Principal's Report

Dear Skye Families, 

Welcome to our second last newsletter for the year as we inch closer to the summer holiday break. It was wonderful to see so many of you at the Community Picnic on Wednesday evening for what was another great community event on the Skye PS calendar.

Student Leaders for 2024

We're thrilled to announce our Student Leaders for 2024 at a special assembly this week. Congratulations to:

School Captains: Nikita Collins and Liam Byl

Vice Captains: Lacey Zach and Levi Pate

Webb House Captains: Mia Smith and Noah Waterhouse

Waugh House Captains: Piper Miller and Lita McPherson

Freeman House Captains: Charlotte Dahlgren and Mitchell Clarke

Thorpe House Captains: Marlon Chenoweth and Alana Holland

The  commitment shown by our Year 5 students in the leadership application process has been inspiring. Selecting our leaders was challenging due to the high calibre of all candidates. We are proud of each student who applied and we are grateful for their commendable contributions to the school. 

Award Recipients

Congratulations to the following students for achieving Gold and Silver Award status for demonstrating exemplary behaviour at school:

Gold

Lita McPherson

2024 Staffing Announcements

As we gear up for 2024, I'm excited to welcome new and returning faces to our teaching staff. Inger Furlong re-joins us to helm the Kitchen Garden program for Years 3-6 and will also teach Foundation students alongside Gabby Grant. We’re also delighted to have Olivia Pendreich back from family leave for Year 4.

Joining from Langwarrin Park Primary School, we welcome Julieanne Brooks and Emma Middleton, who bring their expertise in Early Years to Year 1 and Year 2 classes, respectively. Maddison Jennings, a graduate teacher who has worked extensively at our school this term, will also be joining our Year 2 team. Dean Ross comes to us from Hampton Primary School with a wealth of experience in middle and senior years, ready to take on a Year 4 class. Lastly, we welcome Anisa Akkusoglu, a graduate teacher with a background in the disability and inclusion sector, for a Year 5 class. Finally, Rachel Costello from Frankston Primary School joins us with 25 years of diverse teaching experience. She will take on a dual role of classroom teaching and Physical Education.

We bid farewell to Lisa Male, Stef Dunkley, Ash Salter, Hayley Matthews, and Jan Mulholland. Each has made substantial contributions to our community, and we extend our heartfelt thanks for their service. Lisa and Jan, in particular, will receive a special farewell in our final newsletter of the year, acknowledging their significant impact on the Skye community.

Vale Peta Murphy

We are saddened by the passing of Peta Murphy, Federal Member for Dunkley, after her brave battle with breast cancer. Her visits to our school and contributions, including the presentation of the Louise Dunkley Shield at Graduation and the National Tree Planting Day initiative, have been invaluable. Our thoughts are with Peta's family during this difficult time.

Lunchtime Legends Program

Starting next year, we are introducing the Lunchtime Legends program from Kids Unlimited. This exciting extra-curricular opportunity will be available once a week during lunchtime. The lineup includes Chess in Term 1, Street Dance in Term 2, Scratch Coding in Term 3, and Soccer in Term 4. Parents can enroll their children through the link provided in the flyer.

Transition

Our final transition session is scheduled for next Tuesday morning, where students will meet their 2024 teachers and classmates. The composition of these classes is always a long and rigorous process with many factors to take into account and I extend my thanks to the teaching teams for their efforts. We also wish our Year 6 students well as they have their step up day at secondary schools.

Have a great week!

Tim