Message from the Principal 

Welcome to Week 7 Term 4

How quickly time is going! The next month holds key moments in the lives of many of our students. The end of  a school year holds much excitement but also some fear as change is imminent- new year level, maybe new classmates, new teacher, new learning space. I hope you can find some time to slow down as a family and treasure the next few weeks as you can't get this time back! To the parents of our Year 6 students and parents of our newest students coming into Foundation in 2026 especially, these are key transitional moments in your lives- take time to treasure these, even if your little (or big) person is asserting their independence!

MACSSIS Data

Thank you to those parents who completed the surveys in September. We have received the reports and I would like to celebrate with you some of the positive growth seen in the family survey.

To have achieved an overall positive rating of 75% (up from 71%) and to be above the average of other schools in Melbourne Archdiocese Schools (MACS) is a good achievement. The Catholic Identity score of 80% is particularly pleasing as we have been working hard to share our Catholic faith with all families. It is nice to see this hard work recognised in some data. To receive an endorsement of 94% saying we have a strong social and learning climate is also testament to all the work staff have been implementing around high expectations and consistent, predictable routines. I thank our staff for their diligence and ongoing commitment to this work. 

I also thank all our families for their ongoing comitment to walking alongside us to ensure all students are able to flourish and reach their full potential.

PAM Update

I wish to acknowledge the inconvenience of the past few weeks while our Parent Access portal (PAM) has remained offline.

Since we notified you in late October that a security vulnerability in the SIMON App had been identified, our MACS ICT security colleagues and their external cyber experts have been working hand in glove with the platform owner to ensure every necessary measure is implemented to protect the privacy and data of our school and community.  

It is important to be clear that this is not a “cyber breach” situation, but a response to a potential vulnerability. We are committed to reinstating your access to the portal as soon as we can be assured that it will be safe to do so.

Access to the portal will remain restricted this week for further reviews of the platform’s security enhancements. Staff continue to access SIMON while at school.

I do understand that this outage is frustrating at times, but our priority remains on safeguarding our digital environment and our community’s information. I appreciate your continued patience and understanding. I’m advised that the resumption of access is now a matter of days away.  

If you have questions or would like further information, please reach out to me via email.

Please note that schools that use SIMON and PAM are configured differently, and so the response to the management of this issue can differ between schools.

Carols

We invite all families - current and new in 2026 - to join us on Thursday 11 December as we share the story of Christmas. Please join us in the hall at 5:30pm

Upcoming Dates

Friday 28 November - School Closure Day (Camp Australia is available for bookings)

Thursday 4 December 2:30pm- We invite families to walk through classrooms to see what students have been learning this term.

Thursday 11 December- come and hear the Christmas story told through story and song at our annual Carols.

Please also read further in the newsletter for details regarding the Advent liturgies classes will be leading  as we enter the season of Advent to prepare for Christmas.

For all dates- including 2026- read 'Important Dates' page.

Sharon Daujat

Principal

principal@spclayton.catholic.edu.au