Principal News  

Welcome to 2024!  We have had a great start to the New Year.  It has been such a pleasure to welcome our staff, students and families back to school to start the new year.  As the newly appointed Principal I am very excited to start the year after having met many of you upon my appointment in November 2023. 

Welcome to our new iNewsletter!   

The 'Bittern Buzz' has a new look!  This year we have introduced a new format to our newsletter.  In this iNewsletter we will share all the wonderful and engaging happenings at our school.  We aim to keep our community up to date with information relating to curriculum, student voice and agency, facilities, child safe and attendance.  The iNewsletter will be published every 3 weeks on the Wednesday before our school assemblies.  We hope you enjoy this extended and comprehensive version of the 'Bittern Buzz!'.   

Focus for 2024 

This year our school focus is on School Pride!  

School pride is the idea of feeling a connection with the school community and being proud to represent our school values. The sense of belonging and

 pride have positive impacts on the school community from student success to a better school environment.

Here are some examples of how we can foster school pride at BPS.   

- Embracing our school values of Kindness, Equality, Leadership and Knowledge 

- Encouraging parental engagement and school spirit 

- Celebrating our 'unsung heroes' which include a talented and enthusiastic school staff

- Wearing our school uniform with pride 

- Respecting our learning environments and school grounds 

The children will work with their teacher and Brenda to build, beautify and maintain their space. Throughout the year we will be working with our community to improve our school grounds and create outdoor learning and play spaces. 

Annual privacy reminder for our school community.

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and the Schools’ Privacy Collection Notice.

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy, describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn.  This policy has been recently sent out to you and will soon be available on our updated website.  

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. 

Child Safe

Child safe is everyone's responsibility. BPS is fully committed to creating and maintaining a child safe organisation and protecting students from all forms of abuse. 

Protecting children and young people from abuse is our responsibility.

The Victorian Government is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people. As part of the Victorian Government’s commitment to implementing the recommendations of the Betrayal of Trust report, which found that more must be done to prevent and respond to child abuse in our community, there is a new regulatory landscape surrounding child safety, underpinned by the new Child Safe Standards.

The Child Safe Standards are compulsory minimum standards for all Victorian early childhood services and schools, to ensure they are well prepared to protect children from abuse and neglect. 

2024 Foundation Students 

A huge welcome to our new prep students for 2024.  It was delightful to see our new preps in their shiny new uniforms and smiling faces on Friday, 2nd Feb. It was very exciting to see so many parents/carers and family members attending on this day.  Our BER gallery was overflowing with people - a wonderful sight! 

Meet n Greet Interviews 

  T week we held our Meet N Greet Interviews. Thank you to all the parents/carers who attended these meetings. The aim of these meetings included  getting to know your child's teachers, sharing information relating to academic, social and emotional development and discuss the best ways to support your child. It is also a great opportunity to build a relationship with the school.  Working together is the key to a successful education. 

ASSEMBLY arrangements 

We will be holding our assemblies every 3 weeks in our BER. These assemblies are run by our senior leadership team and we encourage you to attend if possible. The iNewsletter will be published on the Wednesday prior to the assembly so you will know if your child will be receiving an award at this assembly.