Welcome back to Term 4, Mitcham Primary School!

It has been lovely to see everyone return to school this week and feel the spring sunshine's warmth each morning. There is a wonderful sense of energy across the school as we begin this final term of learning for the year. Over the holiday break, we were thrilled to see some amazing improvement works completed around the school, including the total refurbishment of the BER Building toilets, new flooring throughout the main corridor and Prep areas, and new garden beds and concrete repair works across the grounds. These upgrades have made a remarkable difference to the look and feel of our school. My sincere thanks to our incredibly dedicated Facilities Manager, Adrian, for coordinating tradespeople and organising all the works - his efforts ensure that our school continues to be such a beautiful and functional learning environment.

This week also marked the highly anticipated return of Icy Pole Thursdays, and what an incredible success it has been! A huge thank you to our School Captain, Daniel, whose initiative ensured the return of this much-loved tradition. While undeniably delicious, this activity also provides students with valuable opportunities to practise financial literacy skills such as handling money, making change and understanding transactions. As Mrs Steele and I were heading out for a lunchtime walk when the bell rang, we stopped to watch children from all classrooms racing excitedly to line up outside the canteen — the line of eager students stretched from the hall all the way to the Bowling Green Lane gate! Thank you to Daniel, along with fellow School Captains George, Indi and Zoe, for their excellent coordination and teamwork in managing the sales. Icy Pole Thursdays will continue each week until the end of term.

Term 4 is always one of our busiest and most exciting times of the year, and this one will be no exception. We have a full calendar of learning experiences and events ahead, including the swimming program, Grade 2 Camp Day, District Athletics, our school disco and Grade 6 Graduation activities. Beginning on Tuesday, 22 October, our students will also take part in our whole-school ‘Stepping Up’ Transition sessions. This important wellbeing program supports every student to become familiar with the expectations, routines and learning experiences in the year level they will be moving into in 2026. It is a wonderful way to build confidence, connection and readiness for the year ahead.

As we begin preparing for 2026, I would like to acknowledge that some movement in and out of schools at this time of year is quite normal. We have already received more than ten new enrolment applications across various year levels. If you know your family will not be returning to Mitcham Primary next year, I would appreciate if you could let the school know as soon as possible, as this greatly assists us with our class placement planning. In the coming weeks, we will also be seeking student friendship preferences and would like to offer parents the opportunity to share any information they would like considered for their child’s placement in 2026, please ensure any such information is emailed through to me (erin.norman@education.vic.gov.au) by Friday 31st October. While we are unable to accommodate requests for specific teachers, we do carefully consider all factors to ensure each child is placed in a class where they will thrive socially, emotionally and academically.

Finally, I would like to extend a huge congratulations to Christopher C (Grade 5) for his outstanding achievement at the National Taekwondo Championships held in Adelaide on Sunday, 5 October. After a challenging series of matches, Christopher made it all the way to the final and proudly earned a Silver Medal for Victoria! What a fantastic accomplishment — well done, Christopher, we are all so proud of you.

Warmly,

Erin

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