Principal Report
Good afternoon families,
As I write this, the sun is streaming through my office windows and the warm air is circulating - it finally feels like we’ve moved beyond winter and our very wet spring! I was impressed by the resilience shown by our Year 4 and Year 6 students as they took part in their Beach Programs earlier this week, when the weather was quite different. These experiences are great reminders for students that you don’t always have to be 100% comfortable to enjoy an activity, and that sometimes persevering is worthwhile when the alternative is cancelling. Fingers crossed that our Year 6 students get better weather for their two important events next week, being Big Day Out and Graduation.
Celebrating ES Day
Next week we celebrate our departing Year 6 cohort and also our wonderful Education Support (ES) staff here at NLPS. Our ES staff are essential to the running of our school (the ES Admin team), and the support in our classrooms (the ES Classroom team).
Education Support (ES) staff are the heartbeat of our primary school, providing the steady, compassionate support that helps students and teachers thrive every day. Whether they’re working directly with students, assisting in classrooms, supporting wellbeing, managing resources, or keeping the school running smoothly behind the scenes, their contributions are invaluable. ES staff bring patience, expertise, and genuine care to every interaction, helping create a safe, inclusive, and engaging learning environment. Their dedication often goes unseen, but its impact is felt in every success - big or small - across the school community. We deeply value and appreciate our ES team for the essential role they play in the growth, confidence, and wellbeing of every student.
Staff Workforce Plan - Planning for 2026
After a relatively smooth transition into 2025 from a staffing perspective, we’re expecting a few significant changes in 2026 to support our move to 24 classrooms (all straight classes) and a number of staff on leave in 2026 - either leave without pay or family leave, or a promotion to another school.
Expected staffing for 2026 is as follows:
Leadership Team:
Principal - Carly Bannon
Assistant Principal - Mat Williamson
Learning Specialists 1.6 EFT - Amy O’Dowd (0.6) and TBC
Leading Teacher (Inclusive Education) - TBC
Mental Health & Wellbeing Leader 0.6 EFT - Samantha Meddis
24 classroom teachers (F-6)
Specialist Subject Staff:
Phys Ed 1.2 EFT - Terry Antoniadis 1.0 & Myffy Scott-Walker 0.2
LOTE / Auslan 0.6 EFT - Priscilla Patterson
STEM 1.2 EFT - James Munro 1.0 & Myffy Scott-Walker 0.2
Visual Art - 1.2 EFT - Lisa Walker 1.0 & Ashlee Johnson 0.2
Music (Instrumental 0.4 / Classroom 0.6) - Jenny Ferris
Library (F-Year 4) 0.6 EFT - Sharon Rogers / Drama (Years 5-6) 0.4 EFT - Jackson Castiglione
8 ES Classroom staff
3.5 ES Admin staff
2026 Classes – Step Up Hour on Wednesday 17th December
We recognise that for many students, not knowing who their new teacher and classmates will be - or which room they will be in - can create anxiety and make the end of the year feel particularly stressful. Traditionally, we have shared the following year’s classes and provided an hour with the new teacher on the final day of Term 4. This year, we will be doing this a couple of days earlier - on Wednesday 17th December.
As you can appreciate, the end of the school year is full of special events and important tasks. With 2026 staffing still being finalised, Planning Week taking place next week, Foundation and Year 7 transition days approaching, many teachers needing to move rooms, and several year levels attending excursions or incursions, the final Wednesday was the earliest practical time we could schedule this.
You can support your child by reminding them that feeling worried about change is completely normal, and that they have all been through this experience before and not only survived - but hopefully thrived - in their 2025 classrooms. Please also reassure them that they will be placed with at least one friend from their learning buddy list, and that 2026 will be a great opportunity to grow their friendship circle.
Fete Fundraising Update
Congratulations again to Shaun and the NL Parents' Club team for organising such a great event! We raised just shy of $24,000, which will all go towards funding our two updated yard areas, which the building of will commence early next year. Thank you to everyone that attended, our sponsors and generous suppliers that helped raise this money.
Mobile Phones & Devices (Including Smart Watches)
A friendly reminder that, in accordance with the Education Department’s Mobile Phones – Use by Students Policy, personal mobile phones are not permitted to be used at NLPS during school hours unless an exception has been granted - usually for medical reasons. For the purpose of this policy (available on our website), a mobile phone includes any device that can access a cellular network, with or without a physical connection. This means tablets and smart watches with mobile connectivity are also covered.
We understand that many parents provide their child with a phone for safety when travelling to and from school. In these cases, students must switch off their phones, or disable smart watch connectivity, while at school (including school grounds) and store them safely for the entire school day. Students should not turn their devices on until they have left the school grounds. At this stage, we are hoping to avoid moving to a system where phones and devices are collected and stored by the school, as occurs in many other settings.
Please note that mobile phones, tablets, and smart watches brought to school are considered valuable items and are brought at the owner’s risk. Students are encouraged not to bring these devices unless they have a compelling reason. NLPS does not hold accident insurance for loss, damage, or theft, and any item brought to school remains the responsibility of the owner.
If you need to communicate with your child during school hours, please use the official channels, in line with DET policy. Contact the school office by phone or email, and staff will ensure your message is passed on.
Thank you for your cooperation on this matter.
Carols this Weekend / Music Teacher 2026
A reminder for those looking for something family friendly to do this weekend that on Saturday 6th December, the NLPS Band and Choir will be performing at our local Carols on the Green. Festivities start from 6:30pm and you can BYO picnic. The students have been busy rehearsing so it should be a fun night!
You may have deduced from the staffing update written above that our amazing music teacher, Tracey James, will not be with us next year. Tracey has taken leave without pay and will return to her home state, so it will be a lovely way for her to finish up (at least for now!) with the choir and band she loves and has developed so much. Her replacement, Jenny Ferris, has already spent time in the classroom and with this year’s band so it should be a smooth transition. However, I appreciate that Tracey will be greatly missed by our students and school community. I will provide more detail about other staff members that will not be with us in 2026 in my next newsletter.
Have a brilliant fortnight everyone!
Carly Bannon
NLPS Principal