Principals Message

Principal’s Message – January 2026

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to the 2026 school year. I hope you and your children have enjoyed a well-deserved break and had time to rest, recharge, and spend time together. We are very much looking forward to welcoming students in Years 1–6 back to school on Wednesday 28 January, and our Foundation students on Thursday 29 January.

A very warm welcome to the many new students and families joining our community this year. We are delighted to have you at Trafalgar Primary School and look forward to getting to know you. It was wonderful to meet many of our new families during orientation, and we are excited to continue building those connections.

This January newsletter includes important information about the daily operation of the school. Please take some time to revisit bell times, attendance expectations, uniform requirements, and key procedures, as these help ensure a smooth and positive start to the year for all students.

This year, we are strengthening our whole-school approach to routines and behaviour, informed by the work of Tom Bennett and aligned with our revised School Rules. These routines will be explicitly taught, practised, and reinforced across classrooms and learning spaces.

Our aim is to create calm, orderly environments where students know exactly what is expected of them and can focus their energy on learning. This work directly supports our school values of Be Safe, Be Respectful, and Be a Learner, and helps ensure students experience consistency no matter where they are in the school.

High-Quality Teaching and Instructional Coaching

Exceptional teaching remains at the heart of Trafalgar Primary School. In 2026, our teachers will continue to refine their instructional practice to ensure lessons are clear, engaging, and responsive to student needs.

We are pleased to share that Kay Baughurst and Megan Waters will be working as Learning Specialists and Instructional Coaches, supporting teachers through observation, feedback, modelling, and collaborative planning. Their role is to strengthen teaching practice across the school so that every student benefits from high-quality, evidence-based instruction every day.

Knowledge-Building Curriculum

A key focus for 2026 is the continued implementation of our knowledge-building curriculum. Research tells us that children learn best when they steadily build knowledge across a wide range of topics. By learning a little about a lot, students develop strong background knowledge, richer vocabulary, and a deeper understanding of the world around them. This knowledge then makes reading, writing, and problem-solving easier and more meaningful over time.

Our curriculum is carefully sequenced so that new learning connects to what students already know. In literacy, this includes the continued use of Orton-Gillingham phonics and morphology, ensuring students can confidently decode, read, and understand increasingly complex texts. In mathematics, our scope and sequence supports students to build secure understanding of key concepts step by step.

By building knowledge systematically over time, we are giving students the tools they need to succeed academically, think critically, and approach new learning with confidence.

We are excited about the year ahead and deeply appreciate the partnership we share with families. Together, we can ensure 2026 is a year where students feel safe, supported, challenged, and proud of their learning.

We look forward to seeing you all very soon.

Sincerely,

Cameron Nicholls

Principal

Trafalgar Primary School