Acting Principal's Report

As we commence Term 2 and truly ‘hit the ground running’, we reflect upon how we have already achieved so much for the 2026 school year. Throughout Term 1, our students were thoroughly immersed in their learning, making great advances towards achieving their respective learning goals, whilst enjoying and looking forward to more of the extra-curricular rituals and traditions that make Chatham such a brilliant place to be. 

The last two weeks have certainly been action-packed, with the following information highlighting some of our Chatham happenings across the school.

House Cross-Country Carnival – Tuesday 21st April 2026 

The sun was shining as our budding athletes embarked on a test of endurance for the annual House Cross-Country Carnival at Macleay Park last Tuesday. Our Physical Education Teacher, Mr Walter Boulton, had set a challenging yet exciting course for our Year 3-6 students, and I thank Mr Boulton for his organisation and commitment to ensuring a smooth event for all concerned. I also thank the parent/carer helpers who were able to assist on the day and all those who were able to attend to cheer on our students, as well as our Year 3-6 staff who undertook a range of roles to support our students as they gave their all to complete the course. 

Our House system builds a great sense of camaraderie and team spirit within our school and only yesterday, some of our Junior students sang their House chants for me in the yard! Our students were certainly very excited for Mr Boulton to announce the placings of the Houses for the Cross-Country at last Monday’s assembly, with Corbett taking ‘home’ the famous Chatham House Cross-Country Shield for 2026 and Alice Y and Laurence D were delighted to accept the shield on behalf of their House, as our Corbett Captains for this year. 

Please see the overall results below:

Corbett (Blue) – 183 points 

McEvoy (Yellow) – 169 points

Nugent (Green) – 157 points

Fenton (Red) – 131 points 

Mr Boulton also took this opportunity to announce our huge District team of 60 students who will compete at Anderson Park this Monday 4th May. With training underway, this promises to be another exciting event – Good luck Chatham! 

Surrey Hills ANZAC Day Dawn Service – Surrey Gardens – Saturday 25th April 2026

It was wonderful to attend this beautiful service on Saturday morning to support our School and Vice Captains, Harriet B, Thomas K, April B and Jake T, as they spoke so eloquently and laid a wreath on behalf of our school in front of the estimated 2,000 people in attendance. Our Captains were given the opportunity to speak on the topic of medals awarded during or after World War I, with Harriet speaking about The Victory Medal, a common medal for all British Allies of WWI, and Thomas speaking about the Dead Man’s Penny, a medal given to families of military personnel who passed away during WWI.

Our participation in this event, facilitated by the Surrey Hills and Mont Albert Progress Association, is a true privilege with only three other schools in our local area invited to play such an integral part in the proceedings each year since its inception in 2015. Thank you to Mr Zac Barry who attended and had thoroughly prepared our students for the occasion, liaising with parents ahead of the event and organising our school’s wreath. It was lovely to also have Ms Michelle Owens and Ms Sue Minshull in attendance and of course, the families and friends of the students involved. We truly value your efforts and support of such activities, and it is at times like this that we are reminded of what wonderful ambassadors our Year 6 Leaders are for our school. 

Foundation and Year 5 ‘Buddy’ Picnic – Sunday 26th April 2026

It was lovely to attend our Foundation – Year 5 Buddy Picnic organised by our Parents’ Club on Sunday afternoon. I was blown away by the huge turnout of families, who had come to not only share a bite to eat in the sunshine, but also to meet their child’s buddy and their parents, which made for a truly lovely cross-age experience. I thank Ms Aimee Macfarlane and Ms Danielle Roberts who had worked hard to bring this event to fruition following its cancellation last term due to inclement weather, and who had gone to the trouble of organising a fun activity for students to engage in before enjoying an icy pole together!   

School Crossing Supervisor of the Year Awards 2026

I am delighted to announce that after submitting a nomination for our lovely crossing supervising, Ms Helen Reilly, I have been notified that Helen has been short-listed and invited to attend an awards ceremony. Helen has been our brilliant crossing supervisor stationed on Weybridge Street, Surrey Hills, directly outside the Chatham front gates since 2019. In that time, Helen has become an integral and highly valued member of our school community, building a very strong rapport with students and their families, in addition to our staff. We wish Helen all the best with this nomination, as she is a truly deserving contender for this accolade!

Foundation Enrolments for 2027

What a brilliant year it will be to commence school at Chatham in 2027! Next year it will be 100 years since Chatham opened its doors to the Surrey Hills community for the very first time and we have so much to reflect on and celebrate! Our centenary year will surely be one to remember and a true extravaganza of fun and festivities, and a celebration of all that our wonderful school has come to be over the century – We can’t wait! 

Applications for Foundation enrolments opened last week and close on Friday 31st July 2026, and if you have a child commencing Foundation in 2027, please be sure to complete your application as soon as possible so we can commence planning for 2027. Please also spread the word about our great school to neighbours, friends and family who have kinder-aged children about to commence their schooling journey. I am currently running fortnightly School Tours on Wednesday mornings from 9:30am and we also have an upcoming Story Time Session for kinder-aged children happening next Thursday 7th May at 9:30am with our Foundation Coordinator, Ms Kirstie Briggs. Prospective families are asked to register for these activities by contacting our school office.   

Riversdale Principals’ Network Conference – Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th April 2026

Last Thursday and Friday I attended the annual 2-day Department of Education Riversdale Principals’ Network Conference. This was a highly valuable experience, with excellent keynote speakers and an opportunity to work with a triad group of other Principals to formulate plans for our school relating to our Annual Implementation Plan for 2026, amongst other matters. This group, comprised of Chatham, Glenferrie and Roberts McCubbin Primary Schools, will be working together in a myriad of capacities across the year.

The conference had a specific focus on responsive teaching, explicit teaching, alignment of practice and building middle leaders, and one of the keynote speakers, Ms Bronwyn Ryrie Jones, is also conducting a series of professional learning sessions for Riversdale Teachers, which commenced this week on Wednesday 29th April. This will be so valuable, as it will form the basis of our work leading into Semester 2. 

It was great to have Mr Zac Barry in attendance at the conference on Thursday, and I thank both Ms Kirstie Briggs and Mr Barry for their excellent stewardship of the school during my absence. 

Harmony Day Celebration

Whilst it is now some time ago, it would be remiss of me not to mention the brilliant Harmony Day Celebration that was organised by Mr Zac Barry and our Year 6 Junior School Council on Thursday 2nd April, which was the final day of Term 1. This day involved students dressing up in colours reflective of their cultural heritage and and/or wearing the universal colour of Harmony Day, orange. Our students have heritages from over 20 countries and each year, we endeavour to celebrate different countries from within this group. All students from Foundation to Year 6 were involved in one of ten cross-age groups throughout the middle session of the day, in which they explored the history, geography and culture of one country representative of our student population and also engaged in activities focused on promoting diversity and inclusion. This session culminated in a celebratory assembly in the School Hall at 1:00pm, which families were welcome to attend.

School Maintenance and Improvements

Over the holiday period, a range of tradespeople were engaged to undertake works and routine checks including the servicing of our gas heaters and the ‘testing and tagging’ of electrical appliances. You will also see our wonderful new pinboards that were installed in the Hall courtesy of Fundraising efforts, and I’m pleased to advise that our STEM Room will also soon be rejuvenated with a fresh coat of paint, as part of a prize I obtained last year through the Victorian Principals’ Association.

Road Safety and Traffic Reminders

Riding bikes and scooters to and from school is an activity that quite a number of our students enjoy. Indeed, the great sense of independence and health benefits of active travel can’t be denied, and whilst our students are often very keen to reunite with their bikes and scooters at the end of the school day, they are aware that they do not ride bikes or scooters in the school grounds after 8:45am in the mornings or before 3:45pm in the afternoons. 

With the commencement of a new term, it is timely that we also remind students that when they are riding on the footpaths around our school, they are expected to do so safely, by travelling at slow speed. We ask that if your child rides to school or uses a scooter, that they are reminded of these expectations, for the safety of themselves and others.

We look forward to more wonderful times at Chatham ahead!

Thank you,

Georgina Kirwan

Acting Principal