From the 

Principal's Desk

Welcome to the Principal's Report for Week 3 Term 2. It's been an eventful and enriching period for our students and school community, filled with special events, experiences and opportunities for growth.

YEAR 6 CAMP

One of the highlights of this term was undoubtedly the Year 6 camp. Our students embarked on an unforgettable journey filled with adventure, learning, and camaraderie. From challenging outdoor activities to team-building exercises, the camp provided a platform for our students to develop essential life skills such as resilience, leadership, and collaboration. I want to extend my gratitude to all the staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly to ensure the success and safety of this excursion. Your dedication is truly commendable, and the impact of this experience on our students will be long-lasting.

ANZAC DAY

As a school, we commemorated ANZAC Day with reverence and respect. It was a time for our students to reflect on the sacrifices made by the brave men and women who served our country. Through a special assembly and classroom discussions, we honored the ANZAC spirit and instilled a sense of gratitude and remembrance in our students. I would like to thank our teachers for their efforts in educating our students about the significance of this important day in our nation's history.

We were delighted to welcome special guests Dr Jags Krishnan - MLA for Riverton, Mr Daniel Coombs - Electorate Officer for Riverton, and Mr Mitch Sherston – School Board Chair for Burrendah to this assembly. 

Our School Choir performance is always a highlight of our special events and their performance at our ANZAC Day assembly was outstanding. I would like to especially acknowledge the wonderful soloist performance by Peyton, and Ms Jenny Coleman for all her work behind the scenes to support our students. 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION - TRAFFIC WARDEN

Mrs Green, our Traffic Warden who works at the Children’s Crossing on Pine Tree Gully Road, near Castlereagh Close cannot work from Friday the 3rd of May, until Monday the 12th of August.  Unfortunately, the Children’s Crossing Warden from the Western Australian Police Force has informed us they will have no relief staff available to cover the position. 

We ask that the school community be vigilant, whilst crossing without a traffic warden present during this time.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY 

Continuous professional development is vital in ensuring that our educators are equipped with the latest teaching methodologies and tools to support student learning effectively.

This term, staff participated in a comprehensive staff development day aimed at enhancing their skills and knowledge on Friday 26 April. They participated in collaborative work to learn about and describe what high-performing teams do to build trust, as well as programs to support their understanding of our school structure and financial decisions, and how support is allocated to our students who are identified at risk. 

I'm proud of our staff's commitment to ongoing learning and their dedication to providing the best possible education for our students.

Our staff will continue to learn and upskill at our Staff Meetings throughout this term. 

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE

At the beginning of Term 2, we welcomed Mrs Rebekah (Bek) Melville to our Leadership Team.  Mrs Melville shared the following information with our school community via Facebook. 

‘My name is Rebekah (Bek) Melville, and I am thrilled to be joining Burrendah Primary School as Deputy Principal. I have heard so many wonderful things about the school community, and I very much look forward to working with you all. I have loved walking around the school and meeting staff, students and parents. Burrendah has such a welcoming and positive atmosphere and I already feel right at home!

I am a passionate and motivated Educator with over fifteen years of experience in Education. During this time, I have undertaken a wide variety of roles that include Principal, Associate Principal, Learning Support Co-ordinator, Performing Arts Specialist and Senior Classroom Teacher. Respectful relationships, behavioural support, student empowerment and high expectations are all priorities that drive my commitment to working together as a community to obtain excellent outcomes for all students.

My additional qualification in Psychology strongly influences my approach to school leadership as I ardently believe that a view of the ‘whole child’ must be taken if strong academic results are desired. Extensive experience working with children with additional needs in therapeutic and school settings has honed my ability to address each facet of the academic, physical, emotional, social and cultural development of students.

When I am not immersed in the world of Education, the great loves of my life are my husband Caleb, coffee, playing the piano and books!’

Our school leaders are committed to ensuring the management and leadership of the school remain focused on the students and their learning.  Below are the details of our Leadership Team, and a summary of their areas of responsibility. 

We encourage our parents to always contact the classroom teacher first for any queries or questions. 

However, if you need further information after working with the classroom teacher, please contact; 

-  For enquiries relating to students in K-2, please contact Ms Kelly Lindley. 

- For enquiries relating to students in 3-6, please contact Mrs Bek Melville.

To contact the school leaders, please email burrendah.ps@education.wa.edu.au 

NEW STAFF

We are excited to be welcoming two new staff members in Week 4. 

Mrs Tania Pongratz will be joining our team as a Special Needs Education Assistant. Mrs Pongratz will be working in Pre-primary on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and across the school on Tuesday and Thursday. Mrs Pongratz is a very experienced Special Needs EA who has worked at Bletchley Park Primary School, Karratha Primary School, Kelmscott Primary School and most recently, Aspiri Primary School. She is passionate about supporting students with additional needs by applying her knowledge of a variety of intervention programs and strategies. Mrs Pongratz looks forward to also contributing to our team by volunteering for extra roles and committees. 

We will also be welcoming a new Chaplain, Mrs Juanita Tong. Mrs Tong enjoys connecting with people, especially children and parents in a school environment. As a trained bookkeeper and administrator, she has made the career change to become a Chaplain because she is especially passionate and compassionate about helping children thrive as individuals in every aspect of their life including contributing to the community and society positively. We are also excited as Mrs Tong speaks fluent Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese and Hokkien, which will support her to connect with our community who speak English as a second language. 

Mrs Tong will be working alongside our current Chaplain, Mrs Louise Parish to promote social and emotional programs for our students. If you would like your child to access our Chaplaincy Services, please email burrendah.ps@education.wa.edu.au.

BURRENDAH PRIMARY SCHOOL NOW HAS A NEW FACEBOOK PAGE

We are excited to let our community know that Burrendah Primary School has a new Facebook page. 

Our Facebook page will be used to promote school events, showcase school programs, share information about our teaching and learning programs and provide articles on positive parent strategies. 

Click on the link to follow our Facebook page Facebook

Parents and carers sign a consent form for the use of images for school purposes such as the newsletter, on websites and the internet, in promotional material and on social media when they enrol at the school. 

If you do not wish for your child’s image to be used in the school social media posts, please contact our Reception and they will give you a new consent form to update. 

A FEW REMINDERS:

• For safety reasons, dogs are not permitted on school grounds. 
• Students shouldn’t arrive at school before 8:15 am (unless they are participating in Camp Australia) as no teacher is officially on duty until then.  A reminder that students should wait in the undercover area if they arrive before the classrooms open and are not permitted in school buildings or play equipment. 
• Please remember that children and adults are not to ride scooters or bikes on the school grounds. Students who need repeated reminders of this school rule may lose their bike privileges. 
• Please help look after our amazing staff. Most of them run on encouragement, kind words, coffee and chocolate! A nice email or comment said or sent to a staff member every now helps them to keep doing the incredible but demanding job they put their hearts into every day.