School Manager Update

Published in the RSAA Lunations
Vol1 Issue66 1–30 September 2025

From Wednesday night through to Friday last week, I had the privilege of meeting one-on-one with around 17 SSO staff. Thank you to everyone who took time out of your day and night to speak with me about operations. It was incredibly insightful to hear your stories, learn about your roles and gain your personal perspectives on SSO. Your feedback is invaluable and plays a key role in shaping our operations and planning.

While I aim to connect with all of you over time, please remember that my (figurative) door is always open. Feel free to reach out via email, Zoom, or Teams anytime.

Open Day
A huge thank you to all the volunteers who participated in Open Day, and a special shout-out to Zoe and the team for organising another fantastic event. It was wonderful to see the public so engaged and enthusiastic about astronomy and the work happening at the site. It’s a proud moment to showcase SSO—helping the public understand both the science and the incredible support efforts that make it possible.

Thanks also to the staff and students who provided feedback on this year’s event. This will be collated and considered as we plan for next year.

End of Year
As we approach the end of the year, it’s time to start thinking about end-of-year administration. In practice, the cut-off for most financial transactions is early December. HR-related matters—such as extensions and recruitment—have even earlier deadlines. If your grant accounts need attention or you have outstanding HR matters, please reach out to the relevant College teams, or feel free to contact me as a starting point.

Talk soon,
Mat

Image: Light painting at SSO. Credit. Mat and Cristy.