Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people, the traditional owners of the land Mickleham Primary School is on, and pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging and to any Koorie people joining us today.

We would like to acknowledge the children of the past, present and future who have grown up, learnt and played with friends on this land.

We would like to acknowledge our country and nature, including: trees, grasses, flowers, birds and insects. Our Bluestone building represents our community’s past and we are the future.

Acknowledgement of Diversity

We acknowledge and respect the differences between us. We understand we all come from different cultures, and we have different opinions and needs. We are all equals and cooperate as we play a role in our school community.

The above statements were written by our children and staff through our Koorie Action Group and Diversity Leaders.

Welcome to the last Mickleham Matters for the year!

End of Year Celebration: The picnic was incredibly well attended and lots of fun. Sincere thanks to everyone involved in organising and running the evening. With almost 60 prizes there were many lucky people walking away carrying baskets of goodies. Thanks also to everyone who donated so generously to make this a successful fundraiser for our school. We will let you know early next year how much was raised through the raffle.

Building works: Due to an error during construction, every pocket door in the school needs to be repaired during the holidays. This will involve cutting a large hole in each wall, correcting the error and then reconstructing the wall. To facilitate this, we have totally packed up every classroom. We need everyone to cross their fingers that the work is completed in the two weeks available for them to get the job done. Our staff will be off-site on the first day back for them next year (January 27th) so that the deep cleaning process can be undertaken. It is our plan that staff will be on-site setting up classrooms on January 28th ready for children to return on THURSDAY JANUARY 29th.

Step-up: Last Thursday, the children participated in activities with the teachers and children in their cohort next year. Several new children joined us for this event. We would like to extend a warm welcome to the children and their families. The children will find out their class group and teacher very early next year. Our teachers work in very collaborative teams, where all members of the team know all of the children and often teach children from other class groups.

Fee Payment Plans: Many thanks to the parents who have contacted us to set up payment plans for School Fees. As mentioned in the fee cover letter, whilst salaries, facilities and utilities are provided by government funds, the cost for materials and books are not. To cover the cost of these resources, we ask parents to pay a very modest fee for each child. Please email the school to set up your payment plan for next year.

2026 calendar: As promised, our tentative calendar for Term 1 2026 is attached to this Newsletter. We hope this helps you to plan for Term 1 and will update it as changes are made on return to school.

We hope you all have a safe and restful break, enjoying time doing the things that make you happy with family and friends.

Best wishes, Happy New Year

Julie & Staff

Grade 3/4

What an amazing year we have had in the 3/4 cohort. From camps, incursions, excursions and amazing engagement in our learning, we have achieved so much together. More recently we had an incursion with Ecolinc, where we learnt about the properties of sugar in a variety of hands-on science experiments.

When asked about the highlights of their year, here is what some of our wonderful students had to say.

“Every maths lesson!” – Christopher, grade 3.

“Writing narratives, because we could use our imagination.” – Gulpreet, grade 3.

“Going on Reading Eggs.” – Morgan, grade 3.

“The Cosmodome, because when we went inside it felt like we were in space!” – Mira, grade 4.

STEM

What a year it has been in STEM! Students from Grade 1 to 6 have explored a wide range of STEM topics and have developed a strong curiosity and love for understanding how our world works.

Our Grade 5/6 students thoroughly enjoyed engineering and designing, especially when applying their skills to 3D printing projects.

Grade 3/4 students were enthusiastic learners as they explored food origins- popping popcorn and trying humus was definitely a highlight!

Meanwhile, our Grade 1/2 students loved diving into the LEGO Education kits, discovering how to make motors turn and programming their builds to complete a variety of exciting tasks.

Library

P.E.

Water Safety was a priority this final term, as it is especially important over Summer. We have all had Water Safety lessons and enjoyed First Aid Lessons by St Johns Ambulance educators. Grade 1/2s did a worksheet ABOUT CALLING 000 in an emergency. But this really is important for ALL the students and children in our homes.

They should be able to recall and say their:

• FULL NAME
• ADDRESS
• MOBILE NUMBER OF MUM or DAD or CARER

 Peer Mediation Training

In term 4, students in grade 4 and 5 had the opportunity to participate in Peer Mediation training in preparation for 2026. Students developed their understanding of the following areas:

• Skill One: Awareness of Body Language
• Skill Two: Understanding feelings
• Skill Three: Active Listening and Reflecting
• Skill Four: Effective Questioning
• Skill Five: Assertion
• Skill Six: Brainstorming

In 2026, we will relaunch our PeerMediation Program selecting students who participated in the training. Congratulations to those students who volunteered, participated and developed lifelong problem solving skills. We are very excited to see these students in action next year. They will be in a bright purple vest in the yard!

Somers School Camp

We all had a great time at Somers Camp. It was a great experience. We had fun on so many activities, and learned how to make new friends too. Thank you to our parents for supporting us to go along, and our school for giving us the opportunity to be there.

Grasshopper Soccer

Hume Tennis

Hume Tennis is excited to share that our Active Holiday Programs are back, offering three weeks of fun, activity, and learning during the upcoming school holidays! These programs are a fantastic way for children to stay active, build skills, and enjoy the break in a safe and engaging environment.

Spots are filling quickly, so we encourage families to register soon.

Program Times: 9:30am–3:30pm

Before Care: From 8:00am

After Care: Until 6:00pm

Cost: $50 per day or $200 per week (5 days)