Principal Team Update

Dear Parents and Carers,

Last week, it was wonderful to share our school with students’ grandparents and special friends during our Grandparents and Special Friends Morning. Grandparents hold a very special place in our children’s hearts and lives. The opportunity to share and showcase Beaumaris with family is central to our focus on community and the relationships formed at school that lead to lifelong connections. As a leadership team, we were so proud to hear such positive feedback about our school community and the strong sense of connection felt throughout the morning.

Thank you to all of our families who donated a plate for the Grandparents and Special Friends Morning Tea. Our grandparents are greatly valued, and it was a lovely way to showcase our school community. The Glee Club and Year 3 Choir performance was outstanding, alongside the exceptional hosting by Charlotte, Ellie, Zander, Finn, and the Year 5 cohort.

Last week Grace, Keli and I attended the 2026 Government Schools Principals Conference at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The conference brought together Principals and Assistant Principals from across Victoria to engage in professional learning, reflect on effective leadership practices, and collaborate on evidence-informed approaches to school improvement.

On Thursday we had Lisa Alexander AM as a Keynote speaker. Lisa shared insights from her leadership journey across education and elite sport in her address, Sustaining Excellence in Leadership and Collaboration. A former teacher and World Cup and Commonwealth Games-winning coach of the Australian Diamonds Netball team, Lisa spoke about exploring leadership through an Indigenous perspective; one that values collective wisdom, collaboration, and the gathering of many voices and strengths.

Her message was captured in the powerful idea: “One of us is never as good as all of us together.” This is reflected in all of our actions as a school, from the Principal Team, through to staffing teams, class and cohort teams. We all work together collectively to be the best we can be.

Over the last few weeks, we have seen some outstanding running at Beaumaris. From Run Club to our School Cross Country, students, staff, and the wider community have all joined together to increase participation and enthusiasm for running. Following the School Cross Country event, 12 students in each year level progressed to District level competition. Grace and David were fortunate to watch some of our students achieve their personal bests at the District Cross Country event at Dendy Park. All students who competed should be extremely proud of their efforts. We were also thrilled to have a number of students progress through to Division level. 

As Term 2 progresses, we have enjoyed a number of exciting incursions and excursions across the school. The Year 3 students participated in a historical excursion to McCrae Homestead, with further information and student recounts included in the Year 3 “What’s Happening” section of this newsletter. Our Prep students enjoyed their first local walking excursion to Beaumaris Library. The Year 4 students participated in Taskworks incursions, while our Year 5 students have been leading our P–2 students through the Play Leaders program. The Year 6 students have continued with their radio show and have also been preparing for Shrek, the Year 6 musical.

The Junior School Council recently held the first of two Cake Bake Stalls.  All entries were outstanding, and congratulations to the students Rocco, Vienna and Henry who won the Prep–2 division and Polly, Indy, Archie and Ethan who won the Year 3 and 4 division. Funds raised will contribute towards upgrading our drinking fountains and installing a new fountain on the oval.

This term, the Principal Team had the opportunity to showcase Beaumaris Primary School to some senior Department of Education staff, including the Area Executive Director for Bayside Peninsula, Michael Devine, and the Senior Education Improvement Leader for Beachside, Rachel George. It was a pleasure to share the exceptional work of our students and staff with senior Department of Education representatives. A key takeaway from their visit was how impressed they were by the consistency of classroom practice, the high level of student engagement, and the strong learning-focused environment across the school.

On the weekend, we had three students who were finalists in the Ellen José Art Competition. Congratulations to Hugo, who came equal third, and to Eliza and Charlotte, who were also finalists. Thank you to Mrs Winfield for all of her support in providing students with these extra opportunities!

Thank you to all members of our community for their kind words regarding the new shade sail in the middle of the school. This space will provide opportunities for assemblies and special events to be held regardless of the weather. It is both waterproof and designed to provide shade for many years to come.

We hope everyone has a wonderful remainder of Term 2. Please don’t forget our Curriculum Day on 5 June. Teachers will be further developing their professional knowledge in Numeracy and assessment. TeamKids will be running a day program for families requiring care.

Have a wonderful week.

David, Grace and Keli