STAFF FAREWELLS

It is with gratitude that we say farewell to some of our staff at the end of this year. Cate Bain-Lowry will be on family leave next year, enjoying her bundle of joy with her partner, Neil. Bruce Huynh and Rebecca Rosen are taking a year’s leave to pursue personal goals. Hasnaa Arnolda is also taking a year’s leave to expand her teaching experience at another school. We look forward to welcoming these staff back, upon their return.

Roy Lee, Keanan Van Hees, Sara Rio Del Garcia (Spanish) and Bailey Robinson (ES) have positions at other schools in 2024. We thank them for nurturing and educating our children over the past 12 months. Clodagh Dillon, who has been a wonderful Education Support Officer at SMPPS is returning home to Ireland. We sincerely thank Clodagh for her many years of incredible service to our children. I know that post Covid, we have all taken stock of our lives, hopes and dreams and I wish every staff member the very best, as they embark on their new journeys.

CLASSES FOR 2024

Our teachers are very much looking forward to meeting their classes for next year. The transition day on Tuesday, 12th will provide an opportunity for the children to become familiar with their new learning space and to meet their classmates, along with their teacher. The staff have worked tirelessly to create carefully balanced classes. Please support your child by remaining positive about this opportunity to have a new beginning and to make new friends. On the day, your child will come home with a letter outlining your child’s new teacher and the location of their class. If you are picking them up from school, it would be a great idea to have your child show you where their classroom will be next year.

PARENT/CARER HELPERS MORNING TEA

The room was buzzing on Tuesday with so many parents and caregivers present for our Helpers Morning Tea! Thank you to all those who came along and also to those who have helped over the year but were unable to make the morning. A strong link between home and school contributes to building a strong community here at SMPPS, volunteers are crucial in building this link.

We thank you for your contributions and time as a volunteer in many different aspects of school life. For being part of School Council or sub-committees, helping on excursions, volunteering for the breakfast club, holding a class rep role, volunteering as a Story Dog reader, attending camps, project managing or volunteering at events and contributing to multiple other roles across the school, thank you. You have managed to juggle work and family while contributing to the school and we are grateful for your time and energy.

Thank you for also being wonderful role models for your children. By contributing to the school community, you are modelling how someone can have a positive impact on the community in which they live. A big thank you to Cath Feast for organising the event and to staff for their support.

YEAR BOOK

Unfortunately, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue the Year Book. The decision was not made lightly as we know that some families cherish this as a keepsake. The reasons underpinning the decision include the acknowledgement that barely half of the community ordered the Year Book in 2022; there is inequity in terms of those families who can afford to purchase it and those who cannot; we support our children to use sustainable practices that protect our planet and in contrast, the Year Book requires many pages of paper; the compilation of the Year Book takes Teachers and ES away from teaching and learning, where their focus is on improving student outcomes. I know there will be some disappointed families but I hope you can understand the decision. This year, our Year Sixes are trialing a memory journal which will include photos of their time at SMPPS.

THANK YOU

We have had a wonderful 2023, with so many special moments. Some of the highlights include:

the welcome picnic
our first Athletics Day at Lakeside stadium
Junior school performance
Mothers, Fathers and VIP breakfasts
walk to school breakfast
the walkathon
Disco Bingo
Footy Colours Day
Referendum BBQ
Camp Sunnystones
the incredible Art Show
Art therapy project
Success at interschool sports meets
Student Led conferences
So many achievements in learning, from NAPLAN to maths competitions to achieving individual goals every day in the classroom

I want to thank our hard working and dedicated staff who always keep kids the heart. They really do work tirelessly to be a step ahead in their professional learning and I am so thrilled with the pedagogical development of our teachers in writing this year.

None of this happens without the support of our community. I am very grateful to have such warm and giving families at South Melbourne Park. Given this will be our last newsletter, I would like to take the opportunity to wish you all a wonderful break. We say farewell and good luck to our graduating class next Friday and look forward to welcoming you all back for an exciting 2024.

Nicole Arnold

Principal

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