Principal's Message
Thank you to our current families who have already enrolled their 2026 Prep children via the VicStudents digital enrolment platform. If you have a child beginning Prep next year, please complete the enrolment process as soon as possible. We have a lot of families that are interested in securing places for their children at Billanook and understanding how many sibling enrolments we have assists us with knowing how many out-of-zone spots we can offer.
We held our Prep Information evening in a different format this year. Our prospective 2026 families were invited to school with their children. The families moved through the Foundation classrooms, completing activities and meeting the teachers as they went. They also participated in Art, PE and Auslan experiences as well. The evening culminated with a performance from our school choir. It was lovely to have the children involved and to provide an informal opportunity for families to speak with the teachers and other staff members.
Car Park
We all know that during our peak times in the morning and afternoons the school car park can be difficult to navigate as families are trying to park or lining up in the kiss and go sections. We have four staff members on the main car park side and one on the gravel gate side after school to ensure the safety of all children.
The mornings typically aren’t as hectic, as families spread out their arrival times (and it’s quicker for children to get out of their cars than it is to get in them). We ask all parents to please be mindful of the speed that they are travelling when entering the car park. On occasions, some drivers are travelling quite fast as they enter. We want to ensure that everyone is safe.
Dogs onsite at Billanook
At our last School Council meeting we reviewed our Dogs at School Policy. There are no major changes with the policy, but it is timely to remind all families of a few points to ensure everyone is safe and feeling comfortable with dogs at school.
- Please keep your dogs away from Bella who is our school wellbeing dog. Bella is a working dog and needs to remain focused and calm.
- All dogs must always be on a leash and in the control of a responsible adult.
- Pet dogs must not be tied up on school grounds or left unaccompanied.
- Families that bring dogs that are aggressive, bark or jump may be asked to remove their dog from the premises.
- Pet dogs are welcome in the school grounds but not in or near buildings.
Two additional things to consider that will be added to the policy:
- Please keep your dogs away from the sandpits, we don’t want dog excrement in an area where our young children play.
- Dogs are not allowed in the kitchen garden area of the school as we will have chickens and potentially other animals in this area.
Cross Country
Well done to our cross-country team for their excellent efforts at last week’s district cross country event. I was so impressed with the positive attitude that our participants displayed as they race around the Lilydale Lake circuit. Well done to those who made it to the Yarra Division event that will be held at the Yarra Valley Racecourse on Tuesday 3 June.
Cubby Club – Thursdays
At assembly this week, we officially launched Cubby Club. Cubby Club will be held every Thursday in the Nature Play area of the school (behind the Year 3-6 playground). Children will be able to make cubbies and huts during this time under supervision of our staff. All children were reminded that sticks will be shared at the beginning of the session and that the cubbies will be knocked down at the end of Thursday lunchtime. We love that children at Billanook can play in their natural environment and want to continue to do so in a safe way.
Free Fruit
We are trialling accessing fruit from FoodBank as part of the Department of Education’s School Breakfast program. We had our first delivery this week and were able to provide each class with some fresh fruit. The free fruit isn’t to replace brain food or morning tea but is an additional healthy snack that our children can enjoy.
Regards
Michael Puddy