Principal's Blog

Good Afternoon Parents Students, Staff and Friends of Derinya,  

Welcome to Term 4! The final term is always an exciting one with so much to look forward to. Our year level celebrations, excursions and incursions and much loved Christmas Breakfast being just a few events to note. It is a busy time for families, so as we commence the term, please take a moment to review our Xuno calendar and important dates. 

You will also note some key messages around student health and safety in this edition of the newsletter. Cooperation of our families supports all children to be safe and well cared for when on site and this is appreciated. 

Congratulations

It gives me great pleasure to share with you the safe arrival of Mrs Nikki Lonie’s second baby Roy Denis Lonie born 25th September weighing 7lb 2oz. All doing well. We welcome back to Derinya, Mrs Jo Gardner who is working with FRL for the remainder of the year. 

Preparation for 2026

Planning for the year ahead is an important part of our work in Term 4. If you have any specific educational needs that you would like brought to our attention, please email me directly at nadine.pye@education.vic.gov.au by C.O.B Thursday 23rd October. For specific requests of this nature please ensure that you include in the subject line the following

CONFIDENTIAL, students name, students year level, 2026

Please note that historical requests are not passed from year to year. If there has been important information shared in the past that remains relevant, please ensure that you communicate this by the due date. 

Also important to note, that only reasonable requests will be considered. We do not take requests for specific gender, levels of experience or age of staff. All requests must be made in writing to be considered. Your attention to this is appreciated. 

Staffing Announcements

I am pleased to announce that we have recruited three new staff to the team for next year. We will welcome Ms Bridget Foster, Mrs Savannah Cumberland and Ms Alexandra (Alex) Mason to Derinya as classroom teachers. Please see below their brief letters of introduction to community. 

Miss Alexandra Mason 

Hello Derinya Primary School! My name is Miss Mason, and I am thrilled to be joining the Derinya Community as a Classroom Teacher in 2026. I recently completed my education degree at Monash University and was fortunate to have completed my placements here at Derinya as well as working in Education Support, further inspiring my passion for teaching. 

Outside of the classroom, I enjoy being actively involved in the basketball community having coached junior representative teams as well as playing at a senior level with Frankston Blues and Western Port. I also love spending time at the beach, being with family and friends as well as travelling when I can! 

I am excited to be a part of the Derinya Team and look forward to working together with students, staff and families to support students in reaching their full potential! 

Ms Bridget Foster

 As a student, I had so much fun throughout all my years of schooling and always loved learning. This passion for education continued into adulthood and led me to study primary teaching at university. Since graduating, I have worked as a Grade 5/6 teacher on the Mornington Peninsula. Outside of teaching, I like to spend my free time travelling, hiking, cycling, and cooking or eating delicious food! I am so excited to be part of the team at Derinya.

Ms Savannah Cumberland 

Hello Derinya Community. 

I’m Mrs Cumberland and I am so excited to be joining you in 2026! I come to you with a background in Emergency Nursing and have recently changed careers to teaching, as I want to make a positive impact on young lives more consistently and holistically. This year I have been teaching in a 4/5 class at another school while also completing my master’s degree. Although I enjoy all areas of learning, I have a particular love for maths and science. In my spare time, I love playing with my son Hudson and black Labrador Lola. My little family loves basketball and we enjoy being part of a fun and competitive community. I cannot wait to meet you all in 2026!

Miss Chelsea Morris and Miss Michelle Sands have had a year of leave without pay approved for 2026. Ms Rebecca Anderson will be continuing at Toorak College next year. I would like to thank Rebecca for her service to our school and wish her all the best. 

Our recruitment efforts continue with a further two staff to be appointed in the next fortnight. 

Hats

In line with department policy, it is mandated that all children wear a broad brimmed hat in term 4. The weather will continue to improve, but even on cloudier, overcast days, wearing a hat is essential. Children will not be allowed to play outside without a hat. Please encourage your child to leave their hat at school. Applying sunscreen in the morning before school is also encouraged. Children are welcome to bring along a small tube of sunscreen to reapply just prior to lunch. 

Attendance Requirements including early departure

To ensure we meet our duty of care obligations, staff are required to maintain accurate records of student attendance. To assist us with this, it is appreciated when parents adhere to the following guidelines.

• If your child is absent notifying the school via Xuno prior to 10am on the day of absence with a reason.
• If arriving late, ensuring your child signs in at the office.
• If departing early, in the interests of student safety they MUST be signed out at the office where a receipt will be printed which is then to be presented to the class teacher. Please note, staff have been instructed that this is a mandated practice. 

We are grateful to all families for respectfully considering the management of a busy classroom at the end of the day. Avoiding picking up children early to avoid traffic is appreciated. 

Their Care, our before and after school provider do an exceptional job caring for our students who need to be at school prior to the commencement of the school day or later in the afternoon. If your child does need to be onsite prior to 8:50am or after 3:40pm please ensure they are booked in to this service. It is concerning to have students onsite prior to when supervision is provided. Your support with this is appreciated. 

Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead.

Nadine Pye on behalf of the Derinya Team