A Message From Anna 

Year 1&2 Inquiry Expo and Prep Imaginative Animal Expo!

It was so wonderful to see so many parents attend our youngest classrooms on Monday afternoon, to see the amazing creations of our Preps, 1s and 2s! I learned so much about a range of animals from our students, including that frogs cannot keep their eyes open whilst eating! Who knew?! Our Prep students created entirely new species of animals, by combining multiple animals together. This was quite creepy at times, but mostly fascinating to hear about. I’d certainly never thought a ‘Casnakog’ (Cat/Snake/Frog) would be something I’d think about whilst going off to sleep! 

Thank you to the students in Prep, Year 1 and Year 2! It was such a pleasure to learn about your chosen animals and see the creative habitats you designed! 

Social Media

It’s important that we keep our children safe online so I’m writing to remind parents to be vigilant in supervising students when using social media. 

The school has very strict policies around Digital Technology Use and a Mobile Phone Policy, which also relates to students taking photographs or videos at our school, which is against our school’s policy. These policies can be found on our school website - https://bhnps.vic.edu.au/policies-documents/

It would be greatly appreciated if you could please have a read and re-iterate the school’s expectations to your children.

Below is a link regarding some basic online support/strategies for talking to students about online use and setting expectations. https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/skills-advice/online-safety-basics

Please refer to the The eSafety Guide | eSafety Commissioner which has been published by the eSafety commissioner. It includes a range of online safety tips and strategies. Please feel free to come and collect one.

School Swimming Program

On Friday 6th December, our Whole School Swimming Program begins! There are still many families who haven’t yet provided consent or payment via Compass for the Swimming Program. 

It is anticipated that all students prior to leaving primary school will attain the Victorian Water Safety Certificate (VWSC) that is designed to equip children with a basic level of swimming and water safety skills and knowledge. The VWSC describes specific competencies that focus on water safety knowledge, rescue skills, a survival sequence and the ability to swim a continuous distance of 50 meters. 

The aim of school-run swimming, water safety and lifesaving programs will enable students to learn core survival swimming skills as a minimum, preparing them for unexpected entry into (open) water; learn personal safety when it comes to assisting someone in trouble; learn a valuable skill for life; increase their self-awareness, good decision making and leadership capabilities; empower children to take personal responsibility for their actions and become the influencers to keep family and friends safe. 

Through implementing school swimming and water safety programs, students will have increased awareness of the risks associated with swimming and recreational activities at both coastal and inland waterways to ultimately reduce drowning deaths throughout Victoria.

There is an expectation that all students participate in the swimming program each year, which is heavily subsidised by the government. 

If you haven’t yet provided consent and payment for our Whole School Swimming Program, please hop onto Compass and do so as soon as possible.

Parent Helpers

At Box Hill North Primary School, we benefit significantly from the parents and grandparents of our students who help volunteer for fundraising and keep our school running in a variety of ways – uniform shop, canteen, working bees, School Council, classroom helpers, and much more! 

In order to coordinate the smooth-running and organisation of our school events, we will be introducing Year Level Representatives in 2025. Each Year level will have one or two parents to coordinate a range of events throughout the school year. These representatives will make up our Events Committee, which will operate with the support of School Council. 

If you are interested in volunteering as Year Level Representative for 2025, please contact the school office as soon as possible. One of the teachers will be in contact with you before the end of the year to provide more information. 

Graduation Helpers

We are very excited to watch this year’s Year 6 students graduate on Monday 16th December. In order for this event to be successful, we require some volunteers to make it a night to remember. If you are available to help set up on either Friday 13th December or Monday 16th December, please contact the office to let us know!

Have you ever wanted to use a ride-on mower?

I know I have! We are looking for someone in the community to complete the regular mowing of our school grassed areas. We will supply the mower (and earmuffs!) if you provide the enthusiasm! If you know someone who may be willing to help out, please contact the school office to chat about the details, including payment. 

Anna Johnstone

Principal