Staffing Changes

In planning for 2026, we are pleased to share an update on our staffing for next year. We are excited to welcome Rina Augustsson as a full time staff member in 2026, and we will be announcing some additional staff appointments shortly.

We would like to congratulate Sandi Spittal, who has just been appointed Acting Principal at Nanneella Estate Primary School. We are currently recruiting for a replacement for Sandi and will share further information once this process is finalised. We also extend our best wishes to Sam Izzo, who has accepted a position at Gisborne Primary School, to Bec Hesper, who will be returning to her ongoing position at Keilor Primary School, and to Alex Bell, who has accepted an ongoing teaching position at Grovedale Primary School in Geelong. Finally, we would like to let families know that Lily Gao will not be returning next year. We thank all of these staff for their contributions to Macedon Primary School and wish them every success in their future endeavours.

2026 Structure Update

We have had an influx of enrolments in recent weeks. These additional students have meant that we have had to make some changes to our previously announced class structures. This has been done carefully to minimise class sizes across the school and ensure that we can continue to provide a supportive learning environment for all students.

In 2026, our class structure will be as follows: two Foundation/Year 1 classes, two Year 1/2 classes, one Year 2/3 class, two Year 3/4 classes and two Year 5/6 classes. We appreciate your understanding as we make these adjustments in response to our changing enrolments.

2026 Specialist Subjects

As mentioned in the 6 November newsletter, we will be changing our daily structure from 50 minute sessions to one hour sessions next year. This adjustment will support our work on refining our instructional models and allow for more sustained learning time in each block.

One implication of this change is that we will only be able to offer four specialist subjects. After careful consideration, we have made the decision to move French into the classroom program rather than offering it as a separate specialist subject. We will be using Department resources to support this change and to ensure French is delivered in a consistent and engaging way across year levels.

2026 Staffing

F/1	Heather Coates
	Tracy Tadd
1/2	Kirstie Hall
	Rina Agustsson
2/3	To be advised
3/4	Melissa Smillie (3 Days) and To be advised (2 Days)
	Anthony Bortolot
5/6	Veronica Wuthrich (4 Days) and To be advised (1 Day)
	Carla Dodd
PE	David Oxworth
Visual Arts	Felicity Brennan
STEM	Lisa Pickles
Forest School	Lisa Pickles
Disability Inclusion and Intervention	Karren Baker
Mental Health and Wellbeing	Sue Erwin
Education Support	Ashlee Knight, Rebecca Campbell, Anne Eames
OSH Manager	Vicki Leening
Office	Salina Chamerski, Anne Eames
Business Manager	Julie Stein-Reeves
Principal	Andrew Bloomfield

2026 Class placement

On Tuesday 9 December, students will spend the morning with their new class for next year. The process of creating classes is intensive and takes a great deal of time and care. We have had to take into account academic levels, individual student needs, friendships, teacher recommendations and more than 50 parent requests.

While we try to accommodate all requests, it is not always possible. Our aim is always to create classes that are the best fit for all of our students across the school. Changing students out of these classes is not a simple process and is incredibly difficult once all factors have been balanced. For this reason, we will unfortunately be unable to make changes to these final class placements.

Student Leaders

This week, I was lucky enough to be part of the School Captain selection panel. I was so impressed with the strength of the candidates, who all spoke with confidence, maturity and a genuine sense of pride in our school. Each student demonstrated our school values in their speeches and interviews, making it an incredibly difficult decision.

I am very pleased to announce that our 2027 School Captains will be Anja E and Archer D. We are confident they will represent our students and our school community with enthusiasm and integrity.

Attendance

As part of our School Strategic Plan, we’re aiming to reduce student absences to an average of fewer than 17 days per student each year.

Regular attendance supports learning and wellbeing. Missing 20 days a year adds up to over a full year of school missed by Year 12.

So far this year, Macedon Primary students have missed 3606 days – an average of 15.74 days per student.

Thank you for supporting regular attendance. Every day counts!

Jui Jitsu - Change of Day

Due to Step-Up Day on Tuesday 9th December, Group A and Group B will participate in their Jui Jitsu classes on the morning of Friday 12th December instead.

Warm regards,

Andrew Bloomfield

Principal

andrew.bloomfield@education.vic.gov.au

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