Principal's Message
Our children are our future...
Principal's Message
We have reached the end of another year and it has been an extremely successful one at SMPS. By any measure, we have excelled. Our Parent Opinion Survey data is in the high 90's in almost all areas, our Staff Opinion Survey data is similarly high and our Wellbeing and NAPLAN data is amongst the top in the state. It is incredible, really, and a credit to the hard work of the staff and families who support the children to reach their potential.
We will never be perfect and, like any institution, there are areas to work on which will become the focus of 2025. We are extremely optimistic about our chances of achieving very high levels of success again next year. Whilst we have lost a few staff, we have gained new guns to take over where they left off. This newsletter contains all of the old and new names in a tribute to our people.
I wanted to pay gratitude to the parents who gave me cards and gifts. I don't expect anything other than a thank you if you see me - but I am also grateful for your generosity of spirit. I try my best to write down the name of each student/parent who gives me a token of their appreciation and write them a short email in the weeks following the year's end. I had one box of Lindt Prestige Selection Chocolates given to me and it does not appear to have a name or card attached. It was given to me in a Christmas gift bag. I can't recall the lovely child who handed it to me - so please forgive my lack of gratitude email. If this rings a bell with you, please email south.melbourne.ps@education.vic.gov.au and pop "Attention Mr Noel" in the subject line and inform me of your name so I can pay gratitude early next year.
We conducted our last assembly on Wednesday where Santa made a visit. He sure is a funny, old fellow, that Santa! It was a great assembly with hundreds of parents in attendance. We had the chance to farewell our wonderful Year 6 students who have done themselves proud throughout their time at South Melbourne Primary School. I had the pleasure of attending their Graduation Ceremony on Thursday night last week. The staff are extremely proud of the students and wish them all the best in their secondary school endeavours. We know they will do well.
We also conducted our annual Staff versus Students basketball game which is always a hoot! The students won this year which was an extra special treat.
I want to finish by thanking the wonderful parents of SMPS. Your support of me, as principal, and the entire staff is truly amazing. We could not be more grateful to have such a wonderful community.
Lastly, thanks to the most wonderful students in the UNIVERSE. We really love these kids and will miss them during the break. Well done and good luck to any families moving from the school. Thanks for your support too. Have a safe and happy journey through life.
If you celebrate Christmas - have a merry one. To everyone else, stay safe and have a happy holiday. See you back at school on Wednesday, January 29 at 8:45am.
New and Exiting Staff in 2025
The following pages are filled with welcomes and farewells - as is always the case towards the end of any year. There is also information around which teachers are in which classes in 2025. Last week, we operated a very successful "meet your new teacher" session and lots of smiles came back as the children finished these sessions. We are very excited about our new staff team as we seek to get even better in 2025 and beyond.
I wish all departing staff the very best and thank them for their passion and dedication during their time at SMPS. We hope they always feel part of our family and consider our doors open.
Whilst it is always sad to say goodbye, it is also wonderful to recognise and be grateful for the connection made to students and our community along the way. Take the time to read the stories of these wonderful people. They will all be missed. How lovely to have met them along the way. At our final assembly on Wednesday, we farewelled these wonderful people in person.
Please check out all pages for welcomes and farewell messages.
New Year Link
It may be a good idea to save the link below which is a "Return to School in 2025" resource. It may assist those starting as new parents or those new to the system in understanding how schooling works in Victoria in 2025.