Principal's Blog

Good Afternoon Parents Students, Staff and Friends of Derinya,  

There is a beautiful sense of excitement and celebration filling the school at the moment with students engaging in their end of year celebrations.  

Human Powered Vehicles (HPV) 

It is with great pride that I share our HPV teams placed 1st, 5th and 8th respectively in the HPV competition held at Maryborough in November. This was an outstanding achievement amongst a large and competitive field. Most pleasing was the students conduct sportsmanship and camaraderie throughout the whole competition including preparation, fundraising and performance on the day of the big event! Many thanks must go to the incredible parents for their support and hard work, Mr Williams and Mrs Stevens for their incredible coaching and Mr Wylie for his passion, enthusiasm and leadership in bringing this experience to fruition for the students.  

Cultural Appreciation Day 

Well done to our incredible Year 4 students. This year’s Cultural Appreciation Day was certainly an outstanding event. The students showcased their hard work and incredible learning that had been part of this term’s inquiry unit. Well done to our year 4 teachers and families who came along to share in the fun! 

Staffing news  

Next year Miss Chelsea Morris and Ms Michelle Sands will be taking a year of leave. We are very excited for Mrs Baltas, Ms Catterick and Mrs Toman who will all be welcoming a new addition to their families early next year. Mrs Toman will finish up on the first day of 2026, with Mrs Baltas and Ms Catterick supporting our tutoring program in Term 1 before commencing family leave.   Alongside earlier staffing announcements, next year we welcome Ms Lisa Fennessy to the team. Please see below Lisa’s letter of introduction.  

  My name is Lisa Fennessy and I’m excited to be joining the Derinya community in 2026!

I love spending time with my friends and family, especially when it involves the beach, bike riding, camping or anything that gets me out into nature. My favourite colour is blue, I’m a big fan of authentic Italian food, and I’ll always choose something savoury over sweet!

When I’m not reading or practising mindfulness, you’ll usually find me out and about with my two kiddos and my cheeky Labradoodle, Maisie.

At school, I’m passionate about building strong relationships, playing fun maths games, reading great books, learning alongside my students and creating a positive, engaging environment.

I can’t wait to meet you all and be part of the wonderful Derinya community!

Step Up Day  

Next Tuesday is Statewide Transition Day. Our Year 6 students will spend the day at their respective secondary schools whilst we prepare for the commencement of 2025. All class placements have now been finalised in preparation for step up day where students will meet their new teacher and their classmates for the year ahead. Please know that staff spend many hours considering the placement of each individual student. Your support around transition is appreciated.  

Christmas Breakfast 

Tomorrow, we come together to celebrate our Christmas Breakfast. A reminder to bring along a gift for a child less fortunate of a similar age to yours. Egg and bacon rolls, pancakes and fruit will be provided for the children from 8am. Wearing a touch of Christmas along with school uniform is optional. I look forward to seeing everyone at what is always a very special event.  

Wishing everyone a fantastic weekend ahead and a fabulous final two weeks of the school year. 

Kind Regards,  

Nadine Pye on behalf of the Derinya team.