From the Leadership Team

Swimming week 

Last week, our Reception to Year 4 children visited Thebarton Swimming Centre from Monday to Thursday for their annual swimming program. This year’s program was a great success with lots of growth in children’s skills and a lot of fun inbetween. A swimming program like this does not happen without lots of hard work behind the scenes and we thank everyone involved for their help from booking buses, to coordinating timetables and staffing, to moving over 200 children to and from the centre safely. We also extend a huge thank you to all of the parents who volunteered to attend this year’s swimming program. We could not run these lessons without your support and we thank you. 

We also take this opportunity to encourage parents to start the process to sign up as registered volunteers now! Your certification lasts for five years and makes you eligible to attend camps, excursions and to help out at events like our Mother’s and Father’s Day stalls.  

Remembrance Day 

Yesterday our school community commemorated Remembrance Day during a service in our Church. We thank all who attended and acknowledge the special contribution of Theodore Stanbrook in laying our wreath and school parent, Flight Leftenant Kim Longhurst, who recited the Ode of Remembrance. We acknowledge and thank all of our defence force families for their service and for helping our children make genuine connections with real life servicemen and women. 

Strategic Plan Launch, following Week 4 Friday assembly and mail-out 

During our Assembly on Friday of last week, our School Chair, Dr Merryn Ruwoldt, launched the St Paul Lutheran School Strategic Plan 2025-2028. Today you will receive an email with a digital copy of the Strategic Plan and should you prefer a paper copy, you will be able to ask for one from our front office. The Strategic Plan shares our new school values and the strategic priorities that will guide our decision making as a school over the next three to four years. On behalf of our School Board and our staff, we can say that we are very proud of this plan and incredibly excited about the future it maps out for us. If you have any questions about our Strategic Plan, please reach out to our leadership team via the front office. 

Staff health update 

Our Principal, Leila Mattner, is currently away unwell which is why you may not have seen her around school as much in the past couple of weeks. In her absence, Jess Robinson, our Deputy Principal: Wellbeing, is Acting Principal and can be contacted if you need to speak to someone in Leila’s absence. We look forward to welcoming Leila back when she is feeling well.  

Staffing Announcements

We have a number of exciting pieces of news to share from our staff today.  

Firstly, we congratulate our Reception teacher, Henry Sheedy, and his wife Tess as they plan to welcome a new baby into their family early next year!  

We are also excited to share that one of our Performing Arts teachers, Marlise Janetzki, is pregnant, with their new arrival coming during Term One next year as well.

We also congratulate Claire Fisher who recently became engaged to her partner, Lauren, and we wish them every blessing! 

Our Deputy Principal: Wellbeing, Jess Robinson, is also pregnant and will be welcoming her own bundle of joy during Term One 2026.  

Congratulations to all of our expecting staff and their families!