Principal's Report

Staffing 2026

Our staffing profile for 2026 is now confirmed, and I’m pleased to share that we will again enjoy strong continuity across our classroom teaching teams next year. This stability remains a real strength at Marlborough Primary School and supports the calm, consistent learning environment our students thrive in.

We do, however, have one bittersweet change. Unfortunately for us, but in wonderful news for her family, Caitlin Lindsay and her family have purchased a house in Wonthaggi to be closer to family. Caitlin will finish her time at Marlborough Primary at the end of this term.

Caitlin has made a significant and lasting contribution to our school. Her impact in the classroom, her connection with students and families, and her leadership as part of the School Improvement Team and Mathematics Curriculum Leader have all strengthened our school in meaningful ways. Like many who quietly contribute beyond what is seen, much of Caitlin’s influence has been behind the scenes, shaping practice, supporting colleagues, and driving improvement. We are deeply grateful for her dedication and wish her every success in the next chapter of her career. Wonthaggi Primary have gained a wonderful educator and leader.

With this news, we are delighted to welcome Jess Mills back to our staff team in 2026. Jess has worked with us around her maternity leave over recent years, in both part-time and Casual Relief capacities. Jess is excited to return in a part-time classroom role, and we look forward to having her teaching our students again next year.

Community Twilight Market

I’m very much looking forward to heading down to the Community Twilight Market after school on Friday. It’s always a wonderful opportunity to come together, support our local community, and enjoy the creativity and talent on display. We have a number of Marlborough students involved in performances this year, and I’m eager to see them take the stage and share their hard work.

The forecast may not be perfect, but I hope many of you will still be able to pop down, even briefly, to enjoy the atmosphere and cheer on our students. Events like this remind us how lucky we are to be part of such a vibrant and connected community.

Building Works

As part of our Planned Maintenance Project, we have now been assigned a Project Design Consultant (architect) to begin scoping the priority 1 and 2 works. These works are funded and overseen by the Victorian School Building Authority. This is an exciting step forward for Marlborough Primary School and means we can soon progress the much-needed repairs and replacements to several of our buildings’ roofs and ceilings.

We are currently awaiting further investigations to determine the full extent of the works required. Once these are complete, we will be able to move ahead confidently and, importantly, continue with our internal improvements to learning spaces once the structural works are finished.

I want to reassure our community that there will be limited impact on students and classrooms when the works take place. We already have plans in place to ensure every class maintains a calm and uninterrupted learning environment throughout the process.

I will continue to keep you updated as the project progresses. For now, we are genuinely pleased to see this work beginning - another important step in ensuring our learning environments reflect the high level of teaching and learning happening within them.

Marley Update 

Marley continues to grow beautifully and is making steady progress with his training. We are excited for the year ahead, when he will begin working with students as part of our animal-assisted programme. He is still very much a young puppy, and he often reminds us that maturity takes time, particularly when he is trying to decide what is and isn’t edible! Christmas trees, it seems, are proving especially tempting.

Marley has been making short visits to school to help him gradually adjust to the sights, sounds, and busy spaces that will eventually be part of his working life. These brief trips are an important part of his learning, and he’s taking it all in stride.

I look forward to more of our community getting to meet and interact with him in 2026 as he continues to grow into his role.

Warmly,

Tim Mulhall

Principal