Principal's Report 

Dear Parents, 

This will is an important week for Mackellar Primary School with our 2023 Enrolment Information Night being held this Wednesday from 5:15pm.  From 5:15pm, our student leaders will be taking tours of our school, whilst our visitors enjoy a sausage sizzle (either Halal beef or vegan). Each family will receive a show-bag full of information for parents and some exciting items for children also.  Our school partners in ABC Music, Primary School Wear and TheirCare will join us on the night.  Toddlers and school-aged children are welcome to remain with their parents, or thanks to TheirCare can also be looked after in the Outside School Hours Care room leaving parents free to take part in the evening.

 From 6:00pm our visitors can join us in The Hive and hear from a variety of staff regarding all areas of our school. The evening will conclude with a question and answer session where parents and visitors can ask questions to all staff, or have individual questions answered by particular staff. If you have a prep child for next year, I would encourage you to come along.  Likewise, if you know a friend our relative with a prep child for next year, please encourage them to come along also. If possible, please RSVP via the main office or phone so we can cater accordingly. 

Whilst the Prep Information Night is for students starting school next year, on Thursday May 26th we will be holding our Education Week Expo for current parents. From 5:00 - 7:00pm, all classrooms will be open to families to come along and see, hear and take part in all areas of classroom life.  It is one of the few times in several years where parents can come and be a part of their child’s classroom life.

 With COVID restrictions being relaxed, parents no longer have to check-in, nor are vaccinations certificates required.  I would encourage you all to come along and see our specialist programs and teachers, as well as classrooms and classroom teachers as we all celebrate having parents back in our classrooms. I look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible. 

All teachers in Victorian government schools are provided time each term to complete work or professional learning away from their classroom duties. These are called professional practice days and normally occur throughout the term. This term however, due to the high number of staff absences across the state due to the pandemic, coupled with the shortage of casual relief teachers, this time for teachers will be all held on one day.  For term two, the Department of Education has asked all schools to have a common professional practice day, which for Mackellar Primary School will be June 9th.  This day was selected as it backs on to our already scheduled curriculum day meaning students will not be required on Thursday June 9, Friday June 10 and Monday June 13 which is a public holiday. We acknowledge pupil-free days in any format can be disruptive to parents.  We hope that by combining these days and backing them on to a public holiday will provide all students a well-earned break mid-term. TheirCare will be offering care for the Thursday and Friday and we hope with sufficient notice that this is not too inconvenient for families. 

As you may have seen over the past 18 months, this school has commenced a remarkable revitalisation, with significant work still to do.  This has included an aesthetic upgrade with painting, fencing, playground upgrades and so on, but it has also included significant curriculum documentation, additional specialists being offered,  capacity building of staff, and alignment of school processes. This has all be done under the auspices of our new school vision of ‘Empowering Global Citizens’.

 Our work has been so successful it forms our nomination into the Victorian Education Excellence Awards in the Outstanding School Improvement category. This submission is testament to the hard work of all staff, the contribution of school council and parents generally, and the aspirations we have for each and every student at our school. Regardless of the outcome, I am so proud of our staff, students and community. I will certainly keep you up to date with the outcome. 

Regards, 

Simon McGlade

Principal