Principal's Report

Principal's Report

As we begin the final week of Term 2, it’s a natural time for reflection—and this year, our recent School Review has given even greater depth to that process. It has been pleasing to see the engaged nature of our students in their learning and activities throughout the semester. A comment made by the two principals and the reviewer was ‘you can tell that the students are engaged. There is a calm and productive atmosphere.’

School Review

Last week, we completed our two-day School Review, marking the end of our current four-year strategic cycle. The process involved deep reflection, collaborative input, and extensive preparation. 

The review panel commended our school for its commitment to high-quality teaching, strong student wellbeing, and a deep sense of connection within our community. It was a moment of collective pride and celebration for what we’ve achieved together.

Branding

As part of the review, the school has been reflecting on our school branding—including our values, motto, and visual identity. Through in-depth discussions, we’ve been asking key questions such as:

• Does our current branding reflect who we are as a school community?
• Does it represent the students, staff, and families we serve?
• Is it aligned with our vision for the future?
• How do we ensure the traditions of our school are represented?

These conversations have been thoughtful and reflective, and they will continue into Term 3 as we consider how to best represent our identity in a way that is authentic, respecting the 140 years of Somerville Primary School and future focussed.

Thank you to all the parents who completed the ‘Values’ survey. This has provided an extra voice in our decision making. 

More information regarding this work will be passed on next term.

Writing Showcase

I hope you were able to make it to our Writing Showcase last week. Our students were fully immersed in improving their writing, knowing that there was a special audience for this work. 

Our staff led the students through explicit teaching of the Writing Cycle and the traits that enable quality writing. Writing is a key school wide focus this year. As principal it was terrific to see a sense of consistency across the school, however opportunities for each student to develop their own writing flair. 

Other recent highlights include:

• Year 2 Zoo Excursion A hands-on day of learning as students explored animal habitats and enabled their understanding of content being learnt in the classroom, to come to life.

• Year 3 Moonlit Sanctuary The students gained more information that helped in their writing of Information Reports that the Year 3 students have been working on.

• Girls’ Footy Day Our students represented the school with enthusiasm and teamwork on a windswept Lloyd Park last week. Well done to Mr Smith and Miss Dow on taking the teams and to all the girls who played on the day. It was a joy to come and watch the supportive nature in the group.

• District Sports Events  During the Winter Lightning Premiership, many of our students proudly represented the school in various team sports, competing against schools from across the district. A special congratulations goes to our girls' soccer team, who showed great determination and teamwork throughout the day to come out on top. They will now go on to represent our district at the Divisional trials. Well done, team!

• School Camp – Happening Now! As this newsletter goes out, our Year 5/6 students are at Sovereign Hill Camp in Ballarat, along with myself. Our students have been engaged with the Gold Rush content in Year 5 and this is a marvellous way to understand the lifestyle of this era. As described by Alex in our recent Facebook update, it is going to be freezing!

Thank you to our amazing staff, students, and families for your support, energy, and partnership throughout Term 2. I hope everyone has a safe and restful break. We look forward to welcoming you back for another exciting term of growth.

Keep striving, growing and shining!

Regards,

Jamie Sharp

Principal