Dear Parents,

Thank you to all of our parents for attending Parent Teacher Interviews, whether face-to-face or over the phone this week. This is important because it strengthens the partnership between home and school, provides an opportunity to discuss your child's progress, celebrate achievements, and collaborate on areas for growth. Your involvement and input are valuable in supporting your child's learning journey and ensuring their success. Please contact your child’s teacher at any time to arrange further meetings.

This week we welcomed Mr Mark Snow, our new Director Educational Leadership for the Bathurst Network. Our captains greeted Mr Snow and were perfect hosts. We are hoping to see Mr Snow again soon so he has the opportunity to visit classrooms and meet staff and children.

We were well represented by Kinder and our three Dance Troupes at the Bathurst Eisteddfod this week. Well done to Kindergarten, who performed ‘A tribute to Walt Disney’, and was placed 3rd, our Stage 1 Dance Troupe who were placed 2nd, Stage 2 Dance Troupe that were highly commended and our Stage 3 Dance Troupe who were placed 3rd. All of our dancers looked magnificent and had such a terrific time performing in front of the audience. Well done to Mrs Weekes, Mrs McClcments, Mrs Murphy and Mrs McPhee who have worked with the children on their routines. Thank you to the many staff for their supervision of the children on Monday. It was a wonderful opportunity for our children to perform and showcase their talents.

Our P&C Father's Day breakfast will be held tomorrow morning, on Friday 4th September from 7.00am. We invite all our fathers, grandfathers and significant men in our lives to come along and enjoy breakfast at school. We look forward to seeing you there.

Tomorrow, we will also take part in Jersey Day. BPS students (and any visiting families joining us for the Father’s Day Breakfast) are invited to wear their favourite jersey to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation. No donation is required- just your jersey and your support. Jersey Day is a truly meaningful event for our school, as we also take time to remember our dear sweet friend, Cathy Kassis, three years since her passing.

Our Kinder Transition to School program for children commencing in 2027 commenced today. The dates and times for the Kinder Transition program are set out below. If you have a child or know of a child coming to school in 2027, please contact the school so we can enrol them for school and in the transition program

Term 3 

Thursday 3rd September from 1.00 to 2:45pm 

Friday 4th September from 1.00 to 2:45pm 

Thursday 10th September from 1.00 to 2:45pm 

Friday 11th September from 1.00 to 2:45pm 

Thursday 17th September from 1.00 to 2:45pm 

Friday 18th September from 1.00 to 2:45pm 

Term 4 

Thursday 22nd  October from 1.00 to 2:45pm 

Friday 23rd October from 1.00 to 2:45pm 

Thursday 29th October from 1.00 to 2:45pm 

Friday 30th October from 1.00 to 2:45pm 

Thursday 5th November from 1.00 to 2:45pm 

Friday 6th November from 1.00 to 2:45pm 

In Week 8, on Thursday 10th September, we will hold R U OK? day at school. R U OK? Day  is a National Day of Action dedicated to reminding everyone that every day is the day to ask, 'are you OK?' and support those struggling with life's ups and downs. 

All children and staff will be involved in a free BBQ provided by RRT (a nationwide charity). This day will contribute to a positive wellbeing experience for our students.

Children can wear yellow to school on this day.

R U OK? inspires and empowers everyone to meaningfully connect with the  people around them and start a conversation with those in their world who may be struggling with life. You don't need to be an expert to reach out - just a good friend and a great listener. Use these four steps and have a conversation that could change a life: 

Ask R U OK?

Listen

Encourage action

Check in  

A wonderful opportunity has become available for Year 5 and 6 children. Poetry Slam is where children create and record their own original 3-5 minute poem. If you are interested, please see Miss Lloyd by Friday 25th September.

Our 10 Day Term 4 Intensive Swimming Program will occur from Monday 23rd November - Friday 4th December at the Manning Aquatic Centre. This program will be open to all children from Kindergarten to Year 6. Qualified swimming instructors employed by the Manning Aquatic Centre will teach the children. Sessions will be 45 minutes long and will run for 10 days between 9.15am. and 2.00 pm. School staff will accompany children to and from the pool. The cost will be $105.00 for the 10-day program, including bus travel, facility entry, and professional instruction. You can pay through our Sentral Parent Portal or at the front office by cash or EFTPOS. We are not accepting Active Kids and First Lap vouchers this year. If you would like your child to attend, please answer the questions through the Sentral Parent Portal. The Portal does not provide or update medical information. Please contact the front office with any medical updates. Please pay a $50 deposit to secure your child's position in the program by Thursday, 24th September. Please pay the final balance by Friday, 6th November. After this date, no refunds will be available. Parents will be informed of their child's class details before the program begins. Parents are asked to contact the school and update their child's medical information closer to the start of the program if necessary. If parents have any further questions regarding this Intensive Swimming Program, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Mitchell, Miss Reedy or Mrs White.

Spotlight on Attendance

Our school’s attendance target is 92%, and we are currently at 90.6%, which is a great effort! We are also proud to maintain an unexplained absence rate of 9%. To keep this up, we kindly ask parents and carers to explain any absences through the Sentral portal or by contacting the school office directly.

Regular attendance is essential for every child’s learning and wellbeing. Let’s continue working together to ensure every student attends school every day!

If any parent has any concerns regarding any aspect of school life, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kate White

Principal