Nhamirri Walal,
As we draw Term 3 to a close, I want to take a moment to celebrate the fantastic 10 weeks we’ve shared at Nhulunbuy Primary School. From learning milestones to special events, it has been a term full of engagement, achievement, and amazing community spirit.
We’ve had so many wonderful experiences, including:
- Transition – 100 Days of School celebrations
- NAIDOC Week events highlighting culture and community
- Year 6 transition to High School program
- Preschool transition to Primary School program
- Science Week hands-on learning experiences and display
- National Anti-Bullying Week
- Book Week and Character Dress Up Day
- Preschool Working Bee
- Camps for Year 5 and Year 6, and the Year 3 & 4 Sleep Over
- Father’s Day Stall and Breakfast
- Transition Emergency Services Incursion
- Year 1 and 2 Emergency Services Excursion
- Tournament of Minds
- Teacher Aide Appreciation Week
- Transition Disco
A huge congratulations to our Tournament of Minds team who won the Northern Territory STEM category last fortnight! The team dedicated their time during Friday electives and additional training sessions to prepare, and they were very excited to learn they had won. A special thank you to Ms Bridie, who leads the team and generously volunteers her time to support their preparation. Well done to everyone involved!
Our School Council has also been incredible this year, generously hosting stalls for our mums and dads and running a significant fundraiser on Cracker Night, along with staff and family volunteers—thank you for your dedication and ongoing support!
On Wednesday afternoon, we held our RU OK Colour Fun Run, an event sponsored by Nhulunbuy Corporation and supported by Nhulunbuy Fire Station. It’s always a highlight for students and a fantastic way to celebrate wellbeing, energy, and community spirit. My sincere thanks to Mike and the team at Nhulunbuy Corporation for sponsoring this day in collaboration with Balanced Choice.
A big shout out also to Ross and the crew at Nhulunbuy Fire Station for hosting our excursions, visiting for incursions, providing feedback on our Fire Evacuation Drills, and spraying us all with water at the Colour Fun Run so the colour sticks!
On Thursday, our Year 1 and 2 classes enjoyed a special ‘Sleep In’ day. Over 100 students arrived at school in their pyjamas, leaving the other classes wondering if they had missed a dress up day memo! A huge thank you to the staff in this team for creating such a fun and memorable experience for our students.
Events like these are not possible without the energy, dedication, and support of our staff, families, and students. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making these experiences memorable for our school community.
Goldie spending is on the rise! One of the highlights has been hanging out with Mr Tony! There’s always a line of students eagerly saving up for their turn to don the high-vis and get a few jobs done—who wouldn’t want to hang out with Mr Tony? We’ve recently reviewed the Goldie Menu with students and our SWPB team. While we’ve kept all the favourites, we’ve also added some exciting new ideas. And don’t worry—the high-vis and donuts are staying!
A reminder that we still have one more week of Parent-Teacher Interviews. If you haven’t already had the opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher, I encourage you to make an appointment. These meetings are an important way to celebrate your child’s achievements and discuss their learning and social and emotional goals.
I have included a copy of our Conflict-of-Interest Policy for family awareness. Living in a small town has many benefits, but it can also bring unique challenges. Many of our staff have family members attending the school, so these procedures are important for managing potential conflicts. At NPS, every staff member completes this process each year, which is also submitted to the Chief Executive for review and endorsement. This process helps ensure transparency, fairness, and integrity in all school operations. Please take a moment to read the policy, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Additionally, I have included our Code of Conduct for parents, visitors, volunteers, and service providers at Nhulunbuy Primary School and the Department’s Family Engagement Charter. It is important that all families are aware of their responsibilities in supporting a safe, respectful, and positive school environment. I ask that families actively support this policy by modelling respectful behaviour, engaging positively with staff and students, and reinforcing these expectations at home. Working together in this way helps ensure our school community remains welcoming, safe, and focused on learning for all students.
Part of my role as principal is responding to constructive feedback about ways we can improve. Continuous improvement is everyone’s work, and we appreciate it and take it seriously. What I receive less often, however, is positive feedback—yet it can be just as powerful. This week, I was delighted to receive an email from a parent who had observed a student demonstrating integrity in the playground. They took the time to identify the student, describe the behaviour, and acknowledge it. Because of their message, I was able to acknowledge the student publicly, share the moment with their family, and link it back to our school values. Well done Frankie for showing integrity and thank you Wanda for taking the time to email!
Everyone benefits from positive feedback, and I encourage you to be brave and generous in sharing it—whether it’s for a student or a staff member. Small acts of gratitude and recognition brighten our school community and make a big difference.
We would also like to wish Tessa Mellington all the best as she goes on maternity leave at the end of this term. We send our warmest wishes to Tessa and Barclay as they step into the next exciting adventure—becoming parents! While we will certainly miss Tessa, we have a very strong transition team who have been busily preparing for this moment. We are pleased to welcome Annalise Broom, who has been recruited to the position to ensure a smooth and seamless transition for our students. We also look forward to welcoming our new Senior Teacher of Special Education, Jessica Westlund, who will be joining us next term.
Thank you again for your ongoing support and partnership. I hope all our students, families, and staff enjoy a well-deserved break and return ready for an exciting Term 4.
Warm wishes,
Rachel Blundell
Principal
