The Weekly Wrap – Term 1 Week 1 – 2026

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Posted By: Paul Luke January 25, 2026

A Warm Welcome to the 2026 School Year

Welcome back to Craigburn for the 2026 school year, and a warm welcome to those joining our community for the first time.

As we approach the first day of school on Tuesday, 27 January, staff have been working across the last few days to prepare classrooms, confirm routines, and finalise learning plans for Term 1. We are looking forward to reconnecting with returning families and welcoming new students as we begin another year of learning and growth together.

Please take a moment to review the important information below to help ensure the start of the year runs smoothly for all families.

Kind regards, Paul

Paul Luke – Principal

Welcome Beth Elliott – Assistant Principal

Hello everyone,

I’m really pleased to be joining the Craigburn community as Assistant Principal and look forward to getting to know students, families and staff over the coming weeks.

I bring over 20 years of experience in education, having worked across a range of primary and secondary school settings. Throughout my career, my focus has always been on student wellbeing and supporting children who may find learning or school more challenging. I strongly believe that when students feel safe, supported and connected, they are best placed to succeed.

As both an educator and a parent of three teenagers, I value the strong connection between home and school and the role we all play in supporting young people as they grow and learn.

I’m excited to build on the positive work already happening at Craigburn and to work alongside staff and families to strengthen consistent, whole-school approaches that support both learning and wellbeing.

I’m looking forward to being part of the Craigburn community and the year ahead.

Beth Elliott 

Term Dates and Public Holidays (in school terms) 2026

Term 1  Tuesday 27th January – Friday 10th April

  • Adelaide Cup Day – Monday 9th March
  • Good Friday – Friday 3rd April
  • Easter Monday – Monday 6th April

Term 2  Monday 27th April – Friday 3rd July

  • King’s Birthday – Monday 8th June

Term 3  Monday 20th July – Friday 25th September

Term 4  Monday 12th October – Friday 11th December

Save the Dates – Student Free Days / School Closure Day 2026 

Two student free days are confirmed for 2026, as follows:

  • Friday 6th March – Term 1 Week 6
  • Friday 4th September – Term 3 Week 7

Our annual school closure day (to coincide with the Royal Adelaide Show) is set for Monday 7th September.

Please note – A further 2 student free days are to be confirmed and communicated to families soon.

Term 1 Planner

We are in the process of finalising our Term 1 and Yearly Planner. In the interim, please save the dates for the following Term 1 events:

  • Start Term 1 – Tuesday 27th January
  • Acquaintance Night – Tuesday 10th February
  • Annual General Meeting – Monday 16th February
  • Student Free Day – Friday 6th March
  • Adelaide Cup Public Holiday – Monday 9th March
  • NAPLAN starts – Years 3 and 5 – Wednesday 11th March
  • Year 6 Aquatics – Monday 16th March
  • Harmony Day – Friday 20th March
  • Whole School Swimming – from Monday 30th March to Thursday 2nd April
  • Sports Day – Friday 27th March
  • Good Friday – Friday 3rd April
  • Easter Monday – Monday 6th April
  • End Term 1 – Friday 10 April

Bushfire Response Plan 

Please take a few minutes to check in to become familiar with our school’s bushfire response plan, which forms part of our local emergency management procedures.

The bushfire response plan ensures what action we need to take on days of increased fire danger or in the event of a potential or actual bushfire threat. The bushfire response plan also assists the Department’s Security and Emergency Management (SEM) unit in providing emergency services key information regarding the location of students and staff during a bushfire emergency.

Drink Bottles / Towels 

All students are required to bring to school a small hand towel and and empty drink bottle (to be filled with water at school) – to be stored in classrooms and taken to the hall (our nominated bushfire shelter) in the event of an emergency evacuation.

Canteen

Sue and the canteen were grateful for the support they received throughout 2025. Please check in with their latest post – Welcome Back to 2026 – Let’s Cook Up a Storm! 

CANTEEN CLOSED – TUESDAY 27/01 

Please note that the school canteen will be closed for Qkr lunch orders this Tuesday. However, the canteen will be open at lunchtime for over-the-counter sales (cash only). Students will be able to purchase crushers, ice blocks, and icy cold drinks—perfect for keeping cool during the day.

We thank you for your support and understanding with this temporary change for the first day back.

School Communications 

A reminder to check in with our main communication channels below. 

News Blog – Craigburn Connections

The Craigburn Connections News Blog  https://blogs.craigburn.sa.edu.au is an important communication link between the school and families, containing information about learning activities and events within the school and the wider school community. The Weekly Wrap is published every Sunday afternoon with relevant information for the week ahead.

**** Please note – Craigburn Connections will soon be integrated into our school website. We will keep you updated and informed of this change and how to maintain access to our school news.

Email, Class Connections Newsletters and Seesaw 

Email, Class Connections Newsletters and Seesaw are used by teachers and teaching teams as a means to share their students’ and class’ learning journeys as well as communicating directly with parents. Information is provided to families at the beginning of the school year.

Lesson Times

  • 8.30am – School grounds open 
  • 8.40am – Classrooms open
  • 8.50am – Siren sounds and the school day begins. Students arriving late must sign in at the front office.
  • 10.40am – Recess
  • 11.10am – Lessons continue
  • 12.50pm – Children eat their lunch in the classroom
  • 1.00pm – Lunch play
  • 1.30pm – Lessons continue
  • 3.10pm – Children are dismissed.  

Attendance

School is open for students from 8.30am. For safety and duty of care reasons, we ask that students not come onto school grounds unless supervised by their parent/s. A reminder that our OSHC service provides before school care from 6.30am

OSHC enrolment forms can be found on our website, or through OSHC directly. 

Teachers will begin opening classrooms with lessons commencing at 8.50am. Students are expected to wait outside their classrooms upon arrival. The first few minutes of the school day are very important as this is when daily notices and reminders about events are given, notes are collected, communication books are checked and a range of other organisational matters are managed. 

Students who arrive even a few minutes late, often miss this valuable information and disadvantage themselves. Students who arrive after the 8.50am school bell, must report directly to the front office and sign in as a late arrival.

Dismissal is at 3.10pm with school staff on Front Gate, School Crossing and Heath Lane duties.

Safety, Traffic and Parking

A friendly reminder to families to please follow local council parking rules, especially when using the ‘drop-off and pick-up’ zones on Murrays Hill Rd and Heath Lane. 

Please be considerate of local residents when parking close to the school for any length of time. Please note:

  • Local Council Rangers often attend schools unexpectedly to monitor these areas and will issue infringement notices as they deem appropriate. 
  • Vehicles entering the drop off / pick up zones (Murrays Hill and Heath Lane) must continue through the zone if a temporary parking space is unavailable – this prevents traffic building up on Murrays Hill Road and Heath Lane.
  • The staff car park is not to be used for the drop off and pick up of children as doing so is dangerous and causes congestion – unless using the disability access park and displaying a permit.
  • We ask parents to refrain from parking in the staff car park after 7.30am in the morning and before 5.00pm in the afternoon. If accessing OSHC please temporarily park in the drop off / pick up zone.
  • Please contact the front office for emergency access.

Facilities Upgrade

This year, our school will undergo a major internal facilities project that will impact a number of learning and work spaces, namely Reception and Year 1 classes, library and front office space. 

These learning and admin workspaces will have their ceilings completely replaced, with work scheduled in the latter part of term 1. To accommodate this, rooms in the Year 2 building have been set aside for a temporary relocation of these classes.

We will keep you informed with further updates as we receive more details in the coming weeks.

Lost and Found Library Books

If you happen to have come across any library books over the holidays we would appreciate you returning them to school so that they can be made available for others to borrow. Please return all books even if they are damaged so we can repair or replace them.

More information to come soon

  • School Sport – nominations for summer and winter seasons of school sport.
  • Volunteering

Staff List 2026

Class Teachers

Reception 

  • D21: Katherine Hagias 1.0
  • D22: Renee Wheatland 0.6 MTF/ Kristie Bunting 0.4 WTh

Year 1

  • E23:  Bec Drozdoff 0.6 MTF Nat Shearer 0.4 WTh
  • E24:  Year 1 Pip Tonkin 0.8 MTWTh/ Brooke Hamden 0.2 F
  • E25:  Year 1 Chloe Hill (nee Bremner) 1.0

Year 2/3

  • A1:  Sophie Sutherland 1.0
  • A3:  Anita Wright 0.6 MTW/ Emma Bower 0.4 ThF
  • A4:  Renae Humphreys 0.8  MTThF/ Emma Bower 0.2 W
  • A6:  Kimberley Kennedy 1.0

Year 4

  • C16: Bec Hepworth 0.8 MTWTh / Kristie Bunting 0.2 F
  • C17: Steven Webster 1.0

Year 5/6

  • B8: Andrea Grant 1.0
  • B9: Tristan Fergusson 1.0
  • B11: Mark Lemmey 1.0
  • B12: Chantelle McMahon 0.8  Janine McKay 0.2
  • B13: Alana Henderson 1.0

Specialist Teachers

  • German: Carly Smith 0.8
  • PE: Karen Pettman 0.6
  • Technologies Years 4-6: Pearl Somerset 0.6
  • Performing Arts: Jimmy Marin 0.7
  • STEM Years R-3: Lisa Sporn 0.6

Student / Teacher Support Roles for 2026

  • Reading Coach: Brooke Hamden 0.6
  • Student Support: Janine McKay 0.6
  • Early Years Support Term 1: Crystal Thanawathik 0.6 (6 weeks)

School Service Officers

  • Clare Aikens – Business Manager
  • Bron Fabrici – Front Office admin
  • Hayley Beard – Front Office admin
  • Julianne Lehmann – Learning Support
  • Krysten Pattison – Library
  • Chelsea Johnson – Learning Support
  • Gemma Reeves (nee Liberali) – Learning Support
  • Travis Nuske – ICT Tech
  • Jason Balmer – Grounds
  • Emily Gray – School Garden
  • Tyson Donovan – Learning Support
  • Linda Groen – Learning Support
  • Annika Reinke – Learning Support
  • Xavier Poole – Learning Support

Leadership Team

  • Assistant Principal: Beth Elliott
  • Deputy Principal: Nicky Taylor
  • Principal: Paul Luke

We look forward to an exciting and successful 2026 school year.

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