Principal's Message

Principal's Message

Welcome to the start of Week 9 of a 10-week term. It is Whole School Production Week and the students and staff are genuinely excited to bring the community together to celebrate our wonderful children. We are grateful for your attendance.

As I write this, I just witnessed the annual Father's Day musical performance where a selection of our parents performed in front of our assembly. I felt so proud of our community for getting involved for the sake of our children. The fathers were wonderful role models - showing that parents are central to children flourishing.

I am glad that families and staff work together to create a sanctuary for our students. We shouldn't bubble wrap our children and shield them from every hardship, because hardship builds resilience - so we work hard to create an atmosphere that is both nurturing and challenging.

As we head towards the end of Term 3, and we look forward to experiencing the culminating event of the Whole School Production, I want to paint an optimistic picture of a school that recognises and rewards students and staff for doing well, and challenges and supports them to reach the next level.

Happy Father's Day - and see you at the Production.

Production  (Monday 7 September)

A final reminder that our School Production is on Monday, at Ciel The Venue, 400 City Road, from 5:00pm-7:00pm. We now have upwards of 95% of families having bought a ticket - thank you for such a wonderful response. We look forward to a lovely evening together.

No Hat, No Play - Starts Now

A reminder that our No Hat, No Play policy came into effect on 1 September, to protect children from the sun during the warmer months. Students without a hat will be asked to play in a shaded area during outdoor times. Please ensure your child has a named hat in their bag each day.

Junior School Council Movie Day (Monday 14th September)

Our annual Movie Day fundraiser is soon approaching! Our student leaders visited all classes to get their say on which organisation we will raise funds for and the movie we will watch. Here are the results:

Student votes decided that we will watch Toy Story 5 and that all proceeds will go to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC). 

The ASRC provides essential food, housing and health services for refugees and people seeking asylum. These essential services will help people rebuild their lives in Australia.

On the day, students will be provided with a small bag of popcorn to enjoy while they watch the movie and are welcome to bring a cushion to sit on.

All donations are optional. We will be accepting card donations between 8:30am-9:00am in the forecourt. Alternatively, use this link to donate online: https://fundraising.asrc.org.au/fundraisers/samanthamcgee/smps-movie-day-fundraiser-2026

If you are available and willing, we would love some parent helpers on this morning to:

• Collect donations in the forecourt (volunteers needed between 8:30am and 9:00am)
• Divide popcorn into bags (volunteers needed between 8:15am to 9:00am)

Please email Miss Sam at Samantha.McGee@smps.vic.edu.au if you able to support us the morning of this event, or if you have any questions.

OSHClub - Our Relationship and What We Can (and Can't) Control

We have had an excellent relationship with OSHClub over the years. Cintya, our key contact person on the ground, is a passionate and committed person who loves her job and the children.

I want to make clear, for the record, that the school is not affiliated with OSHClub's contract - this is administered by the City of Port Phillip. We are aware that our South Melbourne PS brand rides alongside every service we offer in the building, but the reality is that this is a matter of perception only. Whilst we care deeply about every student, we have to default to the attending service when issues arise. We meet termly with OSHClub leaders to iron out any glitches, but the day-to-day operations fall on OSHClub workers and the City of Port Phillip.

Now and then, parents approach the school about a problem that has occurred in OSHClub. Unless a more extreme safety issue is identified, we have to send the parent to OSHClub to work things out directly. It is not in our wheelhouse, as we don't run their contract, so our control is limited. The best we can do is raise these issues with OSHClub leadership.

If your concern is about engagement, food, or worker conduct, please go straight to OSHClub. If you feel the issue isn't being addressed, the next step is to come to the front office, and we will raise it with OSHClub leadership and the City of Port Phillip.

Recently, we ran a survey via this iNewsletter to gauge OSHClub satisfaction. Some issues were raised, and we have passed these on to OSHClub to address. We recognise it can get a bit blurry when we run the survey but aren't the active agents in solving the issues it identifies.

I want to be clear that we trust OSHClub to run a quality program, and we have found them responsive and fair once issues are raised. OSHClub inevitably forms part of our brand, and every child in our building is precious to us, regardless of the time of day or the activity they're undertaking. But our limitation is real - we don't run or control the service. I wouldn't want a parent to be disappointed in our response if the issue sits with OSHClub. Unless it's very serious, it isn't ours to chase and resolve.

We will run periodic feedback requests in this iNewsletter regarding OSHClub satisfaction. We encourage all families to input when asked, knowing that the feedback will be passed directly onto OSHClub/City of Port Phillip (and to be tabled at our School Council who will gauge service quality from its perspective without having the power to act directly).

New Campus Update

We have an update on our new campus. Design development is now complete, with the project moving into the tender phase to select a builder for this new wing of the school. The new campus is expected to open in Term 1, 2029. 

Please see the attached update and postcard for the full details, including the location map and information on some early site works, including a tree removal on Ferrars Street.