the local community. Having such a strong and visible FIAS presence is something worth celebrating, but what matters most is how we show up, not just how many teams we have.

At FIAS, sporting culture is not defined by wins and losses. Our culture is built on pride in representing the school, respect for teammates, officials and opponents, commitment to effort and improvement, and connection across teams and age groups. Most importantly, it is about knowing that when you play for FIAS, you are part of something bigger than yourself.

We are a school club, not a group of separate teams. Seeing our youngest players celebrating the season, alongside our senior students, reinforces the message that you can represent Frederick Irwin throughout your entire schooling journey. That shared identity is what builds long‑term sporting pride.

Research shows that many teenagers stop playing sports as they get older, but FIAS shows something different. I believe this is because of the way our programs operate in the primary years. Every student who wants to play is included in a team, where they develop skills, practice, and build confidence in fun, supportive and positive environments created by our coaches. Because of this, when students move into secondary school, they feel ready and confident to continue playing, whether competitively in higher divisions or socially with their friends. Most importantly, they develop a lifelong love of sport and a belief that they belong.

This season we saw players achieve fantastic individual success, being selected for Mandurah Basketball development teams and state teams, while still choosing to play for Frederick Irwin with their friends and represent their school. That balance between development opportunities and belonging to school teams is something we value highly.

Our coaches played a huge role in shaping our culture. Junior sport simply cannot run without people giving up their time each week, and our coaches do far more than teach basketball skills. They set standards, model respect, build team identity and create positive environments. Watching FIAS teams train together as squads, support one another in derbies, and compete with pride highlights the impact of their leadership.

We were also fortunate to have many student coaches and assistant coaches this season. Seeing young people step into leadership roles, give back to their sport, and support younger players is one of the strongest signs of a healthy sporting culture.

Behind the scenes, our team managers and parents once again played a vital role. The organisation, time and commitment you contribute do not go unnoticed, and they are a key part of the culture we are celebrating.

One important part of sport is respecting our referees. Referees help make the game fair and safe, and without them, we wouldn’t be able to play basketball. Congratulations to our FIAS students who are MBA referees and to our coaches and ex-FIAS students who make up the MBA Games Controller staff.

We also acknowledge achievements on the court. This season, 19 FIAS teams reached the semi‑finals, with 10 teams progressing to Grand Finals: FIAS Moonbeams, FIAS Airballers, FIAS All Stars, FIAS Sharks, FIAS Stars, FIAS Swish Kebabs, FIAS Fever, FIAS Hurricanes, FIAS Panthers and FIAS Benchwarmers.

Congratulations to FIAS Hurricanes, FIAS Panthers, FIAS Benchwarmers and FIAS Stars on their Grand Final wins. All finals teams represented Frederick Irwin with outstanding sportsmanship and pride.

As we look ahead, our goal is not simply to grow in numbers or results, but to continue building a culture where players feel proud to belong, coaches feel valued, young leaders step forward, and effort, respect and connection remain the priority.

Thank you to everyone who has played a role inbuilding that culture this season.

Mrs Claire Booker
Sports Coordinator

Parents, carers and other family members are invited to explore students’ work, celebrate their learning, and connect with a range of staff members in a supportive and engaging environment.

The day was packed with hands‑on learning experiences closely linked to our Biological Sciences unit, helping students deepen their understanding of living things and how they can be identified and classified.

Students participated in engaging activities focused on identifying marine animals, including learning about turtles and their unique features. Throughout the day, they also had the opportunity to explore AQWA’s incredible exhibits, observing a wide variety of fish and marine life up close.

One of the highlights for many students was seeing turtles and sharks and, for some, the unforgettable experience of patting a shark! The excursion provided valuable real‑world learning experiences and sparked lots of curiosity and enthusiasm for marine science.

It was a fantastic day of discovery, teamwork, and fun, creating lasting memories for all students involved.

The students were at the WACA for the Annual Match alongside other students in the team.