Principal's report

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung People of the Kulin nation; past, present and those who will walk with us into the future. We acknowledge the rich and unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas, educational practices and the hopes of all First Nations Peoples. We do this in the spirit of reconciliation as we move to a place of justice and partnership - together we work, learn, play and care for one another and this land.

Vale Pete Wirth

It was with such great sadness this week that we heard of the passing of our former crossing guard Pete Wirth.

Pete was, and always will be, an icon of our school. The joy and happiness he permeated in his role was infectious. He had a brilliant sense of humour, was cheeky and fun. He cared deeply about the safety of students (and parents) when crossing the road, and he was always up for a chat.

Pete will be missed greatly by everyone in our school community, but he will not be forgotten.

Rest in Peace Pete.

Petes' funeral will be held next Monday. I will share the live stream details with our community, and if families are very keen to attend the funeral please email me at shaun.mcclare@education.vic.gov.au (staff, parents, and children are welcome to attend by the organisers but they have asked me to manage the numbers to ensure we don't send more than the venue can cope with).

2024 Graduating Class

I had the great pleasure of attending Graduation last night. It was a perfect event that was able to celebrate our wonderful graduating class of 2024.

Thank you to our Graduation Commmittee and 5/6 team for doing so much work to make an amazing graduation. Thank you to the P&F and Karen Archer for managing the raising of funds to support graduation. And most of all, congratulations to our graduating students. You all spoke so well, represented our school and your families magnificently and we are so proud of you.

This was my farewell message I gave to our graduating students last night:

It is such a pleasure and privilege to be here on Graduation night and farewell our amazing graduating class of 2024.

I have been at Kalinda for nearly 6 years now and have seen you all grow from very little kids, to big kids (many a lot bigger than me). You are now ready to face the next chapter in your lives, secondary school.

Thanks to your wonderful parents and families, the great teachers and ES staff who have educated you, I know you are all well equipped to face the various ups and downs you will encounter on your journey.

You are all well equipped with great tools to succeed academically and in looking after your wellbeing and the wellbeing of those around you.

We will all be watching on to see the impact you make on our community and the world at large.

At your age, your life ahead can look infinite. However, your parents, and the grandparents who are here tonight, can all tell you that life goes so very quickly.

I urge you not to sit around and wait for life to happen, but to work hard, strive to achieve your dreams, cherish your friends and families. Don’t ever hesitate to tell those who are important to you how you feel about them. Tonight is a great night to put into words to your family, your mates and your teachers how much you appreciate them and thank them for the support they have shown you.

Pursue your dreams with all you have. Even if not sure yet what your dreams may be, work hard, apply yourself to you your learning and set yourself up to chase those dreams as they emerge. 

As the great poet Dylan Thomas wrote:

‘Do not go gentle into that good night; Old age should burn and rave at close of day. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.’

To me this means, use every moment you have in your life well. Don’t sit around and wait for life to happen to you, use every moment to appreciate life, push towards your goals, and cherish those you care about.

Congratulations to our graduating class of 2024. We are very proud of you. Good luck with the journey ahead.

Farewells, Welcomes, and Leadership Roles across the school

At this time of year we say farewell to some staff members who the Kalinda community will greatly miss.  

Each and every one of these staff members have made a huge contribution to building academic and wellbeing outcomes for our students. 

Good luck to you all as you move on to roles in other schools, other professions, having babies, and enjoying the next chapters of your lives. I know some of you will likely be back at Kalinda again in the future, and even if you won't be, please come back and visit us.

Farewell and thank you to:

Kyle Barnden

Vicki Beard

Paul Todd

Grace Smith

Andrea Halden

Tiahna Wild

Belinda Timms

Steph Parton

Ash Kidner and Mel Tattersall will be taking the year off work and we wish them all the best and look forward to seeing them again in 2026.

A huge welcome to Melissa Miran, who will be teaching in 5/6 next year and welcome back to Carli Lange and Steffie Ruggeri who will be returning to teaching after time off in 2024.

Congratulations to Kylie Drummond who was successfully appointed as our Mental Health Wellbeing Leader. Kylie will be teaching in the class two days per week and out of the class 3 days per week supporting the students and the staff to build capacity to support student mental health and wellbeing.

Lochie Anderson and Bron Steele will be continuing in their role as Learning Specialists next year. Bron leads Pedagogy and Curriculum and Lochie leads Student Wellbeing and Engagement.

Our Team Leaders next year will be:

Foundation: Natasha Weekes

1/2: Giulia Bulled

3/4: Bron Steele

5/6: Simone McClimont (nee Bailey)

Specialists: Libby Shaw

Admin: Melissa O'Rorke

Christmas Carols

Thank you to the P&F and Mrs Butler for another amazing Christmas Carols. These nights are always so joyous and a celebration of community and connection. I love the traditions we have at Kalinda and the community spirit on these nights is so special.

Start of the 2025 School Year

Wishing you all a very restful holidays full of joy and love. We will see you all at the beginning of the school year in 2025. Year 1-6 students will begin school on Wednesday 29th January and Foundation students on Thursday 30th January.

Finally, I would like to thank every single person who has supported the school, your children's learning and just getting your children safely to school each day. We have such a wonderful community here and please know that we see the effort that everyone puts in to making school life a positive one for all of your children.

We are kind. We are resilient. We are respectful.