Crafers Primary School

What a truly wonderful year it has been for me as the Principal of this amazing school. I am in a very privileged and fortunate position in which I have daily opportunities to connect with students, teachers and our broader community. Being a leader of a school our size gives me this tremendous opportunity to deeply connect with the school, it's culture and take a genuine place within the community. For this I am extremely proud and grateful!

This year we have provided an abundance of learning opportunities for all students as well as a variety of community events run by our Parents and Friends, Governing Council and Facilities Committees, allowing us all a chance to connect on a regular basis. 

Thank You!

I would like to sincerely thank the many parents and members of the community who gave up their time to be on committees, supported fundraisers and events, listened to students read, assisted with transport and supervision on our school excursions and much more. The level of support within our community truly speaks volumes of why small schools are fabulous and important. 

Family Farewells

In addition to farewelling our students, we also have 20 families who will no longer have any children at our school. I would like to take this opportunity to thank these families for the contribution they have made to our school over many years. 

Beesons, Canalas, Christies, Cochranes, Dewars, Evans, Fechners, Frasers, Hardings, Hays, Kitts, Manns, McKays, Murns, O'Neills, Palmers, Raimondos, Woods and Youngs

Heysen and May Citizenship Awards

Congratulations to Fletcher Staniford and Hannah Barton who were both awarded the Heysen Citizenship and Mayo Community Awards respectively for their outstanding contribution to the school community. They have both led by example and given back to our school in a variety of ways including student led tours, student leader representation and compering at many school events. Both students were presented their Awards at our recent Community Night. 

Volunteering Award for Outstanding Service

We proudly celebrate Tara Graham-Cochrane and Simon Cochrane being awarded the Ministers Volunteering Award for Outstanding Service at our Community Night. Their selfless work, steady presence and many hours of volunteering have strengthened our school community in so many ways. We are deeply grateful for all they have done whilst serving on the Parents and Friends and Facilities Committees throughout the years.

My final thank you goes to our dedicated staff who have provided high quality education in a caring and supportive environment. The knowledge, experience and skills of our staff have contributed to the outstanding achievements of our students in their academic, sporting, social and emotional development. 

We say a huge thank you and goodbye to the following staff who will leave us after this year: Tamika Harrison who after providing a remarkable Performing Arts program will be heading to Echunga Primary School as a Reception class teacher for two days a week. It is not goodbye, as she will be returning to us in a Special Ed role throughout the year. Jonathan Belton and Merrilee Wallis have been valuable in their roles with Jonathan providing a hands on program supporting Hayley (Room 7) and Merilee for a comprehensive Health Curriculum for Reception to year 2. We thank them for their service. 

On behalf of all the staff here at Crafers, we wish all our families a safe, relaxing and enjoyable Christmas break. 

School resumes on Tuesday 27 January 2026 and we look forward to seeing you then. 

Kind regards

Shaun Barber 

Composite classes can be a great advantage for children. They give older students the chance to be leaders and mentors, while younger students get to learn from their older classmates.

These mixed-age classes also help children to make a wider range of friendships, build confidence, and develop important social and emotional skills through positive cross-age interactions. Overall, composite classes focus on personal growth rather than strict age levels, helping children become more adaptable, confident, and well-rounded learners.

At our school, composite classes are an opportunity—not a barrier—to high-quality learning. Our teachers bring a wide range of skills and experience, and they work closely together to plan, program, assess, and moderate learning to ensure consistent, high-level curriculum delivery across all year levels.

Students also regularly connect with their same-year peers for learning activities, building strong friendships and social connections. They come together for special events such as excursions and other shared experiences, ensuring they feel part of a cohesive grade community.