5th of December 2025

Dear Families,

I am very pleased to announce that the Acting Principal for 2026 will be Matt Cook. Matt has sent the following message to introduce himself to our community.

Dear Keelonith families, staff and students,

I am delighted to introduce myself as the Acting Principal of Keelonith Primary School. It is a privilege to be joining this wonderful community, and I am very excited to work alongside students, staff and families.

My name is Matt Cook. I grew up in Perth with my mum and my first experience working with children was at sixteen, when my best mate and I coached a junior soccer team. I looked forward to it every week and it was through that experience that I knew I wanted to work with children. Throughout my career, I have held strongly to the belief that every learner matters. This belief guides every decision I make as a teacher and leader. I am passionate about creating positive, inclusive school cultures where students feel known, supported and confident in their abilities. Building strong partnerships with families is central to this work and my goal at Keelonith Primary School is to build on the strong foundations already in place by working collaboratively with students, staff and families.

I bring broad experience across both teaching and leadership roles in Western Australian and Victorian government schools. After moving from Perth 15 years ago, I joined St Kilda Park Primary School, where my career developed from classroom teacher to Assistant Principal of Teaching and Learning. Most recently, I have been the Assistant Principal at Albion North Primary School.

Outside of school, I am a proud dad to three young boys, they keep my wife and I very busy with sports, school activities and plenty of weekend adventures. As a family, we love being outdoors, cooking and often spend the school holidays camping. Family is incredibly important to me and strongly influences how I approach both my life and my work.

I am very much looking forward to meeting the Keelonith community in the new year. Until then, I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday break and I look forward to seeing you all in 2026.

Matt

Matt begins his 6 month Acting Principal position on Tuesday 27th January 2026. I will be working with Matt and the Leadership Team over the next 2 months to support a smooth transition into 2026.

Parent Opinion Survey results

I am very excited to share our Parent Opinion Survey results. We have increased parent satisfaction in 16/19 areas, maintained in 2 and dipped in 1. We are very proud of this growth.

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Mentor Classes 2026

Prep - Natalie Panesar and Gizem Yurt

Yr 1- Michelle Galea and Seda Dunman

Yr2 - Amanda Trandis, Lisa Taylor-Jones and Maddie Toscano

Yr 3 - Olivia Lowrey, Brookie Wolsley/Paula Gaughan and Andy Li

Yr 4 - Nicki Bilbi, Makayla O’Keefe and Jean Van Borgondien/Paula Gaughan

Yr 5/6 - Lilly Micallef, Saredo Miguil and Emily Thompson

Learning Specialist – Prep to 2 Brooke Slopak

Learning Specialist – Yr 3 to Yr 6 Rachael

Art – Nikolina Perkovic

Phys Ed - Heath Yusunaga

STEM - Yr 3 to Yr 6 – Paula Gaughan

Auslan - Yr to Yr 6 - Violeta Young

Performing Arts and Prep Discovery Time – Jenny Farrelly

Assistant Principal Teaching and Learning-Sam Birrell

Assistant Principal Wellbeing- Jane Black

Acting Principal- Matthew Cook

New Staff 2026 Introductions

Emily Thompson Yr 5/6

Hi, my name is Miss Emily and I am so excited to be joining Keelonith Primary School. I am passionate about creating a warm, supportive and inclusive classroom where everyone feels safe, happy and ready to learn. A place where students can confidently be themselves. I am very much looking forward to joining your school community.

When I’m not at school, I love spending time with my three children, my husband and our red kelpie, Banjo. We enjoy being outdoors and camping in the caravan we renovated together and travelling to beautiful parts of Australia as a family is very special to me. I also enjoy playing tennis and the piano, and I love any opportunity to be creative.

Jean Van Borgondien Yr 4

Hi Keelonith community! I've been a teacher since 2013 and have lived and taught in New York City, South Korea, and Hong Kong before moving to Melbourne eight years ago. I've worked with students of all abilities and I'm passionate about inclusive education. I believe in creating a classroom environment grounded in connection, acceptance, and supporting everyone to be their best selves. I'm thrilled to join the KPS team. When I'm not working, I love exploring Melbourne and the rest of Australia with my husband and our toddler. We're trying to find all the best playgrounds in the city. I enjoy being outside, swimming, exercise, travel, good novels, history, coffee, cooking healthy food, and planting flowers in my garden.

Andy Li Yr 3

Hi everyone, my name is Andy Li, and I’m very excited to be joining Keelonith Primary School as a Year 3 Classroom Teacher in 2026.

I’ve spent the past year working as a Kindergarten Teacher, where I learned how powerful strong relationships are in supporting children’s learning and wellbeing. My philosophy is simple: relationships come first, and every child has their own unique potential. I’m passionate about helping students feel confident, valued, and curious in their learning. I was drawn to Keelonith because of its commitment to ensuring that every learner has every opportunity to lead a successful and fulfilling life. This is a vision I truly connect with, and I’m looking forward to contributing to the positive and supportive learning community here at KPS. Outside of school, I love spending time with my little sausage dog, especially taking him out for walks when I’m free. He always brings lots of joy and energy to my day! I can’t wait to meet our students, families and the wider school community soon!

Saredo Miguil Yr 5/6

Hi my name is Miss Saredo and I am looking forward to being your year 5/6 teacher! I love learning and being able to share that passion with my students. I’m passionate about making my classroom a safe space where we can proudly express ourselves and feel included. I am looking forward to building a collaborative and inviting learning environment with you. Outside of school I love to draw, collect indoor plants and explore new experiences from travelling to picking up a new skill. My latest one is painting which I’m enjoying quite a bit. I’m excited for next year and I look forward to meeting you all!

Makayla O’Keefe Yr 4

Hi, my name is Makayla and I am super excited to be joining the KPS team in 2026. I recently graduated from La Trobe University with my Bachelor in primary education.

While studying I have worked as a swim teacher, OSHC educator and a tutor. I love working with my students and getting to understand how they learn best!

I am looking forwards to starting this new adventure in 2026 with my class!

Rachael – Learning Specialist Yr 3-6

My name is Rach, and I am pumped to be joining Keelonith PS as the Learning Specialist for the Years 3-6 neighbourhoods. I am a self-professed nerd with a passion (obsession?) for teaching and learning. My previous students would tell you that I get weirdly excited when I teach sentence structure, and that is true, ha! My favourite colour is purple, and my favourite food is chocolate. I don’t follow sports, but I can usually be persuaded to support the winners. Other than talking and learning about learning, I also enjoy hanging out with my favourite people and pets, doing bad art, and eating chocolate. Come and say hello; I can’t wait to work with you and your family.

Tuesday 9th Dec, new class day

On Tuesday the students will be stepping up into their new classes. This day can be a day that creates nervous feelings for our children. We ask that families support the decisions that have been made around class placement. Our teachers work very hard to structure the classes so that every learner is best supported, however disappointment may occur for some. We have attached this Instagram post to assist families in supporting the growth that can come from disappointment and challenges. Link

Assembly 2026

The Assembly Survey closes this evening at midnight. Please follow the link to complete the survey and provide your feedback on the timing of assemblies. Survey link

Possible Change to the end of the school day

Earlier this week 2026 families all received a Compass message, we are looking at the end of the school day being changed to 3:20pm. We are looking forward to feedback from the 2026 community. Please only follow the link if your child/ren are attending in 2026. Survey link

Year 5/6 Camp

Our 5/6 campers arrived back at school this afternoon after having a fantastic time up at Camp Kookaburra. They enjoyed all of the experiences the camp had to offer and were looking forward to a sleep in their own beds! Thank you to our staff who attened and a special thank you to our parent helper Harry who gave up his own time to attend and support our students for 3 days.

Colour Run

The Colour Run took place on Thursday the 27th November. Thank you to the SCA for running this event and to all of the volunteers who put up their hands to ensure the event took place. The event raised $4354 for the school. Well done everyone, this money will be very supportive in buying new digital resources in 2026.

As we head into the final 2 weeks of school please try to keep children in as much routine as possible. This time of year can be very challenging with many family and community events taking place.

Last Day of School 2025

The last day of school this year is Friday 19 December, we finish at 1.30 pm. Our expectation is that every child attends right up to and including the last day. At 1:25pm on this day the whole school comes together to create a farewell arch for the Yr 6 children as part of their graduation and is also an opportunity for students who are moving to also say farewell. It is a wonderful event to be involved in, a joyful end to the school year.

Happy weekend.

Loren Peavey

https://keelonithps.vic.edu.au/

https://www.facebook.com/KeelonithPrimarySchool

FLY HIGH FORTNIGHTLY

Learning without limitsBe curious | Be Caring | Fly High | Find Joy

Issue 20 · 05 Dec 2025

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Learning without limits
Be curious | Be Caring | Fly High | Find Joy