Primary School

What a great start to the year we have had. It has been lovely to reconnect with our school community after the holidays and to welcome our new students and their families to our school. We have been amazed at how quickly the students have settled back into their school routines. After completing transition meetings and school readiness meetings before the students’ first formal day of school, everyone should be congratulated on their resilience in ensuring an incredibly smooth start to the term.

Please join me in welcoming this year’s new staff to the Primary School Team. Adam King has been appointed as the classroom teacher of Year 6C. He joins us from Hawthorn West Primary School, where he had been teaching for 8 years. Adam and his family have relocated back to their hometown of Echuca.

Bethany Wilson is taking on the role of classroom teacher of Kindergarten B. She joins us from Newington Primary School, where she was teaching Prep. Bethany has worked across a range of educational settings and moved from Ballarat to Echuca at the start of the year. 

Zara Pearson is the classroom teacher of Year 4B, and she joins us from Nazareth Primary School in Geelong. She is returning to Echuca/Moama to be near her family. Zara is an experienced Basketball coach and played College Basketball in the USA.

Madison Greenwood has been appointed as the classroom teacher of Year 1B. Previously, Madison worked as a Youth Ministry Officer and Classroom Support Assistant for the Catholic Education Archdioceses of Canberra and Goulburn. Madison moved to Moama over the summer holiday break.

Cassandra Wallace and Jack Davy have been appointed as Primary Trainees. Both Cassandra and Jack completed Year 12 at Moama Anglican Grammar in 2025. They have decided to engage with the Apprenticeship Factory and work at our school, to support students and staff during their gap year.

Years 1 to 6 Parent Information Evening

Our annual Parent Information Evening for students in Years 1 to 6 has been scheduled for Tuesday, 10 February and will start in the Multi-purpose Hall at 5pm, followed by classroom groups branching off with the relevant teachers. On-site supervision will be provided for students during this time, and at the conclusion, families are invited to enjoy a sausage sizzle with other families. 

Spotlight on PDHPE

In Personal Development, Health and Physical Education, the current focus right across the Primary school is Building Teamwork & Connection. It is important that every student feels like they belong and that their voice and actions will be supported within a safe environment. Parachute Games allow every child to shine, build confidence, teamwork and most importantly, connections, through fun and structured shared play. 

Gunbower Estate Honey

I would like to shine a light on and celebrate a student learning initiative launched by Mr Callum Gibbs. Through the collective efforts of staff, we have successfully applied for a grant to purchase protective equipment and a Flow Hive. We now have one beehive at Gunbower Estate, allowing students the opportunity to learn about beekeeping. Honey was harvested just prior to the start of the school year, resulting in over 15 kilograms of delicious, pure, raw honey. We look forward to seeing this initiative continue to grow and providing opportunities for students to connect their learning with the environment.

Year 3 Science Gets Custardy!

Students in Year 3 have been busy exploring the exciting world of matter, learning all about solids, liquids and gases. To test their scientific thinking, students took part in a delicious experiment… making custard! Before getting started, students made predictions about whether custard would behave like a solid or a liquid. As it was mixed, stirred and poured, students carefully observed how it moved and changed. Students enjoyed sharing their ideas, discussing their observations and using their scientific knowledge to decide where custard fits.

Academic Co-Curricular Program

Our Academic Co-Curricular extension and support programs continue to be offered for both English and Mathematics this year. In addition to the many extension programs and opportunities available for selected students, our comprehensive Literacy Intervention programs from Kindergarten to Year 6 will continue to be offered to identified students. Parents of students who will be selected to participate in these programs will receive a personalised invitation. 

Student Individual Learning Plan (ILP)

For those students on an ILP, the plans from 2025 will continue to be implemented to support the students in settling into their new classrooms. If your child is new to the school, teachers will use the ILP from their previous school, if provided. Teachers are currently collecting baseline assessment data, which they will use when reviewing your child’s ILP at the end of Term 1, ready for implementation in Term 2. Each ILP is reviewed again at the end of Term 3. 

Student Achievement

During the school holidays, Sophie Frazer represented Country Victoria at the Australian Country Junior Basketball Championships, held in Albury. She played in the U13 Emus team and absolutely loved the experience. Congratulations to Sophie for being selected to play at this level, as it is a big achievement!

Message from the Office

With the start of the new school year, I would like to remind parents of the importance of safe behaviours during boarding/disembarking buses and whilst waiting for the bus to come to a halt. As per the Conditions of Travel, it is the Parents/Guardians' responsibility for supervision at roadside stops and after disembarking in the afternoon service. We thank you for your support.

Our lost property cupboard is well stocked with jumpers, jackets and many more uniform items looking for their rightful owner. Before we donate these items to the uniform shop, we encourage our families to visit the Primary Office, where the lost property items are stored.

Upcoming Events

Kind regards,

Nici Deller                                                  

Deputy Principal | Head of Primary