Assistant Principal Report 

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Celebrate Education Week

Victoria will celebrate Education Week from Sunday 22 May to Saturday 28 May 2022. This year's Education Week will focus on a special milestone for Victoria, as we mark the 150th anniversary of public education in Victoria. 

The Victorian Government launched celebrations of the anniversary – one of Victoria's greatest achievements – on Monday 7 March 2022. The event was held at one of Melbourne's oldest continually operating government school, Essendon Primary School, which opened in 1850.

As Victorians, there is a long-held belief that every child deserves a high-quality education, regardless of their background. It is a belief worth acknowledging and celebrating.

Why is the anniversary important?

• The Education Act of 1872 was the first of its kind in the world.
• The first in the Australian colonies.
• Education was free and compulsory, so the whole community would benefit.
• All children aged 6-15 years had to attend school unless they had a reasonable excuse.
• Education was secular. That meant there was no control by any church.
• In the last 150 years, a lot has changed. But public education remains a vital part of the Victorian community. This includes our schools, TAFES, kindergartens, libraries and archives.
• One of Victoria’s oldest school - which is still in operation today - is Bacchus Marsh Primary School. It was built on the traditional Country of the Wada Wurrung people and opened in 1850. Europeans first arrived on the Country of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong peoples 15 years earlier in 1835. This area is now known as greater Melbourne.

Education Week is an opportunity for all schools and communities to commemorate the past, celebrate the present and imagine the future of education.

Kind regards

Jennifer O’Connor

Assistant Principal.