PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Well done to all eight of our Year 6 boys who competed in the 2024 State Hoop Time Finals in Melbourne this week. It was a massive achievement to reach this level and be among the top 20 All Star Boys teams in the state, added to the fact these boys also achieved State Finals in 2022 as Year 4s. The results were tight all day with one win and three close losses. The boys just missed out on a finals spot but as expected represented the school exceptionally well. A big thankyou to our amazing parents and families for making the trek down, helping with the scoring and providing lots of support on the day. Our appreciation also extends to Mr Watt who also made the trip down to coach the boys and provide support.

Thank you to School Council for organising a new sign for our school. School Councillor Alison Quade has been working along side David Rowe to produce a new sign which has replaced the old existing sign on the corner of Gray St and Kennedy Street.

It was lovely to see a touch of Xmas arrive today across the school as our staff and students supported the Hamilton Uniting Church Christmas Appeal. Whilst there was much xmas joy and sparkle, at the centre of the day was great kindness with our students making hamper donations to many less fortunate families. This is a great example of how our Student Voice Captains, Zara and Hannah, organise important events for our school community across the year. We thank our families for supporting this day and for the generous hamper donations.

Today I had the privilege of attending the Year 5 leadership speeches, with students sharing their suitability for the various 2025 leadership positions. It was evident students had worked hard on these over the last few weeks with great consideration given to which position they considered themselves to be best matched for and why they would be a suitable candidate. Each student’s bravery to get up in front of their peers and teacher to speak in a controlled and focused manner is to be applauded. Each student’s personality shone through in their presentation as they identified their character traits and how these would assist them in their selected role. Over the next week I will review the speeches and collaborate with the Year 5/6 team to make what is sure to be some difficult decisions.

Next week is our second last week of school and with it two big events for our students – Statewide Transition Day and Year 6 Graduation. Both of these events are about students moving onto the next step in their school journey, an exciting yet nervous time. Change can be hard and can be harder when the new is unknown, or we have to step out of our comfort zone. They are also similar to the ones we often have as adults when we have to step out of our comfort zone but we have learnt as grown ups on how to recognise and manage our thoughts and feelings. On Monday next week we will send out to parents a letter with your child’s class allocation. Please know that much thought has gone into the construction of grades across the last few weeks to ensure that your child is in a grade where they are not only comfortable, but also learn at their best. This afternoon at Assembly we let our students know that our 2025 teaching team is:

Prep A – Mrs Cindy Riddle & Mrs Carolynn Murray
Prep B – Mrs Britt Hawthorne
1 / 2 A – Mrs Danah Clark & Mrs Celeste Dickson
1/2 B – Mrs Liisa Beaton & Mr Lachlan Watt
1/2 C – Mrs Alison Smith
1/2 D – Mrs Jane McCulloch
3/4 A – Mrs Jessica Smith (Martin) & Mrs Sylvia Murray
3/ 4 B – Mrs Janelle Harms
3/ 4 C – Miss Emma Callaway
3/ 4 D – Ms Sophie Hannah
5/6 A – Mr James Stephens
5/6 B – Mrs Emma Brabham
5/6 C – Miss Georgina Paton

We are also fortunate next year to have our classes supported by our fabulous ES Staff. Mrs Pitts and Mrs Brown will continue in the Prep Team, Mrs Stevenson will join Mr Brabham and Mrs Goodman up the hill in the 1/2 learning area, Mr Nice will join Mrs Rankin in the 3/4 Team, and Mrs Hilsdon will stay on in the Year 5/6 team. We look forward to Chloe, Leila and Lee being additional ES staff throughout the year when required.

Unfortunately we are also saying goodbye to Mrs Tracey McDonnell, Miss Dana Bish and Miss Dowling. Mrs McDonnell has accepted a teaching position at Hamilton Parklands School, Miss Bish is exploring new work pathways in 2025 and Miss Dowling has accepted a position at Warrnambool East Primary School. We will acknowledge and thank both Mrs McDonell, Miss Bish and Miss Dowling formally at our final Assembly next week.

Finally a big thankyou to Mrs Riddle for organising our participation in this evening’s St Mary’s Christmas Parade. This parade has been a long tradition in the Hamilton area and is an event our families and community look forward to. It is great to see the excitement of xmas and the holiday season growing across the town.

Hamilton (Gray St) Primary School Newsletter

Respect, Relationships & Resilience

Issue 29 · 06 Dec 2024

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