Farewell from Sally Karlovic

Twenty years, and thousands of personal interactions, have provided me with so many wonderful memories and positive recollections. I am now moving on from North Melbourne Primary School as I have been appointed to a new position as a Differentiated Support for School Improvement (DSSI) – Executive Principal in the North East Region - Outer East Area. I will be based at the Ringwood Office and working with a number of primary schools, and so my teaching and learning journey continues.

I became a member of Errol Street Primary, also known as North Melbourne Primary School (NMPS) in Term 2 of 2000, just 143 years after Mrs. Elizabeth Ann Mattingley founded the Infant School in Hotham in 1857. Mr. Albert Mattingley walked with the first staff and pupils down Errol Street on May 1st, 1874 to the new Errol Street State School. My twenty years of service to the North Melbourne Primary School community seems quite insignificant, however, records show that there were only three or four other Head Teachers who stayed longer than 15 years in this position. 

2000 was a 'Big Year', starting a new role and family at the same time. Mid-year I was appointed as Assistant Principal and at the end of the year our first child, Francis arrived and in 2002 we welcomed baby Cecilia. The roles were demanding but I always felt supported by my family at home and the NMPS community. 

Previously, I had worked in many schools for no longer than 2-3 years but there is something very special about North Melbourne Primary School. The constantly changing and evolving cultural diversity along with the growth of student enrolment numbers required me to lead and implement changes to meet the differentiated needs of our students and families.  This meant that every year it was like a new position and saw NMPS welcoming families from over 40 countries and staff with a wide range of experiences. 

My teaching and leading experiences are varied. I had worked in far East and West Gippsland, St. Albans, Altona and Inner London. I visited Errol Street Primary before applying for the Assistant Principal position in Term 1 - 2000.  After getting lost trying to find the hidden ‘Jewel in the Crown’ of schools and observing the majestic 1874 building, I felt like I was back at my London school. The obvious multi-cultural diversity and names on classroom doors inspired me to seek employment at this incredible educational institution.

Terry Lawless was a relatively new Principal to the school too and I appreciated his wisdom, support, and encouragement as the new Assistant Principal. In 2006 Terry successfully gained a senior regional position and I was appointed as acting Principal and then officially appointed Principal in 2007. Whilst I had four years’ experience as Principal of two small rural schools and dealing with daily Department correspondences that all schools receive(!), I now had a leadership team to support me and I, in turn, had to lead them.

The school tripled in student numbers during my years and I also led and managed three major building projects. After designing and constructing the Building the Education Revolution (BER) flexible learning spaces we changed our pedagogy to focus on differentiation to enable all students to grow and achieve. We enabled student voice and choice, whole cohort teaching, real-world project-based learning, and a growth mindset. This approach has been engaging for students and staff to positively embrace collaborative planning and teaching. 

With tripling student numbers comes tripling staff numbers! Staff who apply for positions at NMPS know they will be joining a high-performing, collaborative team, you need to be highly energised to keep up with the pace at Errol Street. As you walk through the gates at NMPS you are expected to ‘see’ the positive, with a smile on your face and a happy and healthy disposition. The staff at NMPS always go the ‘extra mile’ from the kindness of office staff who personally went shopping so children had the necessary gear to attend camp, to teachers who work 24 hours a day to ensure everyone gains the most from these camping experiences.

I have welcomed literally hundreds of new families to our school year after year and I always start by congratulating them on making the good choice of living within our Designated Neighbourhood Area (DNA) so they can choose to enrol at our school. The extended families who have contributed to the rich tapestry of our school community include composers, artists, academics with a wide range of expertise, Anzac Day ceremony speech presenters, lighting and sound technicians, so many architects and the x-staff,  students and teachers who always seem to turn up to be involved. 

The North Melbourne community has always generously supported our school, from their support with the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program (SAKGP) including volunteering and contributing to the ‘famous’ NMPS cookbook, donating to events, Rotary managing the BBQ, and the numerous restaurants and businesses who have supported the school in so many ways. Bronwyn Pike, as Education Minister was a very special, good friend to our school supporting our BER - ‘Flex’ design and our application to join the SAKGP.

The school has connections with many well-known institutions. Our links to the Royal Children’s Hospital have enabled the enrolment of siblings and children being treated long term at the hospital. Our Melbourne University partnership for pre-service teachers has been the positive start of many teaching careers. Numerous politicians and Melbourne City Council members have supported the school and I have thoroughly enjoyed being a stand-by school for many press announcements, including the AFL.

A school cannot operate effectively without a team of support staff from the office team, our wonderful cleaner Mustafa, and of course our Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) program. Over the years hundreds of families have enjoyed the excellent care provided by Biz-E-Kidz and we thank Sharon and her team, for their provision of an incredibly engaging program. I also thank the tradies who must see my phone number and cringe; 'what’s broken now!'. However, they always arrive promptly. 

I would also like to acknowledge the importance of an active and well-informed School Council and parent community. The School Council Presidents at NMPS have supported the staff and my leadership. I was also fortunate to have school councilors who actively led committees across the school. 

It is difficult to specifically name individuals but I’d like to thank the following for their work and dedication to the school:

School Council presidents: Matt Healy, Finella Oakley, James Milne, Dayle Stevens, and Pam Newton.

Finance advice from Colleen Pearson 

Architect - Buildings and Grounds committee convenors: Peter Hogg, Tim Meldrum, Mark Healy, John Rice and Paul Von Chrismar

Parents and Friends: Deanne Hocking, Glenys Crawford, Anne Corry, Cathy Robinson (SAKGP), Chris Bohan, Robyn Phelan, Meg Moorhouse, and Gen Kelly for their memorable fetes, events, and celebrations including the 150th.

School Leadership: Jackie Green, Mary Marchi, Jenny Douglas, Craig Turner, Sarah Nightingale, Anna-Maire Low, Joe Grabin, and Luke Ryan

Administration staff: Jean Tongs, Sandra Demir, Kathy Mitten

It's impossible to name everyone individually over 20 years, so thank you to all staff, students, and families who I have worked with over the years, and a big thank you to my family for giving me to North Melbourne for 20 years of community service.