School Council President's Message

Good morning parents and carers, grandparents, special family members, staff and students. I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of you as we enjoy the cool of the gardens this morning after yesterday’s heat. It is certainly a welcome relief and lovely to be back at the gardens celebrating 2024 at Hamilton Gray St Primary School. 

As School Council President, it is my role today to reflect on and share a summary of our school year, before the final students awards are presented and we celebrate our new leaders for 2025. This year I wanted to focus on our school motto - Semper Sursum – Ever Upwards, Always our Best – and the ways in which our whole school community have come together and demonstrated this in 2024. 

There is no such thing as a quiet school year and 2024 has been no different. Gray St students continue to participate in an incredible array of activities and experiences in sport, art, music and other community activities, both individually and as teams and larger ensembles. There are simply too many different events and activities to mention, but I wanted to highlight the way in which our students consistently represent our school in such a positive manner and also the way in which they truly live our school values through their contribution to the community. This has been seen not only through fundraising and donations but also through sharing their time and being involved in community events, such as the St Mary’s Christmas parade and the Christmas Carols. Both inside and outside of the classroom, these young people demonstrate their commitment to our school motto, Semper Sursum – Ever Upwards, Always our Best.  

STEM nights, Art Nights, camps, excursions, parent teacher interviews, Athletics Carnival,  community sports, organising students for community events, participating on school council and oh.. also teaching our children. The staff at Gray St set an exceptional example for our students. On behalf of the School Council and all of our parent community, I would like to thank them for their dedication to our children. We are very lucky to have a strong team of staff at Gray St, who consistently strive to do better and improve. You may be aware that earlier this year the Victorian Government announced significant policy changes to the way in which Victorian teachers are expected to provide literacy instruction, particularly around reading, and a revised Teaching and Learning model has been announced, which aligns instruction to approaches based on evidence and research. It will be no surprise to hear that our staff implemented these changes some years ago and continue to strive to improve their practice. We are incredibly lucky to have a strong leadership team driving this continued improvement. In 2024 we welcomed a new addition to our leadership team, our Principal Jane Langley. I would like to take this opportunity to thank both Ben and Jane for the time, energy and dedication to our school. We feel very lucky to have you both driving a clear vision for our school. There is no doubt that they demonstrate their commitment to our school motto, Semper Sursum – Ever Upwards, Always our Best. 

On the 3rd Wednesday of every month during the school term, a team of parents and staff meet together in the school library at 6pm. This wonderful team give their time, energy and ideas to support our school and represent the school community as best we can. I would like to thank parent representatives - Alison Quade, Russell Bennett, Michael Davies, Bec Doheny, Cecilia Fitzgerald, Mark Hibberd and Brad White and the staff representatives -  Janelle Harms, Sophie Hannah, Alison Smith and Jane Langley. A special mention must also go to Maree Falkenberg, our school Business Manager. 

As a school council it has also been a busy year, with the appointment of our new Principal, the planning and installation of new school signage, undertaking planning for key priority areas to improve around the school, and the development of a new fundraising plan for 2025. If any parents or carers would like to be involved in supporting the facilities or fundraising committees in 2025, we would love to hear from you. A key priority for us is to engage and work with as many families as possible, continuing to build a strong parent and family community at Gray St. One example of this that I wanted to update you all on is our Indigenous Garden and learning space. In 2023 work was completed to create the physical space under the shade sails and furniture was also installed. The focus for 2024 has been the ongoing collaboration with local indigenous families from our school community to build knowledge and develop a plan for the garden and learning space. We are excited about this ongoing collaboration and watching this space evolve and grow over time. Thank you to all of the families, parents and carers who contribute so much to our school in so many ways. 

There is a definite rhythm to a school year and as we pause at the end of this one to reflect, ours is no different. It is now time to pause and celebrate the achievements of 2024 and begin to look towards 2025 – does it ever slow down!! 

Congratulations to all of the students, and parents, on the achievements of 2024 and I hope you have a well-earned break over the summer holidays. 

We will begin the new school year with nearly 300 students at Gray St, I know this next year of leaders will do a wonderful job leading their school and set a wonderful example of Semper Sursum – Ever Upwards, Always our Best. 

I wish you all a safe and happy holiday break.

Thank you

Anna Robertson

On behalf of the Hamilton (Gray St) School Council