Principal's Report
Principal’s Report
Dear Parents and Carers,
We would like to welcome the new students and families who have started with us since our last newsletter. Thank you for your continued support of the staff and school. We place great value on building positive relationships with our families, and it is very encouraging to see students and families happy, confident and satisfied with our staff and school.
As we move into the colder months, we've certainly felt the change in weather across our school grounds. The crisp mornings and cooler days are a reminder that winter has arrived, and it's wonderful to see students continuing to embrace outdoor play, learning and connection despite the chill. We encourage families to ensure children come to school with warm clothing, including a named jacket, so they can stay comfortable throughout the day. While the weather may be cooler, the energy, enthusiasm and learning across our school remain as vibrant as ever.
This term at Merri-bek Primary we have continued to focus on the wellbeing and learning needs of our students as our number one priority. All staff have worked hard to establish a culture of community and to re-establish teaching and learning routines. Many students have benefitted from Individual Education Plans, inclusion in our Tutor Learning Program and other additional supports. This work and valuable support will continue for the remainder of this year and until all students have progressed to the desired level. The leadership team would like to take this opportunity to thank our hard-working staff for all that they do, every day for all our students
Lunch with the Principal.
One of the highlights of the past few weeks has been launching Lunch with the Principal. It has been wonderful welcoming small groups of students into my office to share lunch together, chat about their interests, hear their ideas, and learn more about what they enjoy most about school.
These informal conversations provide a valuable opportunity for students to have their voices heard and to strengthen the connections that make our school community so special. I've been impressed by the thoughtful questions, creative ideas, and honest feedback students have shared. From discussing favourite books and lunchtime activities to suggestions for making our school even better, every conversation has been meaningful. I look forward to meeting many more students throughout the year!
Thank you to all the students who have joined me so far. I look forward to meeting many more throughout the year. If your child is interested, they can add their name to the sign-up sheet outside my office. I can't wait to share a lunch and a conversation with them soon!
Pre-Service teachers and Work Experience
We have several Student Teachers from various tertiary institutions working with us between now and the remainder of the year. We also have several students on work experience later this year, mainly from Coburg High. We see this as an important role for us, as it gives us the opportunity to keep further in touch with current thinking at universities as well as training the next group of teachers.
Prep Enrolments 2027
It is that time of the year! It certainly has been exciting to see so many prospective parents and their children attend our school tours over the past few weeks. Please call the office to make an appointment and we are more than happy to arrange a tour of our fabulous school for you.
If you have a child (or know of a child) who is due to start school next year, please get your enrolment form into the office as soon as possible. Spaces are limited as we have had several students enrolled already for next year and are nearly at capacity.
Eid al-Adha
We acknowledge and celebrate Eid al-Adha (Sacrifice Bayram) last week, a significant occasion for many members of our community. Eid is a time of reflection, generosity, gratitude, and gathering with family and friends. We extend our warm wishes to all families who will be celebrating.
A reminder that Monday 9 June is the King's Birthday Public Holiday, and the school will be closed. Students will return to school on Tuesday 10 June.
We hope our students and families enjoy the long weekend and the opportunity to spend time together.
Maria Giordano
Bianca - Assistant Principal’s Report
Dear Merri-bek families,
Wow the term is moving very quickly with only 3 more weeks of Term 2 left to go. It has been a very busy term across the school for both teachers and students.
Teachers have been gathering data to analyse and moderate together in preparation for reports this semester. Parents will have the opportunity to meet with Teachers in the last week of school on Tuesday. Teachers have their 2nd workshop on the VTLM 2.0 as part of the Hume Merri-bek Network’s approach to professional learning this year.
We have had the chance as student leaders at Merri-bek Primary School to ask students what they liked best about school so far this term, what do you love about our school;
Prep students have said
-writing is the best because you get to write what you want
-playing with my friends, maths and Respectful Relationships
-Maths because I get to use lots of numbers
-Respectful Relationships because I get to learn about what my friends like
-playing with my friends and meeting them every day
Year 1’s
-teachers help students in different ways to make them understand better
- I love the library, courtyard and mini-beast learning because I could learn something new
Year 2’s
-the outside areas are great, tally marks in maths and playing outside with my friends
Students in year 3/4
-the school is sustainable, each student supports each other with care and kindness, feeling that the school is welcoming and the teachers, principals and students make you feel welcome to be yourself. All the subjects are great as there is something new
Lots of students feel like they are very included and everyone tries their best to make them feel welcome. They can express themselves however they want, lots of peoples favourite thing about the day is having their friends greet them as they walk through the gates. It’s a very inclusive and multicultural school.
Year 5’s
-our school is inclusive and everyone here is welcomed
-doing specialists and the Island project in year 5/6
Year 6 students said;
-Reading because I am finding the Hobbit fun to read
Kind regards
Bianca (Assistant Principal), Aarav and Rae (School Captains), Ollie and Mariam (School Vice Captains)
Our favourite books at the moment we are reading are….
Joe - Assistant Principal
International Maths Challenge Success
Last week, we had five of our Grade 5/6 students participate in the International Maths Challenge, an engaging competition designed to extend students' mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills. The challenge encourages students to apply their knowledge in unfamiliar contexts, think critically, and develop strategies to solve complex problems- valuable skills that support learning across all areas of the curriculum.
We are delighted to share that the results have now been released, and our students achieved excellent outcomes. Of the five students who participated, three were recognised as Elitists—an outstanding achievement.
Students who score between the 80th and 95th percentile worldwide are recognised as High Performers and are awarded the title of “Elitist.” This places them among the top-performing students internationally and reflects their strong mathematical reasoning and perseverance.
Congratulations to all of our participants for representing our school so well. We are incredibly proud of their efforts and achievements!
We are excited to build on this success and look forward to welcoming even more participants to the International Maths Challenge next year. Opportunities such as this encourage students to develop confidence, resilience, and a love of mathematical problem-solving. We hope many more students will take up the challenge and enjoy the rewarding experience of competing on a global stage.