Principal's Report

Dear Skye Families,

School Review

We are officially halfway through our two-day School Review after a wonderful first day on Monday. It was a privilege to welcome the following panel members to Skye:

• Independent School Reviewer: Trish Hyland
• Senior Education Improvement Leader: Debby Chaves
• Education Improvement Leader: Sarah Joseph
• Challenge Partner, Chelsea Primary School: Taylor Irish
• Challenge Partner, Seaford Park Primary School: Stephania Johnson-Turner

These inspiring leaders joined School Council President Chantelle Richards, Assistant Principals Kim Weissenburger and Gareth Snow, and myself for what was an action-packed and fast-moving day. We began with preliminary insights drawn from four years of school data, before moving into classroom observations and a series of rich focus group discussions with PLC Leaders, teachers, and parents. The day concluded with an observation of our after-school professional learning session.

We look forward to sharing more insights from the review once it concludes next Thursday 4th June.

National Reconciliation Week

This week, our school community came together to mark two significant dates on our national calendar: National Sorry Day on Tuesday 26th May, and the commencement of National Reconciliation Week.

National Sorry Day is a time for deep reflection. It is a day when we stop, listen, and acknowledge a painful chapter in Australia's history, specifically the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, communities, and cultures, known as the Stolen Generations. In speaking with our students at assembly, we focused on the core themes of truth, empathy, and active responsibility. Saying sorry is about acknowledging past hurts, learning from history, and committing to work together to ensure those mistakes are never repeated.

To help our students process these themes and move forward in a spirit of healing, we were deeply privileged to welcome Bunurong Elder, Uncle Mark Brown, to our school for a traditional Smoking Ceremony. For thousands of years, Smoking Ceremonies have been used by First Nations peoples as a sacred ritual to cleanse a space and its people, washing away negative energy and sadness to invite a fresh start. Uncle Mark spoke beautifully to our students about the significance of the native leaves used and the spirit of the ceremony itself.

It was moving to watch our students and staff stand in quiet, respectful unity as a physical act of reconciliation. The rising smoke over our school grounds served as a powerful reminder that true reconciliation requires both acknowledging the truth of the past and taking active steps toward a shared and respectful future.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Uncle Mark Brown for sharing his time, wisdom, and culture with our community, and to our students for demonstrating such profound respect throughout the day.

Kindergarten Onsite and Soccer Pitch: Construction Commencing

This week, many of you would have received a detailed Sentral communication outlining the upcoming construction works on our school grounds. In short, temporary fencing will be going up this weekend to kick off site preparation for two exciting projects: a new on-site kindergarten and a new soccer pitch.

Our yard space will be reduced during this period, and I am working with affected students to find suitable alternatives in the meantime. Back gate access remains unaffected, and the senior Playground will stay open throughout. The ramp works are also tracking well and are expected to wrap up within the next six weeks.

We are excited about what these projects will mean for our community once complete. As always, thank you for your patience as we work through what is a significant period of development for our school. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Supporting a Focused Learning Environment: Late Arrivals and Early Departures

We value every minute of your child's education and aim to provide a calm, uninterrupted start to the school day. To help us protect this learning time, we have updated our processes for late arrivals and early departures.

Late Arrivals: The Three-Step "Smooth Start" Process

1. Office First: A parent or guardian should always accompany their child to the front office to sign them in. For accuracy and student safety, we ask that parents complete the sign-in process rather than students.
2. Drop and Go: If you wish to walk your child to their classroom, please use our "Drop and Go" approach at the classroom door. This allows your child to join their peers quickly and helps the teacher maintain the momentum of the lesson.
3. Belongings at the Office: If your child has forgotten a hat, drink bottle, or lunch, please leave these at the front office. Our team will ensure items reach your child at a time that does not interrupt their learning.

Early Departures

1. Sign Out: If you need to pick up your child early, please visit the front office to sign them out.
2. Student Meeting Point: Our office staff will call your child to meet you at the office, allowing them to pack up and say goodbye to their teacher without an unscheduled visitor entering the learning space.

These procedures are designed with your child's best interests at heart. By keeping our hallways and classrooms quiet during lesson times, we create an environment where every student can achieve their best.

Annual Report Presentation

Each year we offer community members the opportunity to have our Annual Report presented. This year's presentation of the 2025 Annual Report will take place on Tuesday 9th June at 2:30pm. If you would like to attend, please RSVP via this form.

Statewide Principal Conference

I had the pleasure of attending the Statewide Principal Conference on Thursday and Friday at the Melbourne Convention Centre, alongside approximately 2,800 principal class staff from across Victoria. The conference had a particular focus on ensuring alignment with the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM) 2.0. I found it especially inspiring to attend workshops led by current school leaders who are further along in their work on projects similar to ours, including embedding a knowledge-rich curriculum and a systematic, hierarchical Mathematics curriculum. It was a timely and energising couple of days.

Warm regards,

Tim