Principal's Report 

Dear Parents, 

Well done and congratulations to our student leaders who led us through a very moving Remembrance Day commemoration on November 11. The student leaders here at school were very respectful of the day and towards our guest, Warrant Officer Rhys Gould (Aurora's dad), as he shared some reflections of his own. Whilst this was happening, two other student leaders were at the Caroline Springs Remembrance Day service reading prayers on behalf of Mackellar Primary School. Well done to all our leaders, and to our community for the deep respect shown overall. 

Last week was the last week of Bike Education, however we encourage any of those students who undertook those lessons to continue riding to school if that suits their family to practise those skills and encourage others. Thank you to Mrs Wishart for organising the program. If you do choose to ride your bike, remember a helmet is a must, as is a roadworthy bike. 

Last week we welcomed our 2026 prep students to school for the first time. There was lots of excitement, some trepidation and even some tears, however the morning was a success overall. We have two further orientation sessions planned, with the last one including a parent information session which we hope all 2026 prep parents will come to. 

One of the last school events for this year is our Prep - grade 4 swimming program to be held at Flippers. Recently there has been a spate of drownings across Victoria which is a shame with many drownings avoidable with due care, supervision and swimming/life saving training. 

I would encourage all parents of prep-grade 4 students to enrol their child in swimming lessons as a life saving skill. Even if your child already completes swim training, additional lessons will do no harm. For those reluctant swimmers, what better way to start than with qualified swim teachers, under the additional supervision of school staff. 

Finally, a reminder regarding book packs. Our process for 2026 has changed, hence the constant reminders for parents to order their book pack before the due date of December 7. The school will not be purchasing book packs for students as has been done in the past. Parents wanting a book pack must be order it from Paperchase in advance. To date, of our 306 students, only 57 book packs have been ordered.  

There have been several reminders via newsletters and XUNO for parents in multiple languages throughout term four. Please do not miss out. Alternatively, parents can purchase their child's curriculum materials independently from Paperchase with the required list located on our website.

Kind Regards, 

Simon McGlade

Principal