Principal's Report

Principal’s Message

Moving on in 2024?

If your family are planning a move to a new school for 2024, early notification greatly assists our forward planning. Please contact the school office to inform us of your plans.

2024 Planning

With Term 4 upon us, planning for the 2024 school year is well and truly underway. We are currently working with our leadership teams on roles and classroom allocations for next year, with planning for 2024 classes beginning in a few weeks. This planning of classes is an extensive task, with many contributing factors being taken into consideration before students find out where they will be for 2024 on Stepping Up day (Tuesday 12th December).

Students will have an opportunity in a few weeks time to nominate some peers that they would like to be in the same class as in 2024. In all but very exceptional circumstances, students are placed with at least one of these nominated peers. In circumstances where this appears to be impossible, families will be contacted to discuss options prior to the stepping up day.

If parents have particular concerns regarding class placement, you are welcome to email me via peter.watson@education.vic.gov.au, however please be aware that it is very difficult to guarantee placements with or separations from  specific peers. Placements with specific teachers are even more difficult to accommodate.

2024 Planning Continued!

Further to the 2024 planning conversation, I am very pleased to inform our community that with further provision of 'non face-to-face' time for teachers in 2024, we have the opportunity to bring robotics (renamed as STEAM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) back into the weekly timetable. The specific logistics of what our specialist timetable will look like are still to be finalised, however I can confirm that the specialist program will consist of PE, Visual Arts, Performing Arts, LOTE (Japanese) & STEAM.

To reduce (or create!) further speculation, at this stage, Melinda Browne will be continuing in a classroom role in 2024, while retaining an advisory role for the STEAM program.

Hats

A further reminder that our Sunsmart period is firmly upon us and as such, all students are required to wear a wide-brimmed school hat outside at all times throughout the day. The assistance of parents and carers in ensuring all students have such a hat at school is much appreciated.

Financial Assistance

We are well aware that many in our community are currently experiencing significant financial hardship at present. In keeping with our strong commitment to inclusion at Roberts McCubbin Primary School, if your family is finding payment for a school event to be prohibitive, please contact myself or Business Manager Melissa for a confidential discussion of options.

Peter Watson

Principal