Principal Message

As you may be aware, over the past two weeks, we have been undertaking our Whole School Review, a process that takes place in every Victorian government school once every four years. The Review involves carefully considering our student achievement data and Student Attitudes to School Survey data, as well as gathering feedback through student, parent and staff focus groups to build a rich picture of our school culture, learning and wellbeing. This information is then used to identify the goals, targets and next steps that will guide our improvement over the next four years.

I am excited to share that the Review is now complete and has been an incredibly positive and successful process. The Review Panel has been overwhelmingly impressed by the strength of our explicit instruction, responsive teaching approach and progressive implementation of the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0. We are excited about the goals we have collaboratively established and look forward to continuing to build on our many strengths to support further growth and wonderful achievements for our students over the next four years.

I would particularly like to acknowledge our wonderful Learning Specialists, Laura Ellis (Wellbeing) and Isaac Delaney and Netanel Koles (Teaching and Learning). Their contribution to the Review, their consistent focus on school improvement and their ongoing coaching and support of staff have contributed so significantly to the incredible outcomes we have achieved. Their leadership and commitment to building the collective capacity of our staff are making a genuine difference to teaching, learning and wellbeing across our school, and I am incredibly grateful for their expertise and dedication.

I would also like to extend an enormous thanks to our School Council President, Kylie Walsh, for her valuable contribution to the Review days and the broader Review process. Kylie’s commitment to Mitcham Primary School and her unwavering support of our school community are deeply appreciated. I would also like to thank all of the students, parents and staff who generously contributed to our focus groups. Your honest reflections, thoughtful insights and willingness to share your experiences helped provide the Review Panel with a rich and authentic picture of our school. 

Last Friday, our school was buzzing with excitement as we celebrated Science Week with a fabulous day of hands-on learning, exploration and discovery. A huge thank you to Ms Lauren Lamont for her amazing organisation of the day and for coordinating such a wonderful range of activities. Thank you also to all of our MPS staff for supporting the day and, in particular, to our Sustainability Coordinator, Mandy Boulton, and Marrung Lead, Sandy Kaye, for their wonderful contributions. A special thank you to Ilia, Hannah and Sophia’s dad, who captivated our students with an entertaining and insightful science show all about dry ice. The students were fascinated by the demonstrations and certainly came away with plenty to talk about… who would have thought you could ever actually use a banana to hammer in a nail!

Our STEM Captains, Oli and Aiden, also deserve a very special congratulations for their incredible initiative and hard work in leading a fundraiser to purchase a new 3D printer for our school. Through their raffle, the sale of Mitcham Primary School logo keyrings and their fantastic 3D-printed fidgets, they raised an amazing $1,000! This is a wonderful example of student agency and initiative in action. Oli and Aiden identified something they wanted to achieve for our school, developed a plan and worked incredibly hard to make it happen. We are very proud of them!

We were also incredibly fortunate to enjoy a wonderful concert performance by Mitch Tambo, followed by a Yarning Circle. A Yarning Circle is a respectful and inclusive way of coming together to share stories, listen to one another, build relationships and learn from different perspectives. It provides an important opportunity to connect with culture and community through conversation and storytelling. It was wonderful to see so many of our students engaging so enthusiastically and respectfully. We are incredibly fortunate to have such a passionate group of students who are committed to learning more about, celebrating and supporting cultural diversity and awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. A huge thank you to Sandy Kaye, our Marrung Lead, for nurturing this passion so thoughtfully and passionately within our students.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge yet again the exceptional efforts of our Parents and Friends Committee, so capably led by Leah, Renee and Kara, for their organisation of Thursday’s wonderful Father’s Day Stall. There is an enormous amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to make an event like this possible, from sourcing and selecting suitable gifts for students to purchase, organising the stock and then coordinating the stall itself, including the wonderful team of parent volunteers who generously give their time. These events make such a valuable contribution to our school community, and we are incredibly grateful for the time, energy and care that Leah, Renee, Kara and our P&F volunteers put into creating these special opportunities for our students and families.

As always, I am incredibly proud of the enthusiasm, curiosity, agency and respect our students continue to demonstrate. Thank you to our wonderful staff, volunteers and families for supporting all that we do at Mitcham Primary School.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

Erin Norman

Principal