Dear Families,

At this time of the year, all schools are busy finalising their workforce structure for the following year.

Unlike previous years, this year has been particularly difficult due to the significant teacher shortage currently impacting the Education sector.

I’m pleased to share that although a couple of staff will be moving on to other DET locations, closer to their homes, we have almost finalised our 2023 staff plan and have all teaching staff now in place.

Class lists are now finalised – no changes will be made. Our aim is to create balanced and supported classrooms that nurture learning and wellbeing and provide the conditions for your child to feel connected. The best way for students to feel a sense of belonging is to encourage and promote greater friendship connections amongst their peer group – this occurs beautifully when children have the opportunity to learn with different students in their new classroom communities at the commencement of each school year.

Your child’s friendship requests have been considered, with at least one friend guaranteed to be placed in their class. Teacher recommendations and guidance strongly influence groupings – our educators are best placed to understand your child’s social, emotional and academic needs and their input holds significant weight. Information provided by parents has also been received and will be taken into consideration when placing your child.

On Thursday 14 December 2022, students spent a session for ‘STEP UP’ in their 2023 classes, meeting their new teacher/s, getting to know their peers and familiarising themselves with the classroom they will be learning in.

Grade	Teacher/s	Room
PA	Ashley REYNOLDS	3
PB	Chiara MCKAY	2
PC	Kat RICHARDSON/Diana POLAZZON	1
12A	Emily ROUTLEY	5
12B	Mark TURNER	6
12C	Heba MAAFA	7
12D	Carla ASTA	8
3A	Shane PENHALL	20
3B	Kathy GARITA	19
3C	Jessica IOVANNELLA/Khalad KARIM	18
4A	Sylvana AWADA	21
4B	Tiana ELIA	22
4C	Antonio STERICH	24
5A	Mikala HUNTER	11
5B	Andrea JOANNIDIS	12
5C	Andy URBANCIC	13
6A	Tan LY	14
6B	Grace ROSELLA	15
6C	Bianca LARUBINA	16

Here’s an update of some staffing changes to expect in 2023…

Lisa Edwards-Loach – After 19 years at Roxburgh Park Primary School, Lisa Edwards-Loach will be transferring to a school in Melbourne's West in 2023. We would like to acknowledge the years of service at Roxburgh Park Primary School and her incredible versatility and willingness to support your children and our school and her leadership in the literacy space. On behalf of the students, staff and our families, we would like to wish Lisa every success in her new school setting.

Sandra (crossing Lady) - On Tuesday we officially say goodbye to Sandra. She has been greeting and keeping our school community safe for over 10 years. Always with a smile rain, hail or shine! Sandra you will be missed and we wish you all the best in your retirement and cannot wait to see where life takes you in this next chapter of your life.

Jessica Baido - Congratulations to Jessica Baido who has been once again appointed to the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader position at Roxburgh Park PS. Ms. Baido will continue to work with our Wellbeing Team and will be responsible for the whole-school implementation of the Social and Emotional Learning curriculum across P-6. Ms. Baido will also participate in the student wellbeing support group meetings, assist with the creation of wellbeing plans, and connect families to external services if applicable.

Kerrie Passmore - After stepping into the Grade 12E classroom in 2022 Mrs Passmore will be working as our intervention teacher in 2023. She will work alongside Ms Fitzpatrick to support our Tier 2 Intervention approach which will include small-group sessions focused on Literacy and Numeracy skills.

Vesna Monsone and Bianca Janakievski - After sharing a class in grade 3 this year both Vesna and Biance will both be taking a break from teaching at Roxburgh Park Primary School to focus on family and pursue new adventures in 2023 . We wish them all the best and look forward to their return in 2024.

Melissa Akbay - I would like to congratulate Melissa on her appointment to an ongoing ES position at a Broadmeadows Primary school. We'd like to thank Melissa for her work at Roxburgh Park PS, her commitment to our students and school community.

Grace Rosella - After a year of traveling and doing some CRT work at the school this term, Ms Rosella is back to a full-time work fraction and will be teaching in grade 6. We are excited to have Ms Rosella back.

Nadia McComb - Congratulations to Nadia who has been appointed to the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader position at Broadmeadows Valley Primary School. Nadia has done such an amazing job as our Community Hub coordinator, servicing and supporting our families through the various activities and celebrations run through the hub. We wish Nadia all the best in her new role.

We would like to welcome the following new staff members to the Roxburgh Park Primary:

Jessica Iovannella - Jessica is an experienced teacher who joins us from Dallas Brooks Community Primary School. She will be working part time and sharing a class with Mr Karim in grade 3. I speak on behalf of our school community in welcoming her and look forward to her valued contributions in the classroom.

Antonio Sterich - Antonio is another highly experienced teacher who has been working at Roxburgh Park Primary School in Term 4 as a CRT. We are excited to welcome him to our teaching staff in 2023. He will be working full time in grade 4.

Heba Maafa and Chiara McKay - Both Heba and Chiara are new to the teaching profession, and we look forward to supporting them in developing their knowledge on the art and science of teaching and as members of our professional learning community.

Donna Sekulovski - An Education Support staff member who will be working to support our students' academic, engagement and wellbeing. Currently working at Roxburgh College she brings a range of skills from previous settings to her new school at Roxburgh Park Primary.

Alaa Tebeileh - We would like to welcome Alaa as our new community hub coordinator. Many may already know Alaa who has already been working closley with our community as the english language teacher in the hub. We know Alaa will continue to build strong relationships with our families.

Specialist Offerings:

We are excited to announce that in 2023 we will be providing the following specialist subjects. Students will participate in one 50-minute session a week for each subject.

Italian - Massimo Palombo
STEM - Tony Faltiska
Visual Arts - Rosie Borg, Beth Popovic & Massimo Palombo
Performing Arts - Beth Popovic
Physical Education - Ryan Smith

Happy Holidays

We would like to take the opportunity to congratulate all our students and families for making it through another wonderful year. We have made it through a full year without disruptions to our teaching and learning. Students have been able to reconnect with their friends and teachers, embrace the learning to grow and develop to their full potential. Despite the disruptions of the previous 2 years with COVID our students and teachers have proven to be resilient, resourceful in the pursuit of personal growth.

We wish all our families a restful and relaxing holiday season and look forward to seeing everyone fresh and ready for a great year ahead in 2023.

Happy Holidays and enjoy your break.

Community Hub

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