From the  Principal 

WELCOME BACK TO 2026!

We are thrilled to welcome all our students, families, and staff back to school for what promises to be an exciting and rewarding year! The smiles and happy faces on day one set the ‘perfect tone’, and we’ve enjoyed a smooth transition into the new school year. Our teachers have returned refreshed, prepared, and excited to support every student with their learning and achievement.

Our Prep students are involved in a Department mandated testing process. Their official start date at CPS is Friday 6th February. We can’t wait to greet them.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

To kick off the year, staff participated in two days of professional learning. Together, we explored key areas to ensure a strong and focused start: Classroom Mastery - we reaffirmed the importance of whole-school routines that underpin both student wellbeing and achievement.

CPS Ready to Learn - as part of Goal 1 in our Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) — Maximising learning outcomes in literacy and numeracy for every student — we introduced the CPS Ready to Learn. This resource, being created by our School Improvement team, establishes consistent teaching practices across the school pertaining to the Behavioural Curriculum.

We are proud of the incredible effort and energy from our staff in preparing for the year ahead, and we can’t wait to see all that our students will learn and accomplish in 2026!

CLASSROOM MASTERY

Why are we introducing it?

Research and practical experience show that predictable, consistent routines significantly improve student engagement and wellbeing. When students know what to do and understand behavioural expectations, classrooms are calmer, disruptions are fewer and learning time increases. Classroom Mastery also supports teachers by giving them simple, repeatable routines and a shared language for positive behaviour and clear instruction.

What will this look like at our school? 

 Over the coming months, you may notice:

●     Clear routines for entering and exiting classrooms, participating in lessons, and transitions between activities.

●     Common language and expectations used by all teachers to ensure consistency and fairness.

●     Teacher coaching and feedback, helping staff embed routines in a sustainable way.

●     A focus on wellbeing and belonging, helping all students feel safe, included, and respected.

How it benefits your child 

Students will experience classrooms that are more orderly, predictable, and focused on learning. This means more time for learning and fewer disruptions, helping students build responsibility, attention, and confidence. Classroom Mastery is especially supportive of students with diverse needs, as consistent routines and clear expectations help everyone succeed.

What does this mean for our parent community?

To help our students begin each day calm, confident, and ready to learn, we have a clear and consistent morning entry routine. At Carnegie, we have  a soft start. Students are asked to put their bags in roll order outside the classroom (if time permits). Music starts at 8.55am, this signals for the students to line up at their entry point and their teacher will greet them there. Students observe the ‘do now’ routine that is displayed on the board

To maintain this smooth start, the morning entry time is not an opportunity for parents to speak with the teacher. If you need to pass on information or arrange a conversation, please send an email and your child’s teacher will respond as soon as they can.

At the end of the day, teachers will be farewelling students and are available for a brief chat if needed. If a longer conversation is required, you’re welcome to email your child’s teacher to arrange a suitable time.

Thank you for your support in helping us create a calm, consistent and focused start and finish to each school day.

MHiP Role (Mental Health in Primary Schools)

We’ve appointed Janette Taylor this year to work in the Mental Health and Wellbeing lead role (MHWL) - a government initiative to support  teachers to implement student well being in schools. It will afford privileged time for Janette to plan, liaise and develop whole school consistent approaches at Carnegie Primary School. 

Amanda Miller (AP), Janette Taylor (MHWL)  and I attended the initial induction that outlined the program and the importance of leadership support to drive the practices across the school.

We will be attending a 3 hour online workshop and two further in person days to ensure a comprehensive understanding of mental health literacy.

Janette Taylor will be responsible for providing professional learning to our staff to effectively and collectively support our students.

Connection will be a core component to the role and developing relationships with students and families will be paramount to the success of the initiative.

The role is not a clinical one. We have our school psychologist, Dana Santon, 2 days a week to support this need.

We will share more about the Mental Health initiative once learning has been completed. I look forward to Janette sharing with the community throughout the term.

ANNUAL PRIVACY REMINDER FOR OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ privacy policy and the Schools’ privacy collection notice.

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students policy describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn.

We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use Google Workspace for Education safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using Google Workspace for Education, please contact the school.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ privacy policy: information for parents. This information is also available in eleven community languages:

·         Amharic

·         Arabic

·         Chinese

·         Dari

·         Gujarati

·         Mandarin

·         Somali

·         Sudanese

·         Turkish

·         Urdu

·         Vietnamese

Warm Regards,

Karen Roberts

Principal 

Respect, Resilience, Curiosity,  Integrity