Principal's Update

Dear Families,

It has been another great fortnight of learning and community at St Margaret’s. There have been plenty of highlights for me, including the launch of our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) Mascot last Monday afternoon, which was a fun and engaging afternoon across the school.

Our Year 5 students also enjoyed the Game Day experience at North Melbourne Football Club. I am incredibly proud of the way our teachers ensure that high-quality learning and teaching is complemented by practical, hands-on experiences, excursions and opportunities for students to learn beyond the classroom. This has certainly been evident over the past two weeks.

Italian Day and celebration of our LOTE program at St Margaret’s: A huge thank you to our wonderful Italian teacher, Signora Danielle, who organised an excellent Italian Day last Thursday. There were so many highlights, from the incredible creativity shown in our Italian Day dress-up parade to the very entertaining and hilarious magician, Luigi Zucchini.

Students were also treated to a delicious lunch of pizza and gelato, along with a range of other fun activities celebrating our wonderful LOTE program at St Margaret’s. I heard a number of students proudly declaring, “Italian Day is the best day of the year!” It is certainly hard to disagree with that sentiment!

School Professional Learning: Our staff participated in an excellent day of professional learning on Friday with renowned educational expert Glen Pearsall. The day focused on strengthening our teaching practice, particularly through questioning strategies, classroom management, providing students with opportunities to respond and further developing our Positive Behaviour for Learning program.

I can honestly say that Glen was one of the best presenters I have ever seen, and it was one of the best professional learning days I have been involved in. When we close the school for professional development, it is important that the time is genuinely worthwhile for our staff and, ultimately, our students. I am very confident that Friday achieved this.

Year 5 Camp: Our Year 5 students are excited to be heading off to camp, and we wish them all the very best for what promises to be a fantastic experience. Campaspe Downs in Kyneton is an action-packed adventure camp with a range of activities that will challenge our students while providing plenty of opportunities for fun and teamwork.

Whilst the weather forecast is not looking particularly favourable, I am sure the students will have a wonderful time. I will be attending camp and am really looking forward to spending time with our Year 5 students as they take part in this fantastic experience.

School Oval Safety: The school is currently reviewing how our school oval and soccer field are being used during recess and lunchtime. The focus of this review is to ensure that the space is being used appropriately and that our students are as safe as possible.

We have identified overcrowding as one of the main contributing factors to some of the issues we have been experiencing. From Week 7, we will trial restricting access to the space for different year levels at different times. This will be a two-week trial, with the aim of reducing congestion and, importantly, the number of injuries occurring on the oval. Nothing is locked in at this stage, and we will review the trial carefully before making any longer-term decisions. Thank you for your support and understanding as we work through this.

Community Meeting about the closure of St Margaret’s Church: Please see below an excerpt from the Parish Bulletin from last weekend relating to the upcoming community meeting about the closure of St Margaret’s Church.

The Gathering at St. Margaret’s (18th July) highlighted the need for certainty, where possible, and clear, timely information about the future direction. With this in mind, it is important the following points are now clarified:

1. The Parish will not be selling the land on which St. Margaret’s Church now sits.
2. Future use of the land will be considered strictly within the context of the St. Margaret’s School masterplan and the Parish masterplan. A decision regarding the use of the land within these contexts has not been made and will only be made following a further period of discernment and consultation.
3. The land will continue to serve the Parish’s Mission of Faith, although the form which that takes has not been determined, and will only be determined following further consultation. In sharing the above information, the fervent hope is that there be a walking with the worshipping community of St. Margaret’s, and so, taking the next steps together.

The next Gathering will take place in the Multi Purpose Room of St Margaret's Primary School on Saturday 22 August, from 2.00–3.30pm. The purpose of this Gathering will be to:

• Provide an update and share any new information.
• Respond to the question: What is to be captured, honoured and shared about the history, identity and story of St. Margaret’s Church?
• Respond to the question: How is a final Mass in St. Margaret’s Church envisaged?

I would like our community to know that the school remains in regular dialogue with Fr Desmond and the Parish regarding the proposed closure of the Church.

Parking Inspectors outside of the school: Please be aware that parking inspectors are operating around the school at different times, particularly around school pick-up. I have spoken with a number of families who have received significant fines from Maribyrnong Council for parking illegally.

The school has no control over this process, as it is operated by Council, and we do not know when parking inspectors will be present. It is therefore really important that families follow the parking signs and restrictions around the school. Parking inspectors are working from vehicles and taking photographs of illegally parked cars, so please take care when parking and ensure that you are following the relevant signs. I hate to see our families impacted in this way, but unfortunately the school has no oversight of the Council's enforcement activities.

Supporting our staff while planning for the future: Currently, Catholic schools across Victoria are working through planning and budgeting activities for 2027 to ensure we are well placed to support our staff, students and school communities in the coming year. This includes considering how we can accommodate the changes likely to flow from a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) with school staff. We will continue to keep our parent community informed throughout this process. As always, our focus remains on maintaining a strong school community and continuing to provide a high-quality Catholic education for every student.

Wishing everyone a wonderful fortnight ahead.

John