Fees, fun and farewells

Recently we posted the schedule of fees for 2019 on the Preshil website, following the School Council approval of the School’s budget for next year.

This budget guarantees the ongoing sustainability and continued enhancements of our two campuses, ensuring that we have the resources and the facilities to offer the breadth of programs and small class sizes, with highly qualified and committed teachers that underpin our educational offering.

The average fee increase is a little over 4%. The decision to raise fees is a considered one as we know that it does impact on our families. This increase follows several years of below average fee increases, when measured against other private schools and we intend to continue to contain fee increases to the lowest levels possible.

The Primary School fee table is now stepped, with Kinder and Prep year tuition fees at the lower end, moving up as the student progresses through the school.
The Secondary School is stepped in 2 year blocks, aligned with the program grouping of students within the MYP and the DP.

The School Council is also committed to continue to provide the financial support necessary for all of our teachers to undertake ongoing and rigorous professional development as part of our participation in this international network.

As always, please accept our invitation to discuss fees, payment plans and any difficulties that families face and where the School can assist.

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2018 celebrates 50 years of the International Baccalaureate, which makes all Victorian iterations of the State Curriculum look very recent. The IB is the product of ongoing, international feedback and re-evaluation, strengthened through a huge, rigorous research commitment and tested by educators across some 150 countries.

It is ‘an education designed to break down the barriers of race, religion and class; an education that extols the benefits of cultural diversity; an education for international-mindedness – above all else, an education for peace.’

I believe we can be very proud to align Preshil with these ideals and to make them a lived experience for each one of our students, from the youngest children in the Primary School to the young adults in the final years of their secondary education.

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Having reached the final week of the school year all of Arlington is immersed in the various transitions, farewells and celebrations that mark this milestone in each child’s life. The transition of the Kinder children to the Primary School, the orientation morning to the 2019 class, the final Doo Dah of the year, the musical performances and art exhibitions, the 10s & 11s Play and display of the great stage curtain, the Big Day In all-in celebration and the graduation celebrations for our 11s make this a very busy and emotional time, not least for our teachers who have given so generously of their time, their energy and their genuine love for each child.

In 2019 we are looking forward to having our 22 five-year-olds take possession of the Fives and bring new life to that part of the school, which has been so disturbingly quiet this year!

We are ready to embrace many new children to each class and to see each room lovingly prepared and ready to welcome the input of the children into shaping their learning spaces and making them their homes.

I am especially looking forward to having Natalie Jensen at Arlington full-time. During this year Arlington families have had the opportunity to get to know Natalie; in 2018 we have both divided our time across the two campuses, not always easily, so we are both looking forward to a more settled arrangement, where relationships and support can be furthered strengthened.

Working closely with the teachers in both the Kindergarten and the Secondary School, Natalie is perfectly equipped to enhance the continuity across both campuses. As an accredited IB Educator she is also the ideal person to oversee the final accreditation of an outstanding IB Primary Years Programme, ideally suited to Arlington and the School’s enduring commitment to its unique set of values and principles.

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Thank you to all who have read and shared our Newsletter this year – and a very special thank you to Prue Ottey, who took over responsibility for the Arlington Newsletter in the course of the year so that it continues to provide all the relevant Arlington news and information as well as providing a lovely fortnightly snapshot of the day to day experiences of our children.

To all our Arlington families, have a safe and wonderful holiday.

Marilyn Smith

Principal

marilyn.smith@preshil.vic.edu.au

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