Principal's Message
Hello Families,
It has been wonderful to see so many parents and carers in the school over the past few weeks—either for our MindUp workshops or for our Book Week parades.
Mind Up Workshops
A big thank you to Cheryl Makila and Felicity Boate, who presented two workshops for parents and carers on our school-wide preventative mental health program, MindUp.
MindUp integrates neuroscience, social-emotional learning (SEL), mindful awareness practices, and positive psychology to build mental fitness, resilience, and well-being in young people. It teaches children about their brains and how to self-regulate emotions, focus attention, practice empathy, and manage stress through techniques such as brain breaks.
We hope those who attended found the information and resources useful. If you would like to learn more, this website is a great place to start: www.mindup.org.
Book Week and Author Visit
Week 5 was officially the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book Week! This year’s theme was “Book an Adventure”—celebrating 80 years of Book Week and encouraging readers to explore new places, meet fascinating characters, and open their minds to new possibilities through stories. The event artwork, created by Jess McGeachin, featured a fantastical map of a faraway island filled with creatures and adventure.
As part of the celebrations, we were lucky to welcome author Sue Whiting, who spoke to all students from K–6 and shared her amazing stories. You can read more about her work here: suewhiting.com.
Special thanks to Mrs. Mengel, our Teacher Librarian, for organising these fantastic activities to help us celebrate Book Week.
Awards Ceremony
Congratulations to Kirsty and Kacie from our front office, who won the Outstanding Front Office Team Award at the recent ACT School Business Manager Awards Ceremony.
This award recognises the collective efforts of a front office team in delivering exceptional service, creating memorable experiences, and exceeding expectations. Kirsty and Kacie have gone above and beyond this year, particularly when teammates have been on leave. Well done!
We are excited to have our full front office team back on board. Virginia, Kacie, Kirsty, Lenita, Sharon N, and Sharon C are all here to assist you with any queries or support you may need.
Staffing Update
Next week we farewell Kerrin Lay from our preschool team. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Kerrin for her contribution to preschool and our broader Charles Weston community. Please join me in wishing Kerrin well in her future endeavours. We welcome Mandeep Mann back after her leave. Mandeep will be joining the preschool team as the teacher for PMKL and PTKL.
Literacy and Numeracy Leaders Workshop
This week our school hosted the Network Literacy and Numeracy Leaders session. Thank you to Maz Smith and Anu Lall, who presented to teachers and leaders across our network, sharing our work on developing consistent practice in literacy and numeracy and the positive impact this is having on student learning.
School budgets
You may have seen recent media coverage about pressure on ACT public school budgets. Please be assured there are no cuts to school budgets in 2025 and our school will continue to provide an excellent education for all students.
The Education Directorate is working with us to develop a budget management plan for 2026 and the Minister for Education and Early Childhood, Yvette Berry, is proposing to establish a review of ACT public school system resourcing. The review will look at the resourcing needs of the ACT public school system and ensure funding is directed to meet need, fairly and sustainably, across the ACT public education system. We will keep you updated on this work.
2026 Information
As we prepare for 2026, it is important that we have accurate enrolment information. If your child will not be returning to Charles Weston School next year, we would greatly appreciate it if you could let us know by completing this form https://forms.gle/a18sgJ9hjWedjomU7
Preschool Rugulatory changes
From 1 September, there will be a number of changes to the Education and Care Services National Regulations to improve child safety. This includes:
- Strengthened policies around the taking and use of images of children.
- All allegations or incidents of physical or sexual abuse must be reported to the Regulator (CECA) within 24 hours – reduced from 7 days.
- The use of vaping devices and substances will be banned in preschool environments.
If you have any questions, please speak with your child’s educator or visit the Education Directorate’s website.
Kind Regards
Laurel