Principal's report 

In our classrooms

Students are continuing to thrive in their classrooms as we enter the second half of Term Two. Strong levels of engagement and learning are evident across all grades. As the weather cools down, we are mindful that cold, flu, and Covid-19 infections can spread more easily. Please keep your children home if they are unwell to give them the best chance of recovery and reduce the spread of these infections.

In our community

Last week, we had a wonderful couple of days with our "You Show Us" morning on Tuesday and Grandparents' Day on Wednesday. It was fantastic to see students proudly sharing their work and having grandparents, parents, carers, and friends join in to celebrate their success.

Traffic safety remains an important issue for our community, with instances of unsafe driving and non-compliant parking still evident during pick-up and drop-off times. In the interests of safety for all children and community members, I encourage families to allow extra time, particularly at pick-up time, to ensure children can be collected safely. 

The Traffic Safety Working Group will reconvene this year to explore ways we can collaborate with the council to improve safety. If you are interested in supporting this work by joining the working group, please email the school with your interest at port.melbourne.ps@education.vic.gov.au .

In our staff room

Last week marked the completion of my first year as Principal at Port Melbourne Primary School, having commenced in an acting capacity in mid-May last year. This time has been the most enjoyable of my professional career. It is truly a privilege to be a school principal, especially at a school serving such a positive and connected community. Thank you to all staff, students, and families for welcoming me into our community. It has been a pleasure getting to know you, and I look forward to the years ahead as we continue to provide our kids with outstanding and ever-improving opportunities.

In previous newsletters, I mentioned that we are visiting best practice schools and planning improvements to our reading instruction to better align with cognitive science research. To advance this work, we will begin piloting some of these new strategies in Year 1 next term. This will coincide with the introduction of new teaching team members due to the previously announced leave replacements. I want to thank Katie Klajnblat for her leadership of this initiative and the Year 1 teaching team for their flexibility and openness during this transition.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our school's success. Together, we make our community a great place for our children to learn and grow.