Principal's Report

As we move through the first week of December, our school remains a busy place. We have welcomed our new Prep cohort into the school earlier this week, whilst our eldest students in Year 6 have enjoyed some beautiful weather on their final school camp of their primary school journey! 

This week I have shared with our community the class structure for 2026. Today I would like to further share our staffing placement for 2026. 

We are excited to be sharing this team with you and are confident that they will provide the best possible environment for learning and wellbeing. 

We will be farewelling some current staff at the end of this year. From our teaching team, we congratulate Jesse O’Grady, who was the successful applicant for a Learning Specialist position at Chandler Park Primary School. This is a fantastic leadership opportunity for Jesse, and we wish him the very best of luck as he continues his leadership journey. Karen Malone has also been successful in gaining a temporary transfer to Oakleigh Primary School. We wish Karen all the very best for this new and exciting opportunity.

We welcome two staff members back to CSPS from periods of leave. Janine Wright returns from a period of study (learning intervention) that was complemented by continuing her teaching journey in both the Government and Independent sectors, whilst Kayleigh Atkinson returns from family leave to a position in the art room for two days per week. We will be inducting one new member of our teacher class, with Ben Maxwell joining our Year 5 team for 2026. We look forward to welcoming Ben to our team for the year ahead. 

We are also excited to share with you that Celeste Oosthuizen will be commencing a period of leave in Term 2, as her and husband Ryan are expecting their first child. We congratulate Celeste and Ryan on this exciting news and can assure students and families that plans are already underway regarding recruitment for this position early in the new year. 

We have further recruitment of Education Support staff to conclude in the final weeks of school. We are confident that we will end the year with a full complement of staff ready for the 2026 academic year.

On Monday, our new staff will join returning staff for a 2026 planning day, where teams will collaborate to plan their learning and wellbeing programs for Term 1. Please remember that this is a student-free day (with Team Kids running a program throughout the day for those who require it). 

On Tuesday, our students will meet their teachers and classes for 2026. As I shared in the communications earlier this week, I would like to acknowledge that the process of forming classes is a complex and thoughtful one, and I deeply appreciate the tireless care and consideration our staff have put into this task. It is important for families to trust in this process. We kindly remind everyone that placements are now finalised, and families should refrain from contacting teachers, the office, or school leaders with requests for changes.

Last year, our community embraced this process with understanding, and we are confident this year will be no different. We appreciate your support and cooperation as we focus on preparing for an exciting year ahead for all students.

Thanks for your ongoing support and keep doing your best.

Rohan Cooper

Principal