Acting Principal's Report

Chatham has been a whirlwind of excitement and activity over the last fortnight and we still have so much to look forward to before the 2025 school year comes to a close.

Chatham Grand Fair Update – Saturday 22nd November 2025

Preparations are well underway for the biggest event on the Surrey Hills calendar – the Chatham Grand Fair! Fair Coordinators, Aimee Macfarlane, Bree Knights, Kate James, Ashley Davies and their fabulous team have been working tirelessly to bring together what promises to be a fun-filled, festive day full of frivolity and fanfare! Yes, the rides are booked, the stage is set and Raji and Natasha’s houses are overrun by plants! Whether you want to snap up some artisan goods, enjoy culinary delights under the Friendship Tree, or hurl a ball in hope of splashing a staff member – there really is something for everyone!

At present, you can log on to view and make a bid on our famous Silent Auction and I can tell you, there are some brilliant items and experiences up for grabs! Event ride wristbands are also currently available for purchase via QKR. 

Our School and Vice Captains will present a slideshow at this Monday’s assembly, showcasing all the activities children (and adults!) can look forward to on Grand Fair day. There has been so much meticulous planning that has gone into this event and we thank the Fair Committee for all of their energy and enthusiasm. 

Working Bee – Sunday 9th November, 2:00pm  

This Sunday we will be pulling on our gloves to make our school as aesthetically pleasing and ‘Grand Fair Ready’ as possible. Ashley Davies is very kindly leading this event and has a number of tasks designated for completion. If you can spare some time from 2:00pm on Sunday, we would particularly appreciate your assistance in moving a large volume of mulch from the western end of the oval to our orchard and Kitchen Garden spaces. Please bring along your own wheelbarrows, spades and rakes, if possible. 

Gas Works in Banool Road

Thank you for your patience in relation to the recent gas works undertaken along Banool Road. We are hopeful this will be completed soon, enabling parents and carers to come and go with a little more ease. Thank you to our wonderful Weybridge Street crossing supervisor, Helen Reilly, who does a brilliant job of ensuring the safety of our students and their families with cheer and care. Helen also plays an active role in communicating and following up any potential hazards when external works are being undertaken, which is greatly appreciated.

STEM FAIR – Friday 31st October 

Our 2025 STEM Fair shaped up to be a truly brilliant extravaganza of innovation, ingenuity and creativity. There was excitement in the air as our hall came to life with the buzz of adrenalin, battery-powered creations and erupting soft drink bottles. We were absolutely delighted by the commitment our students demonstrated towards their respective projects, and of course with this, we thank our many parents and family members who assisted students with preparation, set-up and execution of the many projects on display. Your enthusiasm to engage with all student stations during our community visiting time was also wonderful to see and truly valued. We thank Mrs Hannah Scantleton who did a fantastic job of igniting student excitement and driving this event over many weeks to make it a wonderful success, in addition to the 3/4 teaching team who assisted with proceedings on the day. What a fun-filled day of discovery was had by all! 

Victorian Athletics Championship – Thursday 6th November 2025

We were so very proud to have Year 4 student, Mabel, reach the State Athletics Championship in Shot Put. This was an amazing achievement following a first placing at the Regional Athletics Championship on Thursday 23rd of October. Mabel had shown great dedication to her event since the House level of competition, organising to borrow a shot put from Mr Walter Boulton to practise at home.

With a throw of 7.76 metres, Mabel placed 5th overall out of a field of 16 fellow competitors from government schools across the state. This was a truly brilliant effort and we look forward to Mabel pursuing this event in future years. Mr Boulton was also able to attend the event at Lakeside Stadium, Albert Park, to cheer Mabel on.

Remembrance Day – Tuesday 11th November 2025

On Remembrance Day, our School and Vice School Captains will travel to the Kew Cenotaph to participate in the Kew Remembrance Day Service. We have been invited to participate in this event by Jess Wilson MP and our students, along with those from other local schools, will lay a wreath on behalf of the school community as part of proceedings.

Our Junior School Council are also currently selling Remembrance Day poppies, wristbands, keychains and pens to raise money for the RSL and these items range in price from $2.00 - $5.00. All students will have the opportunity to purchase a commemorative item up until Tuesday, with Junior School Council representatives visiting classrooms daily. Please send students to school with coins or small notes if they would like to make a purchase. Our Year 6 Junior School Councillors will also conduct our traditional Remembrance Day service and minute’s silence on  Tuesday, commencing at 10:50am, over the Chatham PA system. 

Foundation Transition Program for 2026

Our Foundation 2026 students experienced a fabulous third transition session last Thursday. The cheer and enthusiasm of our new students arriving for these sessions is truly uplifting, with one student advising she had been up since 2:00am because she was simply “too excited to sleep!” Our Year 4 students were also very keen to reunite with their new buddies for recess time. Our new students enjoyed a morning of Specialist experiences, and I thank our Specialist Teaching Team for planning these fun sessions to further enhance our new students’ sense of wonder, belonging and connection to their new learning environment. A big thank you also goes to Ms Kirstie Briggs and Ms Leda Semercioglu who have worked with the 2026 group of students each week of the program, ensuring such a positive transition to our school. Ms Briggs has also done a great job of coordinating these sessions and working with Ms Judy Holland and Ms Tina Casey to ensure families are well-informed of proceedings. The feedback from our new families has certainly been very positive and we look forward to our new students returning for their final ‘Meet the Teacher’ session on Thursday 4th December.

We look forward to more brilliant times ahead!

Thank you,

Georgina Kirwan

Acting Principal