Acting Principal's Report

The true spirit of Chatham was on show on Wednesday for our inaugural Vegetable Festival in celebration of our fabulous Kitchen Garden Program and specifically, this year’s prolific harvest of pumpkins! This initiative, amongst many, is what makes our school unique and a true place of belonging and engagement for our students and families. Please see the below information relating to some recent highlights and upcoming events happening across our brilliant school.  

Vegetable Festival – Wednesday 13th May 2026

It was inspiring (and hilarious) to be out in the yard on Wednesday morning as a procession of vegetables and fruits marched through the gates! The costumes and creativity on show were truly mind blowing as students meticulously explained how their costuming represented their vegetable or fruit of choice, with one student even explaining how the lustre of the fabric they were wearing depicted the happiness they felt whilst enjoying strawberries. Amazing! Our staff also got involved in the fun with pea pods, watermelons, berries, an aubergine and even a whole salad on display!   

The impetus for this event was the success of our pumpkin harvest – and what to do with them! From this, Vegetable Festival or ‘Veg Fest’ was born. I must take this opportunity to thank our wonderful Kitchen Garden specialist, Ms Leda Semercioglu, who brought this dream to fruition, with the leadership and initiative of our outstanding Environment Captains – Sadie C, Vanessa K, Jesiah J and Ava W.

We must also thank Ms Aditi Collie, Ms Hayla Riverans, Ms Jo Haddock and Nanna Sharon who did such a marvellous job of assisting with the preparation and cooking of our delicious pumpkin soup and garlic bread, and Ms Miranda Talbot, Ms Lucy Scott and Ms Ralda who were able to assist with serving our student and staff community on the day. A big thank you also goes to Signorelli of Balwyn, who so kindly volunteered their time to chop up our six Queensland Blue pumpkins in preparation for this event.

We look forward to making this event an annual occurrence on the Chatham calendar to celebrate our Kitchen Garden Program in the future.

Year 3-6 District Cross-Country Event – Monday 4th May 2026 

A brilliant team of 60 Chatham athletes pulled on their most sturdy running shoes to compete at the District Cross-Country competition at Anderson Park last Monday 4th May. It was wonderful to visit this event and witness these students truly giving their ‘all’ to represent Chatham with great determination and grit, whilst always demonstrating marvellous team spirit. With a 6th placing overall in the ‘schools’ category, our students really did make us very proud. 

Thank you to Mr Walter Boulton for coordinating and preparing our students for this event with a rigorous training program, and to all of our wonderful parents, carers and extended family members who were able to attend to cheer on and support our students on the day. I also thank Ms Lisa Gilbert, Ms Lorraine McLean and Ms Hayley Collings who accompanied our team to ensure they had all the support they needed following what is always a gruelling test of endurance. 

We congratulate Harriet. B and Laurence. D, who both finished in 6th place, and Charlie. H and Will. M, who both finished in 2nd place, and who will now all proceed to the Division level of competition at Ruffey Lake Park on Monday 1st June.

Divisional Cross-Country Team

It certainly was brilliant to cross the oval on my travels on Thursday morning to see our four qualifying students already in training for the upcoming event at Ruffey Lake Park! Please see photos below and watch this space as we witness this team prepare for their big event!

Mothers’ Day Breakfast and Stall - 7th and 8th May 2026

What an amazingly lovely vibe could be felt and heard at these very special events for our students and families, through the hard work and dedication of a team of wonderful parent volunteers. Thank you to Ms Aimee Macfarlane and Ms Keren Finn who coordinated our Mothers’ Day Breakfast, and Ms Kym Grayson and Ms Tess Lindau for coordinating our Mothers’ Day Stall, as well as all the amazing parent volunteers who were able to assist on the day for both events. Your work is truly valued! 

Term 2 2026 Level Newsletters 

These informative newsletters were distributed last Friday 8th May and provide families with insight into programs and special events pertaining to each level of the school. Through feedback garnered via the Communications Committee of School Council, the Specialist newsletter content for each level has now been added to each level newsletter for ease of reading, rather than being sent as additional Specialist newsletters. We hope you find these termly communications helpful and we always welcome feedback in this regard.

We look forward to more fantastic times ahead at Chatham in the coming weeks!

Georgina Kirwan

Acting Principal