Principal's Report

Canberra Camp

Recently I travelled with our Year 6 students to Canberra. The itinerary was jam-packed with breakfast at 7:00 am and then off to our first activity each day.  Some of the places the students visited over the 5-day camp included Government House, Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial, the High Court of Australia, Geoscience, the Mint, and the National Capital Centre. 

We also spent on evening at Questacon and another having fun playing laser tag and arcade games. Friday was a very early start with a 6 am breakfast and then on the road back to school. 

The camp is a great opportunity for the students to visit our nation’s capital and have experiences they would not be able to have if they were traveling with their family.  We were very fortunate to meet our Governor General Sam Mostyn while we were at Government House. The children were extremely excited when she came to speak to them and have some photos taken. 

I would like to thank the staff including Craig Smith, who worked tirelessly organising the camp, Sarina Marchant, Aislinn Farrow, Joanna Bright, Paula Sanford, Mary Kalogianis and Joe Greige for going with the children. 

School Council

Last week we held the final meting of the current School Council. During the meeting we set the dates for the 2026 Pupil Free Days:

• Tuesday May 5 (Term 2)                 Curriculum
• Friday June 5 (Term 2)                     Report Writing (PPDay) 
• Monday August 31 (Term 3)          Curriculum 
• Monday November 16 (Term 4)   Report Writing
• Friday December 11 (Term 4)       Curriculum 

Elections  

We received three parent nominations for School Council, so we are not required to hold an election. The new members of School Council are: James Fahy, Jessica Gerrard, and Merinda Ries. We received two staff nominations, Dale Adams and Bev Taylor. 

As we received three nominations, we still have two vacancies: one parent member and one community member. If you are interested in taking up either of these positions, please email me at preston.ps@education.vic.gov.au or call me on 9470 1167. Expressions of interest will close on Friday March 6. 

Retiring Members

Ali Harvey, who has been on School Council for 6 years and President for 3 years, has decided that she will not re-nominate for School Council as her son is in his last year at Preston. On behalf of School Council and the school community, I would like to thank Ali for her endless support of Preston PS. 

She has been an active member of the school community and School Council during her 8 years as a parent. She always offers a very balanced perspective when matters are discussed at school council. She worked tirelessly on the solar panels project and we have her to thank for their installation. 

On a personal note, I would like to thank Ali for her support. She has been a great President to work with as her goal has always been to achieve what is best for the students, staff, and school community. Thanks Ali, we will miss you. 

We also have Anthony Stanley, Bec Gray, Nadia Mecoli and Felicity Blake who have not nominated for a further term. Bec and Nadia have worked tirelessly on community based events during their time on council. They organised the Family Picnic, Movie Night, and Trivia Night which were a great success. They also took on major roles with last year’s 150 Years celebration. 

I would like to thank all of our retiring members for the contribution they have made during their time on School Council. 

Student Leaders

At our first Senior School assembly we presented badges to our Year 6 leadership members:

School Captains                    Frankie M and Rhea N

Vice Captains                         Fred M and Denise V 

Tyler House Captains          Leni N and Imogen H    

Jeffrey House Captains       Clementine D and Seyaan K

Bowden House Captains    Marshall H and Eamon B

Hanna House Captains       Ale F and Levi Y

JSC and Environmental Reps 

Last week all of the grades from Year 2 to 6 elected a JSC and Environmental Rep for their grade. The children who were interested in doing either of the roles had to make a speech in front of their grade and then their peers got to vote. 

At our next Senior School assembly is on Monday March 23 and we will be presenting the reps with their badges. Parents are welcome to attend. 

NAPLAN 

Next week the Year 3 and 5 students will begin NAPLAN. They will complete the writing, reading, conventions of language, and numeracy tasks over the next two weeks. In 2026 all of the sessions will be conducted online except the Grade 3 writing which will be done on paper. If a student misses a session due to illness or injury there will be an opportunity for them to complete a ‘catch up’ session within the two-week NAPLAN time period.

The results of the tests provide diagnostic information for parents and teachers about a child’s performance in Literacy and Numeracy. This information can be used to support teaching and learning programs and improve student achievement.

NAPLAN reports will be sent out later in the year. The report will describe your child’s particular skills in reading, writing, spelling, language conventions, and numeracy. The report will also show how your child performed in relation to national minimum standards. 

Regards,

Janet Paterson,

Principal.