Principal Reflections

A Short Message from Dr Jake

Dear Parents & Friends, 

Welcome to the 2023 school year! Every new year brings with it promises; a promise of a new beginning, a promise of new adventures and a promise of new opportunities. We are thrilled to have everyone back and we hope you all had a fantastic break with your family. The start of a new school year is always exciting and we are excited to see what this year has in store for us.

Our Yr 1-6 students have settled in well and are quickly adapting back into school life. They are excited to learn new things and make new friends. We are also looking forward to welcoming our Kinders next week, after their Best Start assessments. They will be starting their journey in formal education and we are excited to be a part of that.

It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces on the first day of the 2023 school year as our students entered the school (albeit a little wet!). It is always heartwarming to see the excitement and anticipation on their faces as they start a new year. It was also great to see the smiles between families and staff. We believe that the most important influence on your child's learning is their teacher and it is important for parents and staff to work together in partnership to create a wonderful school environment that is safe, supportive and full of positivity for our children to learn in. This way, they will be inspired to be the best that they can be.

Effective communication is an important part of this partnership. During the year, there may be times when you need some information clarified or a concern to be discussed. If you have any questions or concerns, please let your child's teacher know in the first instance. If not resolved, or if of a serious matter, please contact our Campus Coordinators or our Assistant Principals. We want to ensure that we are always available to support our families and that their concerns are addressed in a timely manner.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff for their dedication and commitment to the start of the school year. Last week, they attended professional development and prepared classrooms, and this week they have created some great learning activities to allow our students to get to know their teachers, as well as their teachers getting to know more about their students and how they best learn. We are very fortunate to have such a dedicated team of staff at St Edward's.

We would also like to thank our grounds staff for their hard work in preparing our school grounds so beautifully. The school grounds are an important part of the learning environment and we are grateful for the efforts made to make them look their best.

Finally, we would like to extend a warm welcome to our new families joining our St Edward's community this year. We know that starting at a new school can be daunting, but we want to assure you that we will make every effort to make you feel welcome and comfortable. We look forward to the gifts each new family will bring to our school and we are excited to see what this year has in store for us.

Should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us as we are only too happy to help.

Peace & Best Wishes

Dr Jake Madden

(Principal, St Edward's Primary School)