Principal's Report 

Dear Parents, 

It's been a very busy couple of weeks here at Mackellar Primary School. On May 18 we had a hugely successful Enrolment Information Night where we welcomed a large number of families to Mackellar in preparation for the 2023 school year.  Mr Michielin cooked up a storm on the sausage sizzle whilst our student leaders were outstanding taking prospective parents on tours of our school. A very big thank you to all who helped out on, and leading up to the night, including staff, students, school councillors and parents.  

Last week was National Sorry Day and the start of National Reconciliation Week.  Whilst I will leave it to Mrs Wood to elaborate on the days themselves, it was so nice to have a member of the Wurundjeri Cultural Heritage Organisation perform a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony for our school community at our assembly. We were very fortunate to have Michelle join us for the morning as we learned more about these significant days. Please read further into the newsletter for more details on these important events. 

Last week also we celebrated Education Week.  This year marks 150 years of public education in Victoria, and it was so nice to see parents and carers come along for our Expo.  On this night students and their families took part in a range of events in classrooms and specialist learning areas. We showcased what we have been doing so far this year, and engaged parents in the home-school partnership of learning. Having parents back on-site is so refreshing, and we look forward to more of the same. 

In some exciting news, you may recall we had put on hold our camping program due to the excessive cost to parents.  Since then the Victorian Government has announced the Positive Start program. The Victorian Government is acting to re-engage primary and secondary students and to boost their physical and emotional health and wellbeing in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. 

As such, this year our grade 5 students have the opportunity to attend Amberley Function and Retreat Centre in term three completely free of charge for three days and two nights. Details were sent to grade 5 families last week, and I would encourage all families to consider this for their grade 5 child. A very big thank you to the staff who have agreed to be away from their own families during this time so our students can have such a wonderful experience. 

Finally, a reminder from last newsletter that students are not required at school on Thursday June 9, Friday June 10 or Monday June 13. TheirCare are accepting bookings for Thursday and Friday, however the Monday is a public holiday.  We hope this five day break is a nice mid-term rest for families. 

Regards, 

Simon McGlade

Principal