Incident at Bondi

After the sad events that occurred in Bondi over the weekend, some of our students are dealing with different levels of anxiety. With that in mind, I am informing you that we will be having our normal end of year emergency drill tomorrow.

If you think your child may be better served with prior notice, please have a chat to them tonight

and let them know that the drill is a practice only.

Helpers Around Our School

As the year ends, can I take this opportunity to give a shout out to some of the adult helpers in our school community that do such a wonderful job for our students throughout the year -

Nat and Belinda our canteen staff, who are always friendly and helpful to the students and staff when they are hungry. We are very lucky to have two dedicated staff who have been at the school for so long.
Mr. Surkitt our maintenance man, who is always tending to our gardens and repairing any problems around our school. We thank you for providing such a great learning environment for our students.
Makayla our OSHC co-ordinator, thank you for looking after our students before and after school and during term holiday breaks.
Anna and Bruce our fabulous lollipop people, who are on crossings in the mornings and afternoons ensuring the safety of our students as they enter and exit the school.

Julia (Guitar) and Rosemarie (Keyboard), who take our external instrumental programs. We thank you for another wonderful year of tuition.

School Reports

This week our student academic performance reports were circulated to families. Please take the time to read these important documents. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our teachers at school this week.

The content of this report is a really good starting point for discussions with your child’s new teacher on the Meet the Teacher Interviews on Wednesday 28th January 2026.

Happy Retirement

Congratulations to Ms. Kerry Gibbs our Language Support Program Co-ordinator, who finishes up at Plenty Parklands today after a long career spanning twenty five years! Over this time Ms. Gibbs has worked with hundreds of students to develop their speech skills.

Ms. Gibbs has been an integral part of the staff for nearly the entirety of the history of our school. We thank her for her excellent service and wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

Staffing Changes

Congratulations to the following staff who have accepted positions at other schools for 2026, or will be focusing on other important roles for next year –

Mr. Alex Campbell who has accepted a position as the Assistant Principal at Upper Plenty Primary School.
Ms. Meg Siedel who will be heading off on maternity leave.
Ms. Kate Fitzmaurice who will be working at the Austin School.
Mr. Jake Leslie who has picked up a Physical Education position at Glen Katherine Primary School.
Mr. Gavin Lock has now graduated and will be teaching a Year 3/4 class at Upper Plenty Primary School.
Ms. Leanne Demetrius who is finishing up to focus on her final year of study to be a teacher.

Fun Day Monday

Yesterday 700 of our students ventured to seven different destinations to celebrate Fun Day Monday, which is a tradition at our school. This day acts as a culmination of all the great things that have happened across the school year.

Activities ranged from visits to the Zoo, Chocolate Factory and even IMAX Theatre. School Council are currently investigating options for 2026 that may or may not include offsite excursions. More information will follow in the new year.

End of Year Events

With only three days to go, we still have our Year 6 Presentation on Wednesday night, our whole school end of year Assembly on Thursday morning and our Prep Fire Brigade visit.

Due to the expected excessive heat later this week, I have been approached by a number of families who are planning to take their children home after the Assembly on Thursday. With 37 degrees expected, this is completely understandable. Please remember to sign your child out at the office.

Holiday Projects at PPPS

Whilst students are on summer break we have a number of projects happening around the school. These include renovations to rooms 19 and 20, an extension to our new prep playground, upgrades to the school hall and delivery of new classroom furniture. We hope all these exciting additions will be in place for the start of the 2026 school year.

Wishing each and every one of you, and all of your family members, a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year! Have a safe and enjoyable break before returning in 2026 for another exciting year of learning at Plenty Parklands.

David Whewell | Principal

SCHOOL BASED EDUCATION SUPPORT

Certificate III in School Based Education Support - Mernda