Principal's News
Sue Simadri
Dear Clayton North Primary School Community
We are into the second half of Term 4!
We are continuing to plan for 2026. Thank you to parents who have completed the online form regarding your child's continued enrolment at CNPS. This is especially important if your child will not be at Clayton North next year.
We understand that there will be families returning to their home countries following completion of post-graduate studies, and others who will perhaps be moving out of Clayton and the nearby suburbs. If this applies to you, we thank you for choosing CNPS for your child/ren’s education and trust that we have met your expectations as a school and community. We welcome any feedback regarding your experience.
It is a privilege to acknowledge the remarkable work of our teaching staff. World Teachers’ Day offers our school community an opportunity to recognise the professionalism, dedication, and passion our teachers demonstrate every day. Their influence extends far beyond the classroom, shaping futures and nurturing the potential within every student. On Friday 31st October, the Education Support staff provided a lovely morning tea as a token of appreciation for teachers' ongoing commitment. This special occasion allowed staff to pause, connect and feel valued for the significant contribution they make to both learning and wellbeing. On behalf of the school community, I extend my sincere gratitude to all members of our teaching team.
We are slowly moving forward with construction of the school-funded project - Covered Outdoor Learning Area (COLA) over the tennis courts. At this stage, it will be ready for teh start of Term 2, 2026!
Remebrance Day
Remembrance Day is one of the most important days on our commemorative calendar. It's a day when we acknowledge those who died or suffered while serving in wars, conflicts and peace operations. People in Australia and many other countries observe one minute's silence at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month because that's when the Armistice came into effect. It's a time to honour all personnel who died or suffered in the service of Australia.
This year, Remembrance Day coincided with our regular assembly day on Tuesday. Year 5/6 students prepared an informative and moving presentation explaining the significance of the bugle and the poppy. They shared their artefacts, including some of their Haiku poetries, all of whcih are displayed in the school entrance foyer.
Chinese Delegations
Last week, we welcomed a delegation of school principals and leaders from China, who were interested in visiting our school to learn about our Foundation Program, in particular, the curriculum design, classroom practices, and approaches to leadership and family engagement. They were grateful for the opportunity to visit here and had many questions to ask. "Your team provided our Kindergarten Leaders with an authentic and inspiring learning experience, offering valuable insights into the Prep program within the Victorian public schooling system", Dr Hongzhi Zhang, Senior Lecturer, Monash Faculty of Education.
Following this successful visit, Dr Zhang is bringing another delegation of school leaders from China next week to learn about the practices and processes we use to support children with additional learning needs. We hope to continue to liaise with Monash University in similar capacities in the future.
Southern Rail Loop
Earlier this year, our Year 2 students participated in an incursion facilitated by SRL to name one of the Tunnel Boring Machines used in Victoria's Big Build projects. The Year 2 students were great ambassadors for the school! They selected the name 'Belinda McKenzie'.
Belinda is the first woman ever to drive Melbourne’s world-famous train – Puffing Billy! She trained for nine years to become a train driver, learning how to operate very old steam trains. And for the first time in Puffing Billy history, she now drives the train with an all-women train crew. She loves adventure and learning new skills. She climbs mountains, plays sport and is also studying at Monash University to become a doctor.
As a continuation of our involvement, SRL has offered us the opportunity to follow its journey as they build Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East. The Year 1/2 teachers have nominated two students to be the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Captains who will represent our school on an excursion to the Heatherton SRL construction site next Monday to learn more about tunnelling and the project, and then report back to their classes with what they’ve learned. The 2025 TBM Captains are Primrose Jones-Webb from 1/2B and Lokshith Varma Kalidindi from 1/2A. They are both very excitedly looking forward to Monday's excursion!
Congratulations to Primrose and Lokshith!
Sue Simadri