Acting Principal's Report

What a wonderful start to Term 2 we have had at Chatham Primary School!

I write to you from my experience as Acting Principal, which has and continues to be a magnificent opportunity to be immersed in the leadership and stewardship of our fabulous school. I am joined in this role by Ms Kirstie Briggs and Mr Zac Barry, who will have Acting Assistant Principal roles alternatively over the duration of the period.

Despite having only eight days at school this term, we are once again completely engaged at a range of levels and are also once again implementing school programs to a high standard. We have enjoyed a marvellous day at the Year 3 - 6 House Cross-Country Carnival on Monday 28th April and are currently preparing for the Election Day fundraising festivities this Saturday 3rd May; the District Cross-Country on Monday 5th May; a Story Time Session and Open Afternoon for prospective families of Foundation students for 2026 on Monday 5th May and Wednesday 7th May respectively, and of course our traditional and well-established Mothers’ Day/Special Person Breakfast on Thursday 8th May followed by our Mothers’ Day/Special Person Stall on Friday 9th May.

House Cross-Country Carnival – Monday 28th April 2025

What a brilliant day we had at Macleay Park for our annual House Cross-Country Carnival!

Team spirit was running high as our Year 6 House Captains kicked off proceedings with a team recital of the four House chants. Adequately fired up, our students then took to the start line one age-group at a time across the next few hours. It must be said that our Year 3 – 6 students showed terrific tenacity, determination and perseverance whilst negotiating the course laid out by our Physical Education teacher, Mr Walter Boulton.

I would like to convey our appreciation to Mr Boulton for his organisation and leadership of this event. Both Mr Boulton and Mr Cotching were also involved in running optional training sessions for students both before school and at lunchtimes, and it was so encouraging to see how many students wanted to participate in these sessions.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our fantastic parent/carer volunteers who willingly assisted with course layout, checkpoints and the encouragement of all our students. It is always brilliant to see so many parents, carers and grandparents supporting our students at these events. Thank you also goes to our Senior School staff for their assistance and coordination of all competitors on the day.

Although the overall House scores were relatively close this year, on this occasion we congratulate McEvoy House (Yellow) as the successful winner:

McEvoy (Yellow)                  142 points

Corbett (Blue)                       140 points

Fenton (Red)                        129 points

Nugent (Green)                    121 points

We are pleased to also advise that sixty-one of our students made the qualification time to proceed to the District Cross-Country event to be held at Andersons Park, Hawthorn, this Monday 5th May. Whilst Year 3 students were involved in our House Cross-Country, only those turning 9 years of age and up this year may progress to the District level of competition. If you are able to join us on Monday, please come along and encourage our students. 

ANZAC Day – Dawn Service at Surrey Gardens – 25th April 2025 

We were exceptionally proud of the way in which our School and Vice Captains represented Chatham at the Surrey Hills ANZAC Day Dawn Service last Friday 25th April, held at Surrey Gardens.

The Surrey Hills and Mont Albert Progress Association facilitate this event each year, inviting local schools to present speeches and lay wreaths as part of proceedings. Our participation in this event is now a long tradition at our school that is always executed with confidence and poise, along with excellent preparation and reflective thinking. 

Well done to Madeleine McEwan, who presented a speech about the Gallipoli campaign and Banjo James who presented a speech about Edward ‘Ward’ Hasselbach, a local Surrey Hills resident who fought at Gallipoli in WWI. Well done also to Zara Foxley-Conolly and Conor O’Brien, who laid a wreath on behalf of Chatham Primary School at the cenotaph in Surrey Gardens. Thank you also to Mr Zac Barry who thoroughly prepared our students for this event, and who was also able to accompany our students on the day. 

This year there were in excess of 1,500 people in attendance and it was heart-warming to hear both the event organisers and members of the wider community comment on the respectful way our students conducted themselves at all times, and the beautiful way they spoke in front of such a large audience. It is at times like this that we are reminded that these students truly are wonderful ambassadors for our school.   

Staffing Matters for Term 2, 2025

Recently our Principal, Mr Christopher Cotching, wrote to all parents/carers to inform them of staffing arrangements for our school into Term 2. I am pleased to advise that Mr Michael Tiglias will assume responsibility for Year 5/6C from Monday 12th May, 2025. Mr Tiglias was a former student at our school many years ago and is well known to many students, staff and parents/carers in our school community. Mr Tiglias will work closely with the Year 5/6 team comprising Mr Zac Barry, Ms Hannah Spivak, Ms Kristin Chester and Ms Janet Clarke.

Currently, we are in the process of selecting a part-time teacher for Performing Arts. This week we have engaged the services of Mr Yanai Morris to accompany our teachers in providing our students with fabulous experiences in this space, and we look forward to appointing a replacement teacher for this important area shortly.

Similarly, many of you will be aware that Mrs Siobhan Moore has left to begin family leave. We wish Mrs Moore all the best as she embarks on another child joining her family and have welcomed back Ms Sarah Medland who together with Mrs Lucy Bray, assume responsibility for Year 1/2A.

Please be advised that at this stage Ms Rose Yodgee remains with us in Year 3/4C and 3/4G. We are currently seeking a replacement for Ms Yodgee when she commences family leave in the coming weeks. At that time, Mr Tim Clarke will assume responsibility for Year 3/4C on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays with the replacement teacher doing likewise on Thursdays and Fridays. At that time Ms Lisa Gilbert will work in a full-time capacity in Year 3/4G.

Again, Mr Cotching or I will continue to ensure families remain informed once matters change and are confirmed for the remainder of the year. 

Road Safety and Traffic Reminders

Riding bikes and scooters to and from school is an activity that quite a number of our students enjoy. Indeed, the great sense of independence and health benefits of active travel can’t be denied, and whilst our students are often very keen to reunite with their bikes and scooters at the end of the school day, they are very aware that they do not ride bikes or scooters in the school grounds after 8:45am in the mornings or before 3:45pm in the afternoons. 

With the commencement of a new term, it is timely that we also remind students that when they are riding on the footpaths around our school, they are expected to do so safely, by travelling at slow speed. The prospect of students flying down footpaths is dangerous for our many pedestrians and also dangerous for our students from the perspective of cars reversing out of driveways. We ask that if your child rides to school or uses a scooter, that they are reminded of these expectations, for the safety of themselves and others.

Events for 2026 Prospective Foundation Families

This year two of our Foundation teachers, Ms Kirstie Briggs and Mrs Hannah Scantleton, have joined me in visiting our local kindergartens and childcare centres to promote our lovely school. It has been wonderful to chat to the local Directors and educators about their programs, and plan future activities to further engage prospective families. We have used this time to also distribute flyers to their families outlining all of the transition activities happening at our school. These include School Tours held on Wednesdays at 10:00am throughout Term 1 and 2; Story Time Sessions, with one remaining this Monday 5th May at 12:00pm; and our Open Afternoon for prospective 2026 Foundation families to be held this Wednesday 7th May from 3:45pm – 4:30pm. This particular activity will provide future families with the opportunity to engage with our whole staff while they showcase Specialist learning spaces and provide opportunities for the visiting children to engage in a range of fun tasks. 

If you have a child commencing Foundation in 2026 or you know a family with a child of this age, please consider attending/passing on information about one or all of these activities. We ask that interested families register their interest to attend these events with our School Office and flyers with further information can be found in the Chatham Happenings component of this newsletter. 

Election Day BBQ and Cake Stall – Saturday 3rd May 2025

Hopefully there will be sunshine and voters will feel enticed to purchase a democracy sausage and sweet treat from our fantastic BBQ and cake stall. Thank you to Ms Kate James and Ms Pam Nasiakos for coordinating these stalls, our Parents Club members for completing the cake bags for distribution to families, and to all of our parents and carers who have been busy baking something delicious to donate in order to make this fundraiser a huge success. Please consider stopping by on Saturday!  

School Photo Day – Monday 12th May

Just a reminder that school photographs will be taken on Monday 12th May. Ordering codes from our photography company, SchoolPix, will be sent home with students in the coming week. Please send students to school in full school uniform on the day, along with their best smile! Year 6 students are asked to wear their commemorative Class of 2025 rugby jumper, along with their leadership badge. 

Mr Christopher Cotching will also return as School Principal on Monday 12th May and is very excited to be returning just in time for school photos! In the meantime, I look forward to leading our marvellous school into what can only be described as another brilliant week at Chatham!

Georgina Kirwan

Acting Principal