The Moorabbin Primary School Community touch the land and think of the Bunurong People and surrounding Clans of the Kulin Nation who cared for the land before us.

We share our gratitude to their Elders past, present and emerging.

As we touch this land, we promise to treasure it, taking care of all its people,

animals, plants and waterways.

We at Moorabbin Primary School appreciate this land.

Dear Families and Carers of Moorabbin Primary School,

We started the week with the events out from Bondi which have flooded our TV’s, social media platforms and all the online media outlets these have been deeply distressing and serve as a heartbreaking reminder of how confronting the world can sometimes feel. As parents and carers, it is important to protect children from overexposure to upsetting news, remain present and attentive to their questions and emotions, and offer reassurance and calm.

Maintaining familiar routines while gently acknowledging feelings as they arise helps children feel safe, supported, and secure during difficult times.

I would like to acknowledge one of our wonderful parents, Natalie who messaged me on Tuesday providing this link for our Jewish families who might need to reach out and seek support. Here is the link for those that may wish to contact the organisation for assistance:

Support for Jewish Families

Hatzolah are a Jewish based response team and provide psychological support. Jewish parents may wish to access supports to one-on-one counselling here for themselves of their children here: Free One-on-one Counselling Sessions Tickets, TBA | TryBooking Australia

For all our other families who are trying to make sense of what has occurred and if you are also needing to reach out, please find these links that may support you and your family:

EXTERNAL MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS

Headspace: 1800 650 890

Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636

Congratulations to our Year 4 students and their amazing CULTURAL EXPO!

Our Year 4 students hosted a fantastic Cultural Expo Monday afternoon, welcoming parents and families to celebrate a vibrant showcase of learning from across the term. The event was the culmination of weeks of research, discussion, and creative preparation, with students proudly presenting information about their chosen countries. Dressed in traditional or representative attire, students confidently shared fun facts, cultural insights, and displays that reflected a deep understanding of geography, traditions, and customs from around the world.

The Expo was further enriched by the sharing of food, music, and interactive elements, creating a warm and engaging atmosphere for everyone who attended. Parents were thoroughly impressed by the students’ knowledge, enthusiasm, and presentation skills, and it was wonderful to see the pride students took in their work. The Cultural Expo not only celebrated diversity but also highlighted the value of curiosity, respect, and global awareness, it was an outstanding reflection of the learning and effort our Year 4 students have demonstrated this term. I must say I was a bit biased and spent A LOT of extra time with Sadie and her very informative and “yummy” GREEK presentation!

MPS P&F CO-PRESIDENTS

It is my pleasure to re-introduce you to our 2025 MPS P&F Co-Presidents Natasha and Jasmine. Please consider joining and “putting your hand up” to help when they need volunteers for upcoming events. Right of the mark they have set the first community welcome BBQ for Friday 20th February! Add this to your calendars.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back and introducing our new families to our first gathering in 2026!

FAREWELL TO OUR YEAR 6 STUDENTS WITH AN EMOTIONAL LAST BUDDY SESSION

As we farewell our Year 6 students, we wish each of you every success as you prepare to embark on your Year 7 journey. You leave our school with a strong foundation of learning, friendships, and memories that will stay with you as you take this exciting next step. Be proud of how far you have come, embrace new opportunities with confidence and kindness, and remember that you will always be a valued part of our school community. We look forward to hearing about your achievements and wish you all the very best for the adventures ahead in secondary school.

THE YEAR THAT WAS AND “NOXIA’S WISH LIST FOR 2026

Reflecting on the year that was, we have navigated multiple building projects and complex circumstances, with some members of our staff and community members. Everyone has shown impressive resilience and flexibility throughout the year. With no further projects planned for the coming year, we will have a valuable opportunity to place a clear focus on classroom practice around our teaching and learning models, the reshaping of our intervention and a more robust extension program for those students that are working at least 12-18 months above in the curriculum.

There will be some changes within the Leadership Team, and these new structures will help provide clarity and momentum, particularly as we welcome six new staff. A strong and well considered induction will be provided in setting these staff up for success.

Our continued focus on inclusion will see classroom teachers empowered to enact a strengthened multi-tiered system of support, with an emphasis on improving learning for every student, including high performing students. Our revised approach emphasises learning enhancement rather than remediation and will reflect a positive future direction for the school.

We plan to reintroduce our sustainability units along with gardening and bring back the much loved chickens, our work with the Story Dog foundation will continue to be part of our school, and our teaching staff have been planning units of inquiry with more focus on history, economics and geography to be incorporated into real life expo’s and hands on projects for the students learning.

We are strengthening our student leadership program and as part of student voice, the senior students have been nominating changes that they would like to see in and out of the classroom, in the yard and a relook at the school values. All this work will take place next year.

Our school council always asks me “so what’s on your big-ticket items wish list” for our school. I would like to preface that the Department of Education does not provide any funding for these items and as a Principal there are always items around any school that need to be fixed, repaired, upgraded and we do this via grants when we are successful and through a bit of local lobbying but mostly and unfortunately the funds do come from fundraising efforts within the school to help cover some items.

So, these are on my wish list for 2026, in no particular order:

Painting the inside of the main heritage building
Portable air conditioners for the gymnasium
Upgrade of the senior toilets
Repairing the retaining wall between the basketball court and the front asphalt area
Build a new stage in front of the art room
Repair all the window frames of the heritage building
Resurface the cracks of the paths around the school
Build a chicken coup and raised garden beds

REPORTS: PLEASE DOWNLOAD THEM IF YOU ARE LEAVING OUR COMMUNITY

End of year reports are available to download from Compass. If you are having any issues accessing Compass this is a good time to ring the office so we can assist. If your child is in Year 6 or another year level and you are leaving our school, it is important that you access the reports and download them by Friday. After this day you will no longer have access If you have not been able to do this, please contact the school and we will download the report for you and email it to you.

FAREWELL TO STUDENTS AND FAMILIES MOVING ON FROM MOORABBIN PS

We would like to bid some families a fond farewell who are moving on from Moorabbin PS. As we’ve said in conversation, whilst you may be moving on in purchasing homes elsewhere or deciding upon a sea/tree change, you haven't lost anything but rather are taking with you lifelong friendships and learning growth, that will stay with you in the treasure trove of life for many years to come. We wish you all well as you transition to your new communities.

2026 STAFFING

Last week I shared all our staffing updates with our community. We thank the parents that shared requests with us. Whilst we have read and taken all preferences into consideration when we built classes, we remind parents that not all requests can be met. We thank you for your understanding and remind you that as classes have now been developed, we won’t be taking any further requests.

We would like to thank staff members who are taking leave for 2026. We have shared the news about each staff member in earlier newsletters and today we will acknowledge them in our final meeting where we will bid them a fond farewell!

THE YEAR THAT WAS

It has certainly been a big year at MPS and a most successful one, I believe. Highlights have been many with the concert in Term 3, the incursions and excursions, the swimming program, our grandparent’s afternoon and the opening of our new Gym as a key highlight. We continue to sustain and grow our school numbers peaking 561 for 2026, the grounds continue to be enhanced after the capital works program with the build of our new gymnasium and holiday works on the roof of the heritage building and the restumping of the main office area.

We continue to have stable leadership and staffing along with a number of other student successes, measured by successful school camps for Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 along with individual and team successes in the various sporting activities we participated in including at state level. Our SEL program continues to define the tone and ‘vibe’ of the school as our students live the school values and continuing to learn what it means to show kindness on a daily basis.

As we approach the finish line of the 2026 school year, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for what has been an extraordinary year. We are incredibly proud of ALL community members and our collective tremendous efforts in supporting one another throughout the year.

To our students, the word proud doesn’t seem to cut it! We applaud you and thank you for your focus, efforts and responsibility in your learning. We have no doubt that you have learnt life lessons that will continue to serve you and inspire your identity and education for years to come.

To our parents, thank you for your partnership this year once again along with your assistance and support it is very much appreciated. We cannot underestimate the impact you have on our students, your children, and our school, as a whole. Your contribution to our school in your support, time and heart, is invaluable and assists in strengthening our wonderful Moorabbin culture.

To our School Councillors we thank you in abundance for your support in school governance across Education and Policy, Finance, and Buildings and Grounds. All students, staff members and parents benefit enormously from your leadership and contribution.

We thank the P&F volunteers for their support and contribution across the 2025 school year in bringing people together, inspiring a sense of fun amongst our students and also in strengthening our community.

To our ES staff in the classrooms, your focus on supporting our students has been inspiring. The learning and wellbeing support that you provide is truly appreciated by students, parents and teachers. Your tireless dedication in ensuring that all students feel comfortable and confident in the classroom and yard, is inspiring. You are very appreciated.

To our staff in the office, your dedication to the little and big people of Moorabbin is much appreciated. The way you offer support, encouragement and compassion in answering the phones, greeting families at the gates and doors, caring for children, staff and parents, processing payments, providing information, supporting ICT infrastructure, and basically in ensuring that the engine room of Moorabbin PS runs smoothly is an invaluable asset to the MPS community.

To our teachers, how do we begin to thank you for your awe-inspiring efforts, engaging lessons, and in nurturing the special relationships that you have built which has taken our students from strength to strength. You inspired compassion, empathy and understanding and you have supported our students to thrive as learners and as people. You are the true heroes of education and your impact on our students will endure forevermore.

To the leaders - thank you for your courageous leadership in focusing on the wellbeing and learning of all Moorabbin Primary School community members. For every decision, meeting, phone call, email, presentation, letter, card, lesson, timetable, newsletter, smile… we thank you.

We understand that the strong culture that exists at Moorabbin Primary School does not occur by accident, instead by a collective sense of moral purpose and collective efficacy. Our MPS team has certainly demonstrated the power of the MPS values and have worked tirelessly to give students opportunities and choices in learning, and in life. We well and truly live our mission of empowering all students to learn at high levels, to become successful, independent, lifelong learners. We are proud of each one of our community members and look forward to welcoming you back in 2025 for a great year of learning.

I’m sure we are all looking forward to some rest and opportunity to enjoy the company of family and friends over the Christmas and New Year break. On behalf of the staff and school community I wish everyone a safe and restful Christmas and New Year and look forward to seeing everyone renewed, refreshed and reinvigorated in 2026!!

Start of school year important dates for you, our foundation students will have a staggered start to the school year:

Week 1 of Term 1

Monday 26th January- Public Holiday
Tuesday 27th January- Curriculum Day- No students onsite- Team kids will be providing care for families that require it for this day
Wednesday 28th January- Curriculum Day- No students onsite- Team kids will be providing care for families that require it for this day
Thursday 29th January- First day for students in Years 1-6 (Foundation students being tested- foundation students not formally starting yet)
Friday 30th January- Second day for students in Years 1-6 (Foundation students being tested foundation students not formally starting yet)

Week 2 of Term 1

Monday 2nd February- FIRST FULL DAY FOR ALL FOUNDATION STUDENTS and students in years 1-6
Tuesday 3rd February- SECOND FULL DAY FOR ALL FOUNDATION STUDENTS and students in years 1-6
Wednesday 4th February- (Foundation students being tested, only students that are booked for testing to be onsite) and students in years 1-6
Thursday 5th February- THIRD FULL DAY FOR ALL FOUNDATION STUDENTS and students in years 1-6
Friday 6th February- FOURTH FULL DAY FOR ALL FOUNDATION STUDENTS and students in years 1-6

Week 3 of Term 1

Monday 19th February- FULL DAY FOR ALL FOUNDATION STUDENTS and students in years 1-6
Tuesday 10th February- FULL DAY FOR ALL FOUNDATION STUDENTS and students in years 1-6
Wednesday 11th February- (Foundation students being tested, only students that are booked for testing to be onsite) and students in years 1-6
Thursday 12th February- FULL DAY FOR ALL FOUNDATION STUDENTS and students in years 1-6
Friday 13th February- FULL DAY FOR ALL FOUNDATION STUDENTS and students in years 1-6

Scheduled Curriculum days

27th January Tuesday- staff induction- Curriculum Day 1
28th January Wednesday- staff induction- Curriculum Day 2
5th June Friday -Report writing day- Curriculum Day 3
2nd November Monday- Professional Practice Day- No students onsite
18th December- Friday Planning for 2027- Curriculum Day 4

Term dates for 2026

School Usual Start and End Times

Start: 9.00

End: 3.30pm

Term 1 – Start and End Date and Time

Start: 29th Jan first day of school year for students

End: 2nd of April finish 2.30pm

Term 2 – Start and End Date and Time

Start: 20th April

End: 26th June finish 2.30pm

Term 3 – Start and End Date and Time

Start: 13th July

End: 18th September finish 2.30pm

Term 4 – Start and End Date and Time

Start: 5th October

End: 17th December finish at 1.30pm

18th December- curriculum day 4

Have a wonderful holiday break,

Noxia Angelides

Principal

Moorabbin Primary School

'the place to excel'

Issue 37 · 18 Dec 2025

In this issue