Acting Principal's Report

What an amazing few weeks we have had to conclude another brilliant year at Chatham. The activities and special events have been fast and furious with students so frequently in a flurry of fun, frivolity and fancy costumes! Our active Year 6 Leaders are usually the catalysts for such days and their enthusiasm is unbridled and wonderful to see. We do acknowledge however, that it is not always easy to organise costuming and the like, and I truly thank all of our parents, carers and families for their support of our student initiatives.

Farewell to our Year 6 Students

This week we have celebrated this wonderful cohort of truly exceptional students, as they prepare to depart primary school and commence their secondary school journey. Our Graduation evening encompassed all the special Chatham traditions that have been going strong for more than 20 years. This included every student taking to the stage to make a speech; a farewell song and of course the famous Chatham ‘Silly Song’ – a humorous ode created by students to the staff members who have cared for them since 2019. It was magical to see all of our students dressed up and so confident to share their reflections in front of such a large audience. Three traditional Chatham awards were also presented on the evening:

• The Grummet Award, which is named in honour of Andrew Grummet who was Dux of Chatham Primary School in 1936, is awarded to the female and male student who have achieved the highest standard of academic results across the level.

  Female Recipient: Ella Egan and Jess Stambe     Male Recipient: Elliot Lioe

• The Thornton Award, which is named in honour of Keith Thornton who was Dux of Chatham Primary School in 1935, is awarded to a female and male student who have shown great dedication and perseverance related to their Year 6 Leadership roles.

  Female recipient: Georgia Lomer     Male Recipient: Sammy Newman

• The Principal Award, which is awarded to a female and male student who have consistently demonstrated the Chatham values across their years of schooling.

  Female Recipient: Zara Foxley-Conolly     Male Recipient: Banjo James  

On Thursday students had their ‘Big Day Out’, a fun day spent at Bounce trampolining centre, and this morning we will engage in the customary Year 6 Breakfast at 8:00am in the beautiful Chatham gardens; the Staff Vs Year 6 Students Volleyball match at 10:15am; the always emotionally charged ‘Farewell Assembly’ from 12:30pm, and of course – our students ringing the famous Chatham Bell before moving through the Guard of Honour to depart for the last time. Many parents and carers assisted our team of Year 6 staff to bring these activities together and we thank all who were able to assist, with a special mention to the following parents for leading various areas: Laura Davies and Kate James – Year 6 Yearbook, Helena and Tony Sfelagis – Photo Slideshow, Lauren Egan – Speech Slideshow, Marita Clayton – Decorations, Renae Hanvin – Student Breakfast and Laura Davies – Year 6 Mural Gift. I also thank our Year 6 staff – Zac Barry, Hannah Spivak, Michael Tiglias, Clare Kirwan, Cathy Townsend, Michelle Owens, Kristin Chester and Janet Clarke – who also did so much to prepare our students for a marvellous Graduation evening.

Teacher and Education Support Staffing Structure for 2026

On Wednesday I was delighted that our students were able to meet their class teacher(s) for 2026. The allocation of students to classes is a highly complex and thoughtful undertaking, and it was brilliant to see such calm, happy classrooms during this time.

We do have a number of changes for 2026, as family leave recipients and those on leave or temporary transfers return to Chatham in their ongoing positions, and teachers on contracts of employment move to other teaching positions or pursue other interests. In this context, we welcome back Ms Anita Buccieri, Ms Corinne Robinson and Ms Michelle Owens.

Please be advised that we say goodbye to Ms Lucy Bray. We have enjoyed the care and sensitivity Lucy has provided to the students in her class in the Junior School. Lucy has performed valuable roles and contributed greatly to our whole school community. We look forward to Lucy joining our staff in a casual relief capacity next year. We also wish the very best to Ms Sarah Medland, who remains one of our ongoing staff at Chatham Primary School, but who will fill a temporary assignment at another primary school for 2026. We wish Sarah well at her new school and know the staff and students will benefit from her caring and dedicated nature when undertaking her new role. We look forward to Sarah’s return to our school after 2026.

We also say farewell to Mr Michael Tigilias who assumed responsibility for 5/6C from Terms 2-4 this year. Michael has provided a caring approach with students and staff and has been a positive and interested contributor to our Senior School programs, enthusiastically supporting the work of our Year 6 Junior School Council. We wish Michael all the best in his future endeavours. Similarly, we say farewell to Mr Declan Smith who joined us to work with Mr Tim Clarke in Year 3/4C and to also assume responsibility for our Performing Arts Specialist area. Declan built a strong rapport with the students in his care and fellow staff members, and we thank him for his positive contributions to our school. We wish Declan well in his future endeavours. 

We also acknowledge the wonderful contributions of Ms Cathy Townsend who has been part of our community for many years. In 2025, Cathy assumed responsibility for FST with Ms Hannah Scantleton. We are looking forward to Cathy’s valued contributions continuing in our school as a casual relief teacher in the new year. Additionally, we have valued the warmth, enthusiasm and contributions of Ms Clare Kirwan in the Senior School. We wish Clare all the very best as she continues her travels throughout Australia in the months ahead.

We say goodbye to Mr James Rampant who will be pursuing other professional opportunities next year. We have valued the engaging contributions of Rampant Sensei in our Japanese program at Chatham and his contributions to the Performing Arts Specialist area in previous times, most notably his brilliant work with our School Production, ‘Chatham in Wonderland’. We wish James well in his future endeavours. We also say a temporary goodbye to Mrs Jess Wilson who has done a wonderful job of assuming responsibility for our Visual Arts Program. Jess will be taking leave for 2026 and will resume in 2027. We wish Mrs Wilson well as she pursues other opportunities in 2026.

Additionally, Mrs Lynda Gould has decided to retire as a valued Education Support Officer for our school. Lynda has contributed enormously to our community over many, many years, supporting students at all levels. We wish Lynda well too, as she enjoys a happy and exciting retirement. As referenced in a recent communication from our School Council, we are also sad to say goodbye to our wonderful Canteen Manager, Ms Jo Paterson. Jo has made a huge contribution to this area of our school, providing such a valuable service to our students and families. We will miss Jo’s dedication and wish her all the best in her future endeavours.   

Please note below the Teacher and Education Support Staffing Structure for 2026 at this stage. Please also note that we are still involved in the process of appointing some positions across the school and will confirm arrangements in this capacity as soon as possible. 

Chatham Primary School – Staff Structure 2026

We look forward to our staff preparing for 2026 and the excitement and anticipation that 2026 will bring for our students, staff and community.

Student Reports for Semester 2, 2025

I am pleased to advise that Student Reports for Semester 2, 2025 have been loaded onto Compass.

I encourage you to access these and enjoy the detail provided about the progress your child has made in 2025.

Parent/Carer Contributions for 2026

I am pleased to advise that at our December meeting of the School Council on Monday, we finalised arrangements for seeking Parent Contributions for 2026. Information pertaining to this was provided to all parents and carers in hard copy on Thursday 18th December and also went live on Compass on this date. 

State Schools’ Spectacular Television Broadcast - Friday 19th December 7:00pm

The much-awaited television broadcast of the 2025 State Schools’ Spectacular, ‘In the Air’, will be televised this Friday 19th December at 7:00pm, on Channel 7 (highlights) and 7Plus (full show). Sixteen of our fabulous Year 6 students were selected to participate in this exceptional event, in which they enthusiastically engaged in an eight-month process of learning and perfecting seven dance routines alongside other students from across the state, culminating in a truly ‘spectacular’ performance at John Cain Arena in September.

I am also very pleased to announce at this time that following a stringent application process, our school has been successful in achieving a position in the 2026 State Schools’ Spectacular! We are aware that places for next year were truly oversubscribed, so we are thrilled that our students will once again be offered this brilliant opportunity.

Have a great holiday!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your amazing support as I have stepped into the role of Acting Principal in Chris’ absence this term. It has been a truly wonderful experience and working with you all to achieve the best for our students has been fantastic. I wish our students, parents, carers and extended families a safe and enjoyable Christmas and festive season. 

We look forward to our students returning to school on Thursday 29th January 2026, for another brilliant year at Chatham Primary School.

Georgina Kirwan

Acting Principal