From the  Principal 

School Review

Our School Review is commencing! The formal review panel will meet with us face to face for the first time on Thursday 30th October, with further meetings across three separate days over the next three weeks.

This review gives us the chance to reflect on our achievements over the past five years, celebrate what’s going well, and identify opportunities for growth.

Our School Improvement Team has recently completed the school’s Self-Evaluation, highlighting the strengths of our programs, teaching, and community. We’re looking forward to showcasing Carnegie Primary School  — our students, our staff, and the incredible sense of community that makes our school such a special place to learn and grow.

We will be setting the direction for the next five years.

Professional Practice Day - Student Free

There is a Professional Practice day scheduled for teachers on Friday 28th November. 

This will be a student free day and Team Kids will operate their service on this day.

School Contributions Gratitude

We are so lucky to have a supportive parent group. I spoke with Pip (our Business Manager) this week and was grateful at the 70% return rate of Parent Contributions money so far in 2025.

Your voluntary contributions help make our school the wonderful place it is!

Because of the generosity of our families, we’re able to offer the support of our amazing school nurse, Tahlia, who cares for students’ health and wellbeing, and our maintenance legend, Hayden, who keeps our grounds safe, clean and welcoming every day.

Together, they play a big part in creating a school environment where students can learn, play and thrive. While all contributions are voluntary, every dollar truly makes a difference — and we’re so grateful for your ongoing support of our students and our school.

I acknowledge and thank you on behalf of our staff and your children for your financial support.

Please keep supporting us in the future. It makes an enormous difference to what we can do in terms of outcomes for our wonderful students. Our school is a school of choice in the area, highly sought after by families beyond our school zone due to the quality of our teachers, our commitment to learning through evidenced based practices and programs. It is through your support that we achieve.

Thank you all.

Staffing News

At this time of year, there is always movement in schools with staff leaving to pursue alternate pathways, promotion, transfer or to share adventures with their families.

Farewells

Christine Benjamin will be transferring to Ivanhoe East PS to explore a new opportunity closer to home for 12 months. Christine has been a fantastic prep teacher for three years at CPS. We have appreciated her work in developing relationships with the students, staff and families and implementing a terrific learning program that supports our school’s focus on explicit teaching and learning routines. We wish her every happiness in this next chapter, and we look forward to staying connected as she continues to share her gifts with others. Thank you for everything, Christine.

Desiree Oh has been on leave this year to explore alternate opportunities. She has been focused on developing her own literacy enrichment business, Ladybug Learning, which has continued to grow. She has decided to dedicate herself fully to this next chapter, building on the teaching experience and passion for learning that were nurtured during her time at Carnegie.

Brett Nathan has been seconded to the Victorian Lesson Plan Department, where he will be contributing to the development of curriculum materials. Brett brings expertise and passion in Digital Technologies and Design & Technology, and more recently has inspired our students as CPS’s science teacher. His enthusiasm has sparked curiosity and engagement, as showcased in the recent school expo. Brett will be away 3 days of the week (and at CPS on Thursdays and Fridays) for the remainder of this year and not at CPS for the first half of 2026, with plans to return in Semester 2, 2026. We wish him every success in this exciting opportunity!

Jess Beckman has accepted a classroom teacher position closer to her home on the peninsula. We have been very fortunate to have Jess on staff for the past 8 years where, more recently, she has been a team lead in Grade 4. She has been open to learning and has managed to implement many new routines and practices into her classroom. We will miss her and we wish her every happiness at her new school. .

Grade 1/2 Assembly

Our Grade 1/2 students recently took to the stage to share their Term 3 learning in geography with the school community. Through song, students showcased their knowledge of countries and continents from around the world, bringing their learning to life in a fun and memorable way.

Many students added a special touch by dressing up in costumes and colours, representing the diverse cultures and places. It was wonderful to see the children confidently performing and proudly singing.

Grade 6 Production - Beauty and the Beast 

Our Grade 6 students impressed last week with their daytime performances of Beauty and the Beast. The production was a fantastic showcase of the students’ commitment, confidence, and collaboration. Many hours of rehearsal, preparation, and teamwork went into bringing the show to life. It was great to see students shine on stage — singing, acting, and supporting one another throughout the performance.

A sincere thank you to the teachers and staff who guided students through the process and invested so much time and energy to make it all come together.

The production was a wonderful celebration of learning, creativity, and community at CPS.

Whole School Assembly

Last Friday there was lots to celebrate. Many of our  students received awards for their musical talents and certificates were presented. Additionally, children were recognised for their mathematical abilities after their participation in Maths Olympiad.

There was a very impressive showcase with a community Diwali celebration with 2 Groups of brave dancers , who performed Diwali Ki Bhadhai and a solo performance by Atharv.

The finale was a performance by the school choir led by Mr Landes. The junior students performed ‘Tomorrow’ from the musical Annie, and the students from the senior school sung a Benson Boone favourite, Beautiful Things.

Many thanks to Mr Landes for coordinating the performance. 

The students loved it! 

Respect, Resilience, Curiosity,  Integrity