2 July 2025

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents/Caregivers

Our vision is to foster every individual’s academic and social development driven by high expectations for success and aspirations for them to become resilient, respectful individuals.

It's hard to believe that we are now halfway through the school year. I want to take this opportunity to thank all the staff for all their hard work which is greatly appreciated by myself.

I would like to congratulate everyone, especially Mrs Mulder and Ms Sanders, who run our Containers for Change program. I am thrilled to say that we are the top school in the Metro area and 10^th in the State! This is an amazing achievement which we should all be very proud of. Don't forget to keep collecting your containers over the holidays and bring them in at the start of next term.

We have a few staff changes for Term 3 with the arrival of Monyka Beeson who is our new music teacher. We are also in the process of interviewing for an AIEO (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Officer) who should be joining us in term 3 should we be able to appoint. 

There will be some room changes as well with Room 21 moving into Room 20 (the new demountable) and our new Wellbeing Hub being based in Room 22.

I hope you all have a lovely break and look forward to welcoming you back for Term 3. 

Jonathan Smith
Principal

Behaviour Focus

Our behaviour focus for Week 10 is:-

We are learning to: be respectful by using kind words and manners when speaking to others.

This is because: Everyone is entitled to feel respected and feel valued.

What we will see:

People speaking calmly.

People using kind words.

People listening when others speak to them.

Students Late to School

If your child arrives late to school, they are missing critical morning routines and learning activities. The school day begins at 8:40am and students will be considered late if they do not arrive by this time. If your child arrives after 8.40am you are required to enter through the front office and provide us with a reason for the lateness. A late pass will be given to you for you to give to the class teacher.

Not Feeling Well?

If your child is not feeling well before school, please keep them home and notify the office by phoning 6206 4200 or emailing somerly.ps@education.wa.edu.au.

Late Collection of Students

Somerly Primary School has a student finish time of 2.45pm each day. If your child has not been picked up before 3pm, you will be required to come to the front office to sign them out.

2026 Enrolments

Saver Plus - Government Funded Program Support for Families

Message from the School Board Chair

End of Term 2 Update

Well done to all students, staff, and families on reaching the halfway point of 2025. The year is moving quickly, and I hope the upcoming break offers everyone a well-earned opportunity to rest and recharge ahead of what promises to be a busy and productive second half of the year.

This term, we farewelled a much-loved member of our school community with the retirement of Ms Louise Lipman after 15 years of dedicated service. Louise has been with Somerly since its inception — not only as an outstanding educator but also, more recently, as a wise and insightful member of our School Board. Her steady hand and deep understanding of our school’s values have helped guide Somerly Primary School through many chapters of its journey. On behalf of the Board, I extend our heartfelt thanks and wish Louise a joyful and fulfilling retirement. Her legacy is one of lasting impact on the thousands of students, and dozens of staff, whose lives she touched.

To fill the resulting staff vacancy, a staff election was held, and we are delighted to welcome Mrs Katy Hough to the Board. Katy brings great energy and insight, and we look forward to the valuable contributions she will make.

We also recently filled our vacant parent position. I would like to sincerely thank the parents who nominated — your willingness to step forward in support of our school and its future is deeply appreciated. I’m pleased to announce that Mr Zachary Curtis has been appointed to the role. Zachary brings a wealth of life experience to the board and helps broaden the diversity of voices that shape our direction. I’m proud that with this appointment, our School Board continues to reflect the rich cultural and social diversity of the Somerly community — this breadth of perspectives is critical to ensuring that the school’s strategic direction truly serves the needs of all families.

We are also pleased to share that the school recently received a very positive outcome from the one-year return to last year’s Public-School Review, specifically in the domain of student progress and achievement. With this update, all review domains are now in alignment, and the next full Public-School Review will take place in 2027. This is a testament to the hard work of our staff and leadership. I want to particularly acknowledge Mrs Louise Carroll for her swift and effective response to the review findings last year - putting in place immediate corrective measures to address the recommendations, and Mr Jonathan Smith for his efforts in sustaining and building upon that foundation.

The School Board held its Term 2 meeting on 9th June 2025. During the meeting, we reviewed the school’s current financial position, endorsed the 2024 Annual Report, and discussed the outcome of the recent Public School Review return. We also progressed planning for the school’s next multi-year business plan and considered a motion focused on strengthening Indigenous cultural understanding and ensuring these perspectives are embedded meaningfully in our governance and planning. I look forward to supporting reconciliation efforts at Somerly — deepening our respect for First Nations cultures and better reflecting the voices and experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families within our school community.

Once again, thank you to all staff, students, and families for your continued support and involvement. I look forward to the work ahead as we move into the second half of 2025.

Warm regards

Harry Turnbull
Chair, Somerly Primary School Board

P & C

We would like to say thank you to our Somerly families for your ongoing support, time, and generosity. It’s been a quieter term from the P&C as we stepped back to give the Year 6 Team space to run their own fundraising, but we still had some lovely highlights!

Our Mother’s Day Stall was a joy as always, and we enjoyed connecting with the wider community at the Bunnings Mindarie Mothers + Kids Night. A big thank you also to everyone who helped at our Election Day Sausage Sizzle.

This Friday, we’ll be celebrating NAIDOC Week with the kids by making bracelets and headbands together, enjoying Indigenous music, and sharing some tasty homemade damper.

Thanks to your generosity in last term’s Colour Run, we reached our $25,000 goal and have now opened a Playground Fund, with $20,000 already committed to future play space development.

Next term kicks off with our Glow Disco on Friday, 25 July (the kids’ favourite event of the year), followed by our Father’s Day Stall in September. Our first P&C meeting will be held in Week 2, and new members are always welcome.

The support and spirit shown by our families is what makes Somerly such a special place to be. Thank you, and we look forward to continuing this work in Term 3.