Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to the final newsletter for 2022. I would like to wish all our friends and families a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I’m sure you will all enjoy a well-earned rest over the summer break, ready to start the new year. The school will re-open on Friday 27th January if you need to contact us for any reason. Our school’s email will be monitored sporadically over the break if there is an emergency, so please feel free to contact us via email if you need to. melton.west.ps@education.vic.gov.au . School starts back on WEDNESDAY 1st February 2023 for all our Year 1 – 6 students and THURSAY 2nd February 2023 for our Year Prep students. We look forward to seeing you all again then.

Meet the Teacher: On Monday 19th December the children will spend an hour with their 2023 teacher. They will bring home a note indicating their new teachers name and which room they will be moving to. Please keep this in a safe place (perhaps on the fridge) so you have easy reference for next year.

2023 Classes: The following table outlines the teachers in the various year levels for 2023:

Year	Teacher Names
Prep	Mrs Jellis and Ms Moore sharing a class Miss Cummane Miss Mehrez Mrs Parr (new to our school)
1	Miss Mills Miss Adamou Miss Ralph and Miss Agarano sharing a class Miss Saini
2	Mr Thomas Miss Cook Miss Waldron Ms Gardener
3	Mrs Lockwood Mrs Marshall Mr Moon Ms Cobbledick
4	Mr Armstrong Ms Walters Miss Stamoulis
5/6	Mrs Chauhan Mrs Cliffe Miss Davies Ms Dearing and Mr Bird sharing a class Miss Fichera Ms Sifa (new to our school)
Specialist Team	Mr Cliffe Mrs Devine Mrs Condon (returning) Mrs Pfister Ms Akkaya Ms Zhu

We are still in the process of recruiting staff which may results in some changes to the grade allocation early in the year or throughout Term 1 depending on how successful we are. If a class changes teachers we will ensure a thorough handover occurs and the new teacher is well supported by the outgoing teacher. We look forward to a very productive 2023.

Staff Leaving: Each year we have staff move to new schools for various reasons. Some are as promotions, some to be closer to home, some simply ready for a change. This year, due to the staff shortages across the state, there was plenty of job opportunities available for any staff looking for a promotion or to move closer to home. We are very sad to say goodbye to the following staff members but are grateful for the difference they have made at Melton West during the time they have been with us. We wish them all the best at their new school. Goodbye to:

Nicole Douglas
Laurence Gatt
Molly Kirkman
Nikolina Perkovic
Aaron Rasmanis
Sally Shoebridge
Lyndon Smith
Jayden Spudvilas-Powell
Megan Stephenson
Joey Wang

Step-up Day: We had a great day on Tuesday as all children moved to their next year level, in groups that closely resemble the class they will be with in 2023. After feedback from staff a few minor changes may have occurred, with final classes known during Meet the Teacher. Thank you to the parents who identified friendship groups or potential clashes prior to the closing date at the end of October, because having this information early helps to ensure we can cater for these requests.

Handover: Last night our teachers met to share information with the children’s new teacher for 2023. This was productive meeting and part of our effective transition program. There will be an opportunity in February for parents to meet with their child’s new teacher so please book an appointment when the information comes out early February.

Student Reports: Yesterday we handed out the Semester 2 reports to students. If you did not receive yours, please ask your child whether they received it, if not contract the school for a copy. If you are a family that has more than one household, copies can be sent to the other family. Please contact the office if you need a copy sent or emailed to you.

Graduation: Tonight we celebrate our Year 6 Graduation. We look forward to welcoming the Graduates for dinner and their families for the ceremony. Please note this is a ticketed event. Students were issued with their tickets yesterday – please bring these with you. It will be preferable for your whole family to arrive altogether for ease of getting you to your allocated seats.

High Levels of Learning for All

Michelle Costa

Principal

Community