Principal's Report

Dear MPW families and friends,

We had another successful Movie Night on the 16th May. The weather held out and there was a great vibe and atmosphere to the night. Again, a big thank you to the fundraising committee, Sandra, Sarah and Bec for their organisation leading into and on the night. Thank you to parents who also volunteered time to support the running of our stalls on the night.

Last week, Junior School Council (JSC) helped coordinate some Education Week activities, including a variety of lunch time workshops focusing on the theme of Celebrating Cultures. Students, staff and parents had the opportunity to attend Bollywood Dancing, Origami, Bush Jewellery and Henna designing activities throughout the week. There has been some great feedback and I would like to acknowledge JSC’s involvement in the success of Education Week.

This week Estelle, Jagger, Frank, Peppa and Fletcher head off to the Division Cross Country finals. We wish them all the best, for their event. As always, I like to remind them that making it to a higher level of competition is an achievement in itself. Well done and good luck!

Upcoming Student Free Days

A reminder that Monday 2nd June (next week) is a student free day. Staff will be onsite working on their assessment and reporting obligations for this term. Camp Australia will be running on the day for families who require their services.

The following Monday 9th June is then the King’s Birthday public holiday.

2026 Foundation Enrolments

Applications for Foundation enrolments for 2026 are open.

For families at MPW that will be having siblings join the school in 2026, please ensure that you collect your enrolment form at the office.

You can find information and resources about the new timeline, including factsheets, at: Enrolling in Foundation (Prep).

Lockdown Drill

Next week on Thursday we have a scheduled Lockdown Drill practice. This is where we require staff and students to secure themselves in their current location, such as their classroom, in the event of an emergency in or around the school. We have other emergency practice drills scheduled throughout the year, including Onsite Evacuation, Shelter in Place and Offsite Evacuation.

We will send a communication through Compass to families after each drill for your awareness.

Cold and flu season

There have been a variety of colds and cases of influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID around the past couple of weeks. Most children with flu or RSV have a mild fever, runny nose or cough. Some children, particularly babies and children with underlying medical conditions, may have a more severe illness.

To help keep our school community well, at school we continue to have measures in place to reduce the spreading of illness by:

encouraging students to wash and sanitise their hands regularly
continuing to use air purifiers across the school in spaces used by staff and students
encourage students to cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing into their elbow
encouraging those unwell to stay at home and consult a general practitioner (GP) or health professional as needed

For more information about current health alerts in Victoria or information specific to influenza, covid and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), refer to:

Reconciliation Week

Yesterday at assembly JSC representatives acknowledged and spoke about both Reconciliation Week and National Sorry Day (which was yesterday, 26th May).

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) begins today, 27th May to 3rd June, and is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. The 2025 theme, Bridging Now to Next, reflects the ongoing connection between past, present and future. Bridging Now to Next calls on all Australians to step forward together, to look ahead and continue the push forward as past lessons guide us.

Other upcoming dates for this term include:

27th May Reconciliation Week
Monday 2nd June Curriculum Day (student free day)
Monday 9th June Kings Birthday Public Holiday
19th June Soundgarage Concert
26th June MVIMP Soiree
27th June Semester 1 Reports published

Regards,

Jarrod Sutton

Principal