Principal's

Message

NEW STAFF

My name is Tom Murphy, and I am delighted to be joining the South Melbourne Park Primary School community as the new Physical Education teacher for Semester 2. I recently completed my master’s degree at Australian Catholic University, specialising in Health and Physical Education. 

In Term 2, I had the pleasure of spending six weeks at SMPPS in Year 6A as part of my final teaching placement. During this time, I had the opportunity to teach PE lessons across a range of year levels. 

I have also worked for over ten years delivering sports programs for children through school and holiday programs at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC). Outside of school, I enjoy playing and watching sports with friends, keeping active, cooking and travelling. I am very much looking forward to meeting and working with everyone!

My name is Dana Diamataris, and I am thrilled to be joining South Melbourne Park Primary School as the classroom teacher of Year 2C. My journey to teaching has been an unexpected one. After completing qualifications in Criminology and Law and being admitted as an Australian lawyer, I realised that my true passion was in education. Helping children grow in confidence, embrace challenges and become the very best version of themselves is an incredible privilege, and one that inspires me every day.

Outside the classroom, I enjoy Pilates, long-distance running and exploring the South Melbourne Market. I'm also a self-confessed foodie, especially when pasta is involved! Family is at the heart of everything I do. As a proud Greek Australian, the values of kindness, community and strong relationships have shaped who I am and the teacher I strive to be. My fiancé and I are also excitedly counting down to our wedding in January 2027.

I feel incredibly grateful to be joining the South Melbourne Park Primary School community and look forward to getting to know the students, families and staff. I can't wait for a wonderful semester of learning, growth and fun with the Year 2C students and their families.

NAPLAN

We've had some strong NAPLAN results in 2026, with achievement equal to or exceeding that of similar schools in 8 of the 10 domains. Particularly encouraging are our Year 3 results, which bodes well for future cohorts as they progress through the school. These results provide a strong foundation for continued growth and give us confidence that our improvement initiatives are having a positive and lasting impact on student learning.

BOOM GATE

I am delighted to share that the new boom gate is now operational and has already made a noticeable difference to safety around the school. A reminder that parents and carers who need to collect a child from sick bay, or who are dropping off or picking up students for appointments during the school day, can use the intercom system to be granted access. 

I have also been in discussions with Parks Victoria about establishing a 30-minute parking zone for parents and carers collecting children from sick bay. We will provide further updates as more information becomes available.

LEVEL 1 DISCOVERY

The works completed over the holiday period have been an outstanding success, and the transformation has been remarkable. With all seven learning spaces on Level 1 now enclosed, the difference to the learning environment is incredible.

If you haven't already had the opportunity, I encourage you to visit Level 1 and see the changes for yourself. The enclosed rooms have created welcoming, functional learning spaces that will support high-quality teaching and learning for many generations of students to come.

ART ROOM

As I mentioned at assembly on Friday, we have been successful in our application to the Emergency Maintenance Program and have been awarded $75,000 to support the rectification of the Art Room floor and subfloor.

Pleasingly, management of the project has also been delegated directly to the school, allowing us to move quickly. We have already commenced the procurement process and are seeking quotations to ensure the works can proceed as soon as possible. This is a fantastic outcome for the school and will help us address a significant maintenance issue while further enhancing the learning environment for our students.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 

A warm invitation to parents and carers, to our Annual General Meeting this Wednesday, 29th July, 6-7pm, where we will be presenting the 2025 Annual Report. 

Nicole