Dear Parents,

Thank you!

As I reflect on my time at Macedon Primary School I am filled with gratitude to the staff, parents and our wonderful students.

I am so proud of our students, this school has a genuine and nurturing soul and the students are at the centre of that. It’s so heartwarming to see how they support each other in the yard, encourage each other at our whole school events like orienteering, cross country and tabloid sports. At times, we have our challenges and differences in the yard and classrooms between students, but they are worked through with humility and a genuine understanding of what it takes to live in a strong community. I congratulate them on their commitment to the education and being good citizens. I will always remember the way the students here stop, look you in the eye, and say hello and ask you how you are. More often than not they ask if they can help you out. It’s a testament to how they are parented and the community culture our school has.

To the staff, thank you for your tireless effort. To be a teacher and to be the leader of a classroom, with 24 -27 students, each with their individual needs, personalities and things that make them tick is complex work in a dynamic human centred environment. Sprinkle that with the expectations to work hard on school improvement initiatives, other school priorities, organise camps and excursions, counsel students, mediate student conflict and support families and parents it can feel overwhelming. With that said, we often live out the paradox whereby our lives are full of stress, fatigue and hard work, yet when we’re doing it well and part of a strong team, we benefit from huge job satisfaction and personal nourishment. The Macedon staff take their jobs very seriously, work hard and it is a fantastic team. I want to thank them all.

Thank you to the ongoing commitment to all of our parents and carers. Your children are our greatest source of joy and we take great pride in working with you to provide the best possible learning opportunities for them. Thank you to everyone who has contributed time to volunteer at school, read with their children, battled through maths problems on the kitchen table, purchased raffle tickets, cooked sausages, ran a Landcare session, helped out at winter solstice (often with freezing toes), attended a camp or excursion or any of the other countless jobs you do to bring up your children well in our busy and complex 2023 world.

Finally, thank you, thank you, thank you. To have served as the Macedon Primary School principal has been an incredible privilege. It’s a job that I have relished. It has stretched me to my capacity and beyond (uncomfortably so at times), and has enriched my life enormously and for that I feel grateful. I trust that the school is in good hands and will continue to succeed and be an amazing place for children to learn.

Have a great Christmas and see you around town.

Matt

P.S If you would like to view the wonderful farewell video produced by Blake Byron-Smith, please click on the link https://vimeo.com/894369093?share=copy

password: mps2023

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