From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome to the start of an exciting new year at Clayfield College. As we return to the anticipation of a new year, the possibilities that await and the shared purpose of learning, I extend a warm welcome to all our families, both returning and new. At the time of writing, we have 139 new students joining us in Term 1, including for the first time, three streams commencing in Year 6. This marks another exciting chapter for our school community, as we continue our journey of transforming the College into a Pre-Prep to Year 12 co-educational school. In 2026 our co-educational offering now extends to Year 10. There are some wonderful and unique opportunities as we approach the College’s 100th birthday in 2031 to collaboratively develop our thriving future and celebrate our vibrant and rich history of educating young minds.

2026 Guiding Theme

This year, our guiding theme is Keep on getting stronger - Keep on getting wiser. This theme reflects the strength we share as a learning community when we work in true partnership to create an environment where every student is known, valued and understood. It reminds us that growth happens when we are courageous enough to work together as Team Clayfield, remaining open‑minded as we seek solutions, viewing mistakes as opportunities to learn, and ensuring students sit at the centre of every decision we make. By drawing on our collective experience, insight and compassion, we continue to help each other grow stronger and wiser each day.

2026 Senior Leadership Team

I am delighted to extend a warm welcome to Mr Damien Marshall (Director of Junior School), Mrs Natasha Podoliak (Director of Senior School) and Mr Andrew Hines (Director of Corporate Services) who join our Senior Leadership Team in 2026. Please join me in welcoming these new members of our community who bring a breadth and depth of educational, business and leadership experience that will enrich our school community and education offerings. There will be several opportunities in the coming weeks for you to meet and hear more from Damien, Natasha and Andrew.

Campus Enhancements

During the holiday period, we have made significant progress in enhancing our campus facilities to support your child’s learning journey. Among the capital works projects are:

Completion of the of Foundation Courtyard refurbishment and new picnic furniture in the Tuckshop Courtyard.
The creation within existing spaces of an additional of two new classrooms (PE Centre and LRC) to support our growing enrolments.
Numerous renovations across the campus including significant painting and landscaping of the Main Building, installation of electronic doors to enhance College security (Main Building and Junior School Reception), and significant upgrades to the electrical switchboards and fire/evacuation systems across the campus.
Final installation of four drinking fountains which were paid for by the P&F Association.
Ongoing classroom upgrades including the replacement of 14 interactive LCD panels in Junior and Middle School classrooms and upgraded fibre optic cabling in the Chapel and Gregery Street classrooms.
Deployment of 100 iPads and implementation of a new Apple Management Platform as we prepare for the first phase of the 1:1 learning trial which will commence in the Junior School in Term 1.

These improvements reflect our commitment to providing the best possible environment for our students to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

Community Connection

As we embark on this new year together, I encourage us all to embrace the courageous and collaborative spirit of our 2026 theme, as we work in partnership to support our students to dream, explore and shine. Thank you for your ongoing partnership in fostering a school culture where every child feels valued, known and understood and empowered to succeed.

I look forward to connecting with you throughout the year and hope you can join us at our first community events, the P&F Boarders' Welcome (new families) on Monday 26 January and our P&F Welcome Evening on Friday 6 February. You can find out more about these events within the Upcoming Events section of this communication.

Warm regards

Dr Andrew Cousins

Principal