Leadership @ MPS

Staffing Updates 👥✨

Following recent recruitment processes, I am very proud to officially congratulate Ady Wall on her appointment as our substantive Assistant Principal. Ady is a long-term staff member who capably acted in the role during the first half of the year and we are thrilled to now have her in the position on an ongoing basis.

We also wish a fond farewell to Rachel Wong, who will be finishing up at the end of this term as she begins maternity leave. We wish her all the very best for the safe and happy arrival of her little girl in the coming weeks. At the same time, we are very pleased to officially welcome Janelle Moran, who will replace Rachel for the second half of the year. Janelle is already familiar with the class and cohort after working in 3W throughout Semester One and will teach Monday to Wednesday and Friday, with Kristie Morrison taking the class on Thursdays following her recent return from maternity leave. 

Both appointments place us in a strong position to continue our school direction while ensuring stability and continuity for students and staff.

OSHC Tender Process Update 🏫📋

Camp Australia’s current contract for our Out of School Hours Care program concludes at the end of this year. School Council, which is responsible for overseeing and approving arrangements of this nature, has determined that we will undertake a formal tender process to identify a provider for 2027 and beyond. 

As part of this work, I’m keen to hear from families who regularly use the program about what they value and what matters most in an OSHC service. While I have a strong sense of this through conversations, feedback and experience over time, I would welcome the opportunity to gather this more formally. Please feel free to email me or have a chat in the yard if you’d like to share your thoughts.

Comedy Night 🎤😂

Thank you to all of our community members who came along and supported the school at this very fun and memorable event. The night was full of laughter, great community spirit and a genuine sense of excitement from start to finish. With some final accounting still to be completed, the school is likely to raise approximately $20,000 which will go directly towards our oval upgrade fund to help offset the cost of this important project.

There are a few very well-deserved acknowledgements. A huge thank you to Chloe Jeffers (mum of Hamish, 4P) for organising the outstanding and side-splitting comedic talent. It is fantastic to have a community member with expertise in this space and access to such high-quality performers. 

We would also like to sincerely thank Michelle and Ali in the office. Coordinating an event of this scale is no small task and they both worked tirelessly in the lead up to, and across the evening of, the event. We are incredibly grateful to them both. 

Please enjoy some photos below, including crowd favourite Bron Lewis in action.

Mobile Phones and Smart Watches at School📱🔒

We would like to remind families of our school’s Mobile Phone Policy and outline a small but important clarification that will be implemented from next term. A link to the full policy is below.

As part of our ongoing commitment to student wellbeing, learning focus and safety, teachers will continue to collect mobile phones at the beginning of the school day and store them securely. These devices are returned to students at the end of the school day.

In addition, smart watches that connect to, or have similar functionality to, a mobile phone will now be treated in the same way. This means they will also be collected by teachers in the morning and securely stored for the duration of the school day, before being returned at dismissal. This process will be implemented from Term 3. We wanted to provide families with advance notice so students can be prepared for this change.

Teachers have been speaking with students about this process and the expectations around devices at school. We would greatly appreciate families reinforcing the same message at home, so that students are clear about requirements and confident about what to expect each day.

Free Little Angler Kits for Grade 5 Students 🎣🐟

Grade 5 students will have the opportunity to receive a free 'Little Angler Kit' later this year as part of a Victorian Government program encouraging children to get outdoors and try fishing. The kits will be distributed in August 2026, ready for the September school holidays, and include a rod, reel, tackle and simple instructions—providing a low-cost family activity close to home. 

Students will bring the kits home from school once they arrive, with clear safety messaging that they should only be opened under adult supervision. Further guidance on safe and responsible fishing will also be available online to support families who wish to take part.

2027 Foundation Enrolments 🎒🏫

A reminder to current families that enrolment requests for Foundation 2027 are now being accepted at the school office. This is particularly relevant for families with younger siblings starting school, or for those who have friends or neighbours beginning their school journey in 2027. The school would appreciate your support in helping to spread the word.