Message from Principal Sarah

Welcome back to Term 4! I hope all families enjoyed a restful break and are ready for the final term of the school year.

Term 4 is always a busy and exciting time, providing opportunities to celebrate students’ learning and achievements while preparing for the year ahead. We have plenty planned across the school, and we look forward to sharing these experiences with our community.

Upcoming School Events for Term 4

2027 Prep Transition Program

Our Prep transition program begins this week as we welcome our 2027 Prep students through story time activities. An information session and transition mornings will occur later in the term.

NMPS Fete

We celebrate our biannual Fete on Friday 6th November, 4pm – 8pm. Students will be working with their teachers to prepare Year Level stalls, alongside other stalls, rides and activities that the Parents and Friends Association is organising. Please put this date in your calendar as it will be a great community event.

Swimming Program

Our Prep–Year 6 Swimming Program will provide students with valuable opportunities to develop their swimming skills and water safety knowledge. Swimming will be in week 8 and 9 of Term 4. Please keep an eye out on Compass for further information. 

Whole School Transition Day

A highlight of the term will be our Whole School Transition Day, when Year 6 students spend the day preparing for secondary school, while other students meet their 2027 classmates and teachers. This year our Whole School Transition Day is on Tuesday 8th December.

End of School Events for Year 6

Our Year 6 students will participate in several events in the lead up to their Year 6 Farewell on Thursday 10th December 2026.

These are just some of the events taking place this term. Please continue to check the Important Dates section of our fortnightly newsletter and monitor Compass for updates and further information.

Staffing Update

Last week we farewelled Kate Morris as she begins her maternity leave. We wish Kate and her husband, Jack, all the best as they start this new chapter. We look forward to the arrival of their new addition later in the year. Hailey Paynter will replace Kate for the remainder of term 4, teaching 4E.

We also send a huge congratulations to Bill and his wife, Ellen, on the safe arrival of Sonny over the holidays. They are enjoying this special time together!

2027 Enrolments

As we begin planning for the 2027 school year, we ask families to notify the school as soon as possible if their child will not be returning to NMPS in 2027. This information is important in helping us plan class structures and staffing for next year.

Families who have a child commencing Prep in 2027 and have not yet completed their enrolment are encouraged to do so as a priority. Our Prep transition program is underway, and we want all incoming Prep students and families to have the opportunity to participate.

2027 Grade Placements

Planning for 2027 class placements is an important process, and we take considerable care to ensure classes support students’ learning, wellbeing and social development.

Given the size of NMPS, we are unable to accommodate individual parent requests for particular teachers, classes or friendship groups. Class placements are determined by staff through a collaborative process involving teaching teams, specialist teachers, Education Support staff and Leadership.

A range of factors are considered when developing classes, including:

• Gender balance across classes.
• Academic needs, learning strengths and support requirements.
• Social dynamics, behaviour and wellbeing.
• Existing relationships, familiar peers and opportunities to develop new friendships.
• Compatible learning partnerships and the needs of individual students.

Our aim is to create balanced classes in which all students can feel supported, connected and ready to learn. While friendships are considered, placements are not based solely on friendship groups, as we also recognise the value of helping students build relationships with a broader range of peers.

Thank you for your continued support as we work towards a positive and productive final term. I look forward to celebrating the many achievements of our students and finishing the year on a high note.