Goodbye Mrs Palermo

On Monday at our Advent Assembly, we took advantage of Jill being at school for an Emergency Teacher Day to say farewell. Abby and Karla wrote a beautiful poem and speech that I think expressed what we all feel bout Jill. We wish her and her family every blessing, as she takes up a position at St John the Baptist in Ferntree Gully next year.

Good bye and good luck Jill, we have blessed to have you as part of the COHR Community.

From Abby & Karla

Mrs Palermo arrived at this school 12 years ago and since then she has had an incredible impact on everyone here. Mrs Palermo, you have touched our lives and our hearts in one way or another, and without you this school would still be at the bottom of the ladder instead of the top, where you helped lead us. You began here teaching Year Three and Four, but now everyone recognises you as the terrific Prep teacher who helped so many of us reach further than we ever thought we could. Everyone at this school knows that receiving a scratch and sniff sticker from you is one of the greatest achievements ever.

You have led students here so well but you have also led the teachers just as strongly. Being a learning and teaching leader must have been a huge responsibility and I do not think anyone at this school can truly express how much they appreciate everything you have done for this community. You have had the courage to take on school life while also raising two boys, Benjamin and little Sebastian, and that is outstanding. We wish you the very best and we hope you step into this next part of your inspiring career with confidence. Good luck wherever you go. We will never forget your effort, your dedication and your diligence. As pilgrims of hope, we know the path you are choosing will serve you well.

Everyone who knows you will remember your favourite colour yellow, your cute dinosaur hat from Benjamin, the snowball hands that magically made us better listeners and the Numberjacks that we used to obsess over every single day. If we had to describe what you have done for our community in a poem, we would say something like this.

From the Prep lessons that you taught us to the way that you were so kind 

We would read and write and learn with you opening our minds 

You are always so fabulous to everyone in all that you do 

So wherever you go you will get the same back to you 

Through seasons of despair you have always been there 

With open arms a safe place filled with care 

And when the days passed going steady 

You made sure we always felt prepared and ready 

And now even though it hurts to say farewell 

We will never forget how you taught us to read and write and spell

Mrs Palermo, we will miss you so much. 

From us and from every heart you have touched, 

Thank you.