Principal's News

Dear Clayton North Primary School Community

This is the final newsletter for Term 4 and for 2025! 

We are heading into the final two weeks of school, and it is full steam ahead for students and for staff. 

Teachers are busy reading and checking student reports; Semester 2 reports will be accessible in Compass from Monday 15th December. The report includes key progress that students have made during the second semester and specific areas of focus for their continued development. Please contact the school if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child's report.

Year 6 families – please ensure that your child’s reports are downloaded and printed for your records. Once the school year ends, your child’s profile will be removed from the school portal. You will not be able to access reports and information after 19th December.

Whole School Transition Program

Our Prep Transition Program has seen our newest students and their families participating in two 1-hour transition sessions run by our specialist teachers, and a half-day session earlier this week with their 2026 Prep teachers. It was great to see so many children attend the transition days. They left with big smiles and their orange show bags with plenty of goodies and creations from the classes they attended.

While the children were meeting with teachers and engaging in activities, parents attended an information session with me to understand school procedures and expectations. There were many good questions and parents were eager to be involved with the school. I am looking forward to working with the new families in 2026.

Our students in Prep to Year 5 have had their first transition session this week, with two further sessions in the final weeks. These initial transition sessions will help teachers in forming appropriate groups that support positive student learning. All students will meet with their 2026 classroom teacher and classmates on Friday morning in Week 11. 

2026 Staff Profile

I am very pleased to inform the community that we will continue into next year with all our current staff, with the exception of Radhika, who will be taking 12 months leave in 2026. Jack will be returning as a Year 1/2 classroom teacher. And, Jake will be joining CNPS as the new Assistant Pricipal.

2026 Class Structure

Having finalised our enrolments for next year, we will remain with 10 classes:

Foundation - 2 class  

Year 1/2 - 3 classes 

Year 3/4 - 3 classes  

Year 5/6 - 2 classes 

Our 4 Specialist classes are Visual Arts, Physical Education, Performing Arts, and Japanese. 

Higher Expectations

Over the last six months, Josie, Manpreet, Jake and I were enrolled in a department professional learning – Leading School Improvement – to support us in working to implement improvement strategies that will result in improved student outcomes. Having completed this professional learning program, we have identified key focus areas for action involving students, staff and parents.

Pamela Macklin and Vic Zbar, authors of Driving School Improvement, have put together a systematic set of ideas and tools to assess and improve schools. Every child deserves a high quality of education regardless of their postcode, and as the leadership team at CNPS, this is the motivation, the reason for doing what we do, and for our plans moving forward.    

Macklin and Zbar’s framework lay out three critical conditions for success: preconditions, building teacher capacity and improving classroom practice. The preconditions are the foundations to support the change journey for schools. 

Preconditions for school improvement

• Leadership: Strong, committed leadership is the foundation for improvement, with leaders setting clear goals and driving the process forward.

• High expectations: There must be high expectations for both students' behaviour and academic performance, as well as for staff's professional practice.

• Orderly learning environment: An environment where students are well-known and feel safe, with clear rules and structure, is crucial for effective learning.

• Effective structure and curriculum:

  • Prioritize foundational skills: Lessons should begin with basic skills before progressing to more complex tasks.

  • Gradual progression: New skills should be introduced one at a time, ensuring the student is comfortable before moving on.

  • "First things first": The school should focus on getting the necessary preconditions and foundational elements in place before moving to more advanced strategies.

• Commitment to change: The school leadership and staff must be committed to the new priorities and persevere through challenges. 

Looking back over the last two years, we have raised expectations regarding uniform, attendance and punctuality. As we head into 2026, we seek your support with the following:

• Our new Foundation students wearing uniform with our new school logo. 

• Being across communication via Compass, including meeting deadlines for event consent. Seesaw will no longer be a communication platform at CNPS.

• Requests in writing at least one week prior, seeking school’s permission for extended holidays/absence. 

• Black school shoes or plain black runners. Addendum to the Uniform Policy, which was ratified at the last School Council meeting.

Support for Families

To support families meet these higherexpectations, here are some measures that we will commit to:

• A parent portal in Compass providing access to resources and information specific to our school, for example, reading/writing/numeracy strategies and instructions for Compass modules.

• Mental health & wellbeing – school subscription, providing access to strategies, resources, information and articles from leading specialists.

• Regular opportunities to provide feedback and engage in topic discussions, for example, confidence and motivation, managing screen time.

Staff, Students, Families 2026

In addition to the new team structure for 2026, teachers have nominated to take on additional roles and responsibilities in line with their teaching experience. Roles include coordinating Student Leadership/SRC, Sustainability, Community Engagement, Lunchtime Clubs. Sharing these responsibilities across the school will enable successful achievement of multiple targets.

Similarly, we want to offer opportunities for student voice through a Principal’s Advisory Group (PAG), and a Student Representative Council (SRC), both of which provide avenues for students to have a say. Each of PAG and SRC will have representation from across the school. We also want to prioritise regular student focus groups to better understand student needs and commit to conducting student surveys for feedback on what’s working well and where we can do better.

So, yes, we have lofty goals and aspirations for the coming years, and achieving them will only be possible with your partnership and support, which I am confident we have.

Covered Outdoor Learning Area (COLA)

I am thrilled to inform you that a deposit has been paid for the school-funded construction of the COLA over the tennis courts! Based on current timelines for acquisition of materials, we expect that this addition to our facilities will be ready for the start of Term 2. We are eagerly looking forward to having a large, covered area to do sport and run events.

Thank you and congratulations to all staff, students and families for your participation and contribution to Clayton North's success in 2025! I take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday!

Sue Simadri