From the Principal
Dear Parents & Carers
I would like to take the opportunity to once again acknowledge and thank our children, families, staff and our entire school community for their resilience, dedication and understanding during this extraordinary year.
The end of the year is close, and at Queen of Peace we still have plenty of time for focused learning. Our teachers are busy writing reports that will inform families of student achievements this semester.
Thank you to the staff at Queen of Peace. They are a committed and dedicated group of people who continue to provide a learning environment that is both educationally challenging and nurturing for your children. We also thank Father John for his ongoing support and spiritual guidance of our school and in particular our students. Thank you to the families for your continued support of our school.
A number of families will end their primary education journey with us this year. Many of these families have had a long association with the school and their contribution has been significant. We thank them for their support and commitment to Queen of Peace and wish them well in the future.
Congratulations to our Year 6 graduates. We thank you for your leadership and the positive role modelling given to our school community. We wish you well as you move onto the next stage of your education.
End of Year School Reports will be available for you to access via the nForma Parent Portal on Friday 9 December. Your username and password are the same ones used for mid-year reports, or you can use this LINK to access the portal and reset your password if needed. If you are still having trouble accessing the report after resetting your password, please email Michael on the following email address : mozbun@qopaltonameadows.catholic.edu.au
Please note: If you need to reset your password, please remember to also check your junk/spam mail folder for your email to reset.
Staffing News 2023
Sue Rigby, our Art Teacher, is retiring after making a positive contribution to Catholic Education for over 45 years. Sue has made an amazing contribution to Queen of Peace in particular in her role as classroom teacher and more recently as art teacher. Sue could always be found at recess and lunch time in the art room working with an enthusiastic group of students encouraging their love of art. Sue’s strength and passion as a teacher will be sadly missed by our students, families and staff at Queen of Peace. We wish her great happiness.
Here is a message from Sue to our School Community.
This year I made the very difficult personal decision to retire. Teaching your wonderful children, and so many before yours, has been a special privilege that I have always cherished. I have always considered the children that I work with as part of my family. I have truly loved the opportunity of getting to know each and every child.
My teaching career began in 1977 in Geelong, and at Queen of Peace in 2000. I only intended to stay at Queen of Peace for about five years, but all these years later I am sad to be saying farewell.
Thank you to all of the families I have worked with over the years, you have trusted and supported me with your most precious gifts - your beautiful children. Sue
Christine Marshall has accepted a teaching position at Annunciation Primary School, Brooklyn. Christine has been at QoP for 14 years and will be greatly missed by the children, families and staff. Christine has made an amazing contribution to Queen of Peace in particular in her role as PE teacher and coordinator of Sports. Her planning and organisation of numerous Interschool sports, Swimming Carnivals and Sports Day has been of great value to hundreds of students over the years. We wish her all the best.
It is with much happiness and sadness that I am informing you that I am leaving the QoP community to teach at Annunciation in Brooklyn. I am really excited about the new adventure I am pursuing but will miss the wonderful relationships I have made within this community. Most importantly, I want to thank you for all of the help you have given, volunteering your time to make the Sport carnivals and other sport activities a huge success. Every year I have thought about how lucky I am to have such a brilliant volunteer workforce. Without you, grandparents and the students who attend MSJ and Emmanuel, these carnivals (and other sporting activities) would not happen or be as much fun without your contribution. I hope you truly believe me when I say I appreciate your help no matter how big or small. I'm sure you have heard the saying that it takes a community to raise a child. What a wonderful community I have been lucky to be part of. Thank you. Christine
Helen Power has accepted a teaching position at St Monica’s Catholic Primary School, Footscray. Helen has been at QoP for 14 years. Helen’s compassion, understanding of the needs of students, her passion for teaching and care for those in her class are qualities that will be greatly missed by the children, families and staff. We wish Helen all the best at St Monica’s.
McCabe Craig has accepted a Literacy leadership position at St Peter’s, Sunshine West after 4 years at QoP. In that short time McCabe has made a positive contribution to the culture of our school and cultivated children’s love for the environment by running a lunchtime gardening club. We wish her all the best as she takes on this important leadership position.
Charlotte Turner has accepted a position at Saltwater College. We thank Charlotte for her contributions to QoP this year and wish her all the best.
New Teaching Staff 2023
We look forward to welcoming these teachers to QoP in 2023:
Stephanie Streets - Visual Arts - currently teaching Visual Arts at St Mary’s, Williamstown
Veronica Chan - Classroom teacher - graduating from Victoria University
Jack Stephen - PE teacher - currently teaching PE at St Joseph’s, Brunswick West
Melissa Merheb - Classroom teacher - taught at Lumen Christi Primary School, Point Cook
Hannah Parker - Classroom teacher - currently teaching at Southbrook School, Rangiora, New Zealand
Jenny Sare - Classroom teacher - currently relief teaching at Queen of Peace
Laura Taylor - Classroom teacher - currently relief teaching at Queen of Peace
We also welcome back in 2023 Belinda Palamara, Michelle Mamone and Loren Jubb from maternity leave.
A full list of staff and classroom teachers will be shared with parents before the end of the school year.
Meet your Teacher
On Monday 5 December from 9:15-10:15am we will have our 'whole school orientation' where the children will spend time in the morning with their new class and teacher/s. This is an exciting time for all children and teachers as the fresh start holds new possibilities and new challenges. Parents, you play an important role ensuring you provide the hope and enthusiasm for the year to come for your child. Having a positive attitude will help your child dismiss any concerns or worries they may have.
End of Year Mass
Our Christmas Picnic will be on the oval on Thursday 8 December. School gates will open at 5:30pm with student led entertainment beginning at 6:30pm. More details to come.
Final Assembly
Our Final Assembly will be on Monday 12 December at 2:30pm in the school hall. This will be led by Year 6 students.
Final Mass
Our Final Mass for the year will be celebrated on Friday 16 December at 9:15am in the church. We will be celebrating the great year we have all had and thanking God for all of our blessings. There is much to be thankful for this year. We will also be announcing our School Captains and leaders for 2023. I hope to see you there to help us celebrate.
Also on Friday 16 December, at 1:15pm we will farewell our Year 6 children from the oval and send them on their way to secondary school. During this assembly we will acknowledge some of our students’ achievements. We will farewell our Year 6 cohort and wish them well on their journey to secondary school. The car park will be closed after recess and you will need to park out in the surrounding streets or the Skate Park. The entry gate to the car park will remain closed until all families exit the area. We will dismiss all children from the oval at 1:30pm.
The dates for school beginning next year are below.
Year Prep:
Monday 30 January - Attendance 8:50am – 1pm
Tuesday 31st January – Attendance 8:50am – 1pm
From Thursday 2 February, normal school hours 8:50am-3:30pm (3pm on Mondays)
*No school for Preps on Wednesdays in February
Years 1 - 6:
Literacy Testing: Monday 30 & Tuesday 31 January
Normal school hours from Wednesday 1 February
Warm regards
Darren Gibbons
Principal
