Principal's Report

Jells Park Primary School

Principal:                         Kevin Oakey (Acting)

Assistant Principals:    David O'Kane

                                              Melissa McLeod (Acting)

Principal's Comment

Over the long weekend I went to the movies to see Eddie the Eagle. I went primarily because I remembered the story from the 1988 Winter Olympic Games and I thought it might be a laugh. There were plenty of good laughs throughout the movie as a bumbling Englishman tried to master the highly skilled and dangerous sport of ski jumping. However the stronger story from the movie was one of absolute determination and perseverance in the face of adversity, both physical and mental.

All his life Michael Edwards had dealt with adversity. Firstly he had growth issues in his legs and he was terribly farsighted, both physical impairments not particularly conducive to ski jumping. He also received no funding to support his efforts of making the Winter Olympics, often having to train and compete in borrowed equipment. Finally, he was roundly ridiculed by sports authorities and fellow competitors for taking on a sport with a complete lack of skill, training and experience.

But 'Eddie' Edwards had a dream - to be an Olympian. And no amount of physical pain, teasing, ridicule, harrassment or adversity was getting in his way. Every time he got knocked down, he found a way to get back up again. His perseverance was amazing, and in the end he received world wide acknowledgement for his achievements. 

The reason for the accolades was that Eddie reflected the ideals of the Olympic Games, based on the words of the founder, Pierre deCoubertin:

At school we talk about perseverance  and resilience to our students all the time and it is sometimes hard to model what these words actually look like. I strongly recommend watching this movie and then talking to your children about how Eddie 'bounced back', how he never gave up, how he continued to strive for his goals. There is a lesson for all of us in this feel-good movie.

Be bold!! Make a difference.

State Government Grant

What excitement in the school when last Wednesday we had two very special guests visit: The Hon James Merlino, Minister for Education and The Hon Daniel Andrews, Premier of Victoria. The School Captains and School Council were delighted to meet with them and learn about the $1million of Buildings and Grounds funding that Mr. Andrews announced has been awarded to our school in the State Budget. This money will be used to remove all remaining asbestos in the school and to completely replace the roof and ceiling of our main building, which has been in very poor shape for quite some time. Mr Andrews has visited us before and is always very impressed by Jells Park Primary School.

Then there was extra excitement that night to see our school and students all over the evening news bulletins!!