Principal's Report

WELCOME TO THE 2026 SCHOOL YEAR

Welcome back to everyone and hope you had a nice break. Hopefully you had opportunities to take advantage of the many warm and sunny days we had over the summer vacation. We certainly started the school year last week with some very warm days, but the kids seemed to take the conditions in their stride.

Last Tuesday and Wednesday our staff came together for a combination of final planning and professional learning, making sure we were ready to hit the ground running on Thursday. As a result, we’ve had a lovely start at both campuses. Our new preps have transitioned beautifully and had lots of fun with their grade 6 buddies. Having said that, I’m sure the grade 6s had just as much fun with the buddy relationship. Our grade 1-6s are excited to be back at school and classes across the school were very settled. We had 48 preps enrolled this year, 47 of those at Buninyong and 1 at Scotsburn.

Quite a few new families have joined our school, with a number of families moving into the area and of course lots with their eldest child starting in prep …. a special welcome to you all.

As always at the beginning of a school year, we have new and returning staff join us. We have Kirsty Robinson returning after some time on family leave. Kirsty has teaching roles at both campuses this year. And we also have three new teacher aides on board (all past Buninyong students, which is nice), those being Charlie Schaper, Flynn Batrouney and Lucy Baldwin.

Many of you will have already met with the relevant classroom teachers, but if not, hopefully you will get an opportunity to come along on the ‘meet and greet’ evenings on February 9 and 11.

We have lots to look forward to in 2026. This includes:

Moving to our new daily routine, which includes adjusted break times and one hour blocks of instruction, which makes for more effective use of time in the classroom. For us adults, it will take some time for the routine to become the new norm, but the kids have certainly taken to it like a duck to water.
We have the School Concert on August 26, 27 and 28, which will be a community event to remember and a lot of fun for children in all year levels.
The trip to Japan for 25 students in grade 5-6, which is happening in the last two weeks of term 3.
The continuation of our scholarship programs for students in grade 4-6. The scholarship programs are now heading into their third year and each will be up and running from next week.
Continued involvement in lots of other extra-curricular activities, which is a feature of our school. We love the fact that we have so many students that are willing to challenge themselves and give everything a go, whether that be joining the choir or chess club, performing at lunch time live or being part of the Victorian State School Spectacular Team, trying out for inter-school sports or the EBT Team, performing at assemblies or attending the GRIP Leadership Conference. The work of our grade 6 leadership teams is already underway, and the kids are enjoying the responsibility and challenge that comes with this. There’s something for everyone at our school.

We look forward to catching up with everyone throughout the year and please get in touch if there’s anything we can help with.

FINAL ASSEMBLY OF 2025

The final assembly in any given year is a big event and presents a nice way of celebrating the year and thanking everyone for helping to make Buninyong PS a special place.

As is tradition, there was a focus on our grade 6 students who were heading off to secondary school. To finish the occasion, the grade 6s performed their grade 6 dance before walking through an avenue of honour, throwing their hats in the air and signing polo shirts. The assembly is a nice way for all staff and students to acknowledge the group, thank them for their efforts and to say farewell.

The attached photos will give you a sense of the occasion.

CATHERINE KING COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD WINNERS 2025

At the final assembly for 2025, the Catherine King Community Service Award was presented to Robyn and Ian Pearce.

Robyn and Ian are a dedicated couple who embody what it means to be a part of a caring school community. They have given their time generously, volunteering in the canteen and at our breakfast club, always greeting everyone with warmth and a smile.

They’re quick to lend a hand wherever help is needed, whether that be assisting at swimming, or marshalling at cross country events, cheering and high fiving students as they run past.

Their kindness, reliability and genuine care make a real difference every week. Robyn and Ian truly reflect the spirit of community and generosity that this award celebrates, and we are so grateful for their continued commitment and the wonderful contribution they make to our school community.

Congratulations to Robyn and Ian and we look forward to them being a valued and important part of our school community for many years to come.

FACILITY UPGRADES

As always, we took the opportunity to complete some projects over the break. We’re really pleased with what we managed to get done, which included:

New carpet was installed in the library.
A new fence went up at Scotsburn to replace a very old timber fence that was on a lean.
Additional crushed stone was added to the area behind the Scotsburn buildings as part of fire prevention works.
A new coat of paint was applied to the external trims of the old building at Scotsburn, along with the library and five classrooms.
Repairs were made to the roof of the old building at Buninyong. This will prevent further water leaks which were causing damage to the building.

Across the remainder of this year, we have a range of projects in mind. These projects are designed to ensure our school is maintained to a high standard but also provides a functional and enjoyable environment for students and families.

These projects are funded through a combination of maintenance dollars provided by government, the Coxall Family Scholarship Fund, Base 1270, community partners such as the Buninyong Community Bank and Buninyong and Mt Helen Lions Club and parent contributions. We’ll also be applying for minor and major works grants through the department as opportunities arise.

The projects we have in mind for 2026 include:

Painting the internal walls of quite a few classrooms, which will make a big difference to the way our learning spaces are presented.
The construction of an outdoor seating/play area on the east side of the P-2 playground.
The installation of an irrigation System at the main entrance of the Buninyong Campus.
Repairing a number of blinds that have fallen into disrepair across the school.
The installation of a new shade sail cover for the P-2 Playground.
The installation of wall mounted fans and underfloor and wall insulation for the gym.
Concreting works for Scotsburn to replace damaged footpaths.
New basketball rings for the P-2s.
The installation of barriers behind our soccer goals at the Buninyong Campus to stop balls flying into neighbouring properties.

NEW ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR SCHOOL COUNCILLORS

From 2026, parents, carers and community members who would like to join the school council need a working with children check (WWCC) to nominate. If you are considering nominating for school council, and don’t already have a WWCC, I encourage you to apply for a volunteer WWCC as soon as possible. This will allow for processing times, which are estimated to be from three to 12 weeks.

Please note that if you do not hold a WWCC, you will not be able to nominate for school council, so it is vital that you prepare in advance. Obtaining a WWCC is free for volunteers, and you can apply online at Service Victoria available here: Apply for WWCC

When applying for your volunteer WWCC, please nominate the Department of Education as the organisation you are working for.

If you already hold an employee WWCC, you do not need to obtain a volunteer WWCC to nominate for school council.

Current parents and community members of school council do not need to apply for a WWCC immediately. Current members only need a WWCC if their term ends and they wish to nominate or be co-opted again. For more information, refer to Ministerial Order 1280 (Constitution of Government School Councils) 2020.

EARLY PICK UP OF STUDENTS

At our school, student safety and learning time remain our highest priorities. To support this, we kindly remind all families that students will not be permitted to leave their classrooms early until a parent or caregiver has arrived at the front office to collect them.

This procedure is essential for several important reasons:

Duty of Care: There is not always a teaching staff member available at the front office to supervise students who are waiting to be collected. Keeping students in their classrooms ensures they remain safe and supervised at all times.
Maximising Learning Time: Occasionally, parents or caregivers may arrive later than expected. When students leave class too early to wait for pick-up, they can miss valuable learning time.

To help us maintain a safe and orderly environment, we ask parents to allow enough time for sign-out procedures and to arrive at the front office before requesting that a child be called from class.

We appreciate your cooperation and support in keeping our students safe and ensuring they make the most of every learning opportunity.

If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact the school office.