Message from Principal Sarah

Transition Day and 2024 Classes

Our Whole School Transition Day will be held next week on Tuesday 12 December. This is an opportunity for students to spend the day in their 2024 classes with their 2024 teachers. 

Our 2024 Prep to Year 2 students will be transitioning at our Molesworth Street Campus (Junior Campus) and our 2024 Year 3 to Year 6 students will be transitioning at our Errol Street Campus (Senior Campus). This means our current 2023 Year 2 students will begin and end the day at our Errol Street Campus beginning at 8:45am and finishing at 3:15pm.

More information regarding details of our Transition Day will be shared via Compass.

Class Placements

The placement of students each year is a task that our staff takes very seriously, with the learning and wellbeing of each individual student considered. Classes have been formed by teachers, our wellbeing team and school leaders. Due to the many variables and delicate balance of each class, we consider the 2024 class placements as final. 

We have a high level of confidence in our leadership and teaching teams to make decisions based on the best outcomes for all of our students and trust our students will settle well into their new classes in 2024. We ask families to support the informed decisions of our staff and ensure all conversations with their children regarding their 2024 class placement are positive and encouraging.

NMPS currently has 848 confirmed student enrolments for 2024. Our class structure is as follows:

• 6 x Prep classes
• 5 x Year 1 classes
• 4 x Year 2 classes
• 5 x Year 3 classes
• 5 x Year 4 classes
• 6 x Year 5 classes
• 5 x Year 6 classes

2024 Staffing

As always at the end of a school year, we have an opportunity to welcome new members to our team and say farewell to some of our current staff.

In 2024 we welcome the following teaching staff: Jonathan Mercer, Joey Li, Ava McLaughin, Ailis Meade, Tessa Patrao, Richard Smith, Sarah Thwaites, Tessa Ellwood and Georgia Perkins. We also welcome back Kate Morris, Emma Lawrence, Helen Benjamin and Natalie Apostolidis who are returning from a period of leave. In addition to the teaching staff, we welcome Seda Seeley who will join our integration aide team. We look forward to welcoming these people to our NMPS team and working with them in 2024.

The following staff are taking leave for the 2024 school year: Lizzie Wright, Matilda Bailey, Amanda Stevens and Rachel Dowe. We wish these staff all the best for the 2024 school year and look forward to welcoming them back to NMPS in 2025.

We say farewell to Caroline Bett, Josie Jones and Dean Hamence, who are leaving NMPS to pursue other opportunities. We thank these staff members for their contribution to NMPS and wish them all the very best in their future endeavours.

A full staffing profile will be shared with families early next year.

2024 Curriculum Update

As you may be aware, in 2023 we were unable to staff a LOTE program at NMPS. After early consultation with both the Education subcommittee and School Council, it was agreed that NMPS would seek to renew our Auslan program in 2024. 

Following an extensive recruitment drive over the last 6 months, we have once again been unable to staff our LOTE program at NMPS and as such will not be running LOTE as a specialist subject in 2024. 

Instead, we will be maintaining the 2023 specialist subjects of Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education and Science.

However, we are committed to providing language experiences to our students and as agreed upon at School Council in 2023 our preference for the language taught at NMPS is Auslan. As such, we will be providing Auslan lessons through Auslan Education Services in 2024. 

Auslan Education Services has a team of Auslan Qualified people who deliver an online program that provides lesson planners and explicit teaching that our teachers will implement. NMPS staff will be provided professional learning opportunities to ensure we are engaging fully in the program as intended.

We are very much looking forward to re-establishing our LOTE program in 2024.

Year 6 Farewell

On Wednesday 13th December we will farewell our Year 6 students in their final school celebration - the Year 6 Farewell. Please refer to information sent out via Compass for further details around the farewell.

While leaving primary school may cause mixed emotions in some students, we are confident that over the seven years (or in some cases less) at North Melbourne Primary School, students have developed independence, resilience, and an enthusiasm for learning which will hold them in good stead to transition into secondary school.

Congratulations and all the very best to our 2023 Year 6 students.

Baby News

This fortnight we welcomed yet another addition to our NMPS family. Congratulations to Paige and Kenji on the arrival of Cooper Thomas Steele. Cooper was welcomed into the world on Friday, 24th November at 11:28pm. Both Cooper and Paige are doing really well.

In more baby news, last week we said farewell to Sarah Mountain, and this Friday we farewell Risa Hammel, as they both begin maternity leave. We wish Sarah and Nick, and Risa and Red, all the best as they begin this new chapter of their lives. We will keep the school community updated with news of baby arrivals.

COVID-19 Reminder

There is at present an increase in community transmission of COVID-19 in Victoria. 

You can help us keep our school as safe as possible by taking 2 important steps:

1. Ensure your COVID-19 vaccinations are up to date. Information on how and where to get vaccinated is available on the Get vaccinated webpage.

2. If your child shows symptoms of COVID-19, please ensure they stay home and get tested. The easiest way to test is to use a rapid antigen test (RAT). Free RATs are available from your local council where you can collect 2 packs of 5 RATs and an extra 2 packs for each person in your household. People with disability and their carers can get 4 packs of 5 RATs. You are not required to have a Medicare card and you can collect RATs as many times as you need. You can also buy RATs at supermarkets, pharmacies and other retailers.

If your child has symptoms but tests negative, please ensure they stay home until they no longer have symptoms. 

If the RAT test result is positive, please ensure they say home for at least 5 days and until there are no more symptoms.

Thank you for your support – these steps will help us all stay well.