Principal's Report

I ask that you hang in there with me this week. There is a lot of important information in this one, which means it’s a long one…

TheirCare Information Night

With the announcement of our new before, after, and holiday care program in last fortnight's newsletter, we are excited to have an information session with TheirCare this week. It will be an online session on Thursday the 30th at 6:30 pm.

The link can be found here.

I highly encourage you to make it to the session. I think you will see why we are excited about TheirCare being our new provider in 2024.

Wellbeing Coordinator & Student Support - Jenelle Seregin

I am excited to announce that Jenelle Seregin will take on the role of Student Wellbeing and Support Leader. Jenelle is already a highly valued member of our staff with a good understanding of and deep connection with our community. Jenelle has been hard at work this term, working on our whole-school wellbeing program for 2024 and beyond. In this role, Jenelle will support our teachers with the implementation of our wellbeing programs and provide coaching across the school. She will also provide individual and small group support to help improve the social and emotional wellbeing of our students. Rest assured, Jenelle will also continue as our Art teacher.

Inclusion Leader - Simone Ryan

I am also excited to announce that Simone Ryan will take on the role of Inclusion Leader. Simone will bring her previous leadership experience along with her expertise in supporting student adjustments to help ensure our students get the most out of their learning. This role will also support the school to advocate for student support through the disability inclusion funding. The documentation and time dedicated to this process are significant, and with Simone in this role, we will have the structures and expertise in place to take some important steps forward in this space.

Thank you, Lee

At the end of 2023, we will say goodbye to Lee Watson. Lee has been a valuable member of Marlborough Primary, which has been reflected in the feedback from the community. At the time of Lee’s employment, we were unable to provide him with a clear picture of the positions that were available at Marlborough in 2024. Lee was resolute about wanting to continue to teach at MPS; however, at the time, we were unable to offer Lee an opportunity for a potential position. We wish Lee all the best at his new school.

Berry Street Education Model

To pair alongside the work that Jenelle and many others in the school have done in previous years, we will invest in training our whole school in the Berry Street Education Model. This model equips schools with practical, classroom-based strategies to increase the engagement of all students, including those with complex, unmet learning needs. The education model enables schools to support students’ self-regulation, relationships, and wellbeing to increase student engagement and significantly improve academic achievement.

If you would like to learn more click here.

As part of our commitment to our professional learning to support all students, we will dedicate 2 of our 4 curriculum days to this important work.

Curriculum Days

I can provide you with 3 out of the 4 curriculum day dates for 2024:

• Term 1 - 30th January for curriculum planning
• Term 2 - 6th of May for Berry Street training
• Term 3 - 2nd of September for Berry Street training

Working Bee

A huge thank you to the families that came along to the working bee last Sunday. People sweated through the heat by pulling weeds, moving mulch, sanding benches, laying path edging, and tidying up the garden beds. It’s amazing what can be achieved in an afternoon! I am grateful that we have a community that is willing to support so eagerly. If you happened to miss this one, there will be more opportunities to come.

Step Up Day & Grade Placements

On the 12th of December, we will, like many other government schools, participate in Step Up Day. This will provide students with an opportunity to meet their teacher and their peers for the following year. This will be a short session that will fit inside the morning block 9:00-11:00.

2024 Student Leaders

Over the past few weeks, our grade 5 students have been submitting leadership applications to state their case for being a school leader at MPS in 2024. This was then followed by an interview where they had an opportunity to discuss their thoughts on being a leader and detail what they would do as a leader next year. 

I would like to congratulate all of the students who put their names forward and went through the process. This is a wonderful effort and a sign of the commitment they have to being a school leader.

Over the next few weeks, we will finalise our 2024 school and house captains and will announce our new school leaders at our second last assembly on Friday the 15th of December.

Christmas Carols

Our Christmas Carols will be on the 14th of December. The students are already practicing, and rumor has it so are the staff! There will be more information over the coming weeks, but it is worth saving the date.

Chromebooks

A big thank you to our Parent's Association for their dedication to raising funds and for the generosity of the community. We have just purchased another 12 Chromebooks for our classrooms.  

If you made it this far, well done, and thank you!

I look forward to a really positive end to this year and ask that we all enjoy the next few weeks of school and the many events and celebrations to come.

Warm regards,

Tim Mulhall

Principal