As usual, this time of year is very busy as we finalise the 2017 school year and plan for the Christmas holidays. Organising classrooms, students’ classes and staff each year is a complex task. However, there is now a clear picture of the school’s organisational structures in place for 2018. As mentioned previously, there will be several new staff members at Toorak Primary School next year. Current staff will meet all new staff members on December 8th when an Induction Day will be held to fully inform new staff of the programs used in teaching English and Mathematics at Toorak Primary School. All new staff members will be with their 2018 students for Internal Transition Day on December 12th. An introductory letter from teachers to students will be sent home at the end of Internal Transition Day. There will also be an opportunity for staff to undertake a thorough handover of files to ensure each student has a smooth transition to the next year level. I would like to thank our generous School Council for supporting both the Induction Day for new staff and the Internal Transition Day.
It has come to my attention that neighbours have again complained about the congestion in and around the school especially at drop off and pick up times. While recognising there are two sides to every story, I ask our school community to respect the rights of neighbours and to model courteous, responsible behaviour, under often difficult circumstances, when visiting the school. Thank you, in anticipation, for your support in this matter.
This year we have had an unprecedented response to prep transition sessions with all students in attendance. As a result of the increased prep enrolments, there will most likely be five classes for 2018. The final prep transition session will take place tomorrow.
At this stage there is no further information on the new building which has been allocated to Toorak Primary School in order to accommodate the growing school population. It is anticipated that the building works will begin before the end of the year so that classrooms are ready for occupation in February.
Julie Manallack
Principal