Rolling Facilities Evaluation

Over recent months, Bolinda Primary School has been working through the Department’s Rolling Facilities Evaluation (RFE) process, which assesses the condition of school infrastructure and identifies maintenance and repair priorities across government schools.

We have now finalised this process and are awaiting the next stage, which will determine the level of funding allocated toward identified maintenance and repair works at our school.

While we were naturally disappointed to learn that Bolinda Primary School was not included in the latest round of Upgrade and Modernisation funding announcements, we will continue advocating strongly for our students, staff and wider community. For many years, we have been actively seeking support to improve and modernise ageing facilities across the school.

In recent times, School Council has written to our local Member of Parliament, Mary-Anne Thomas, Minister for Education Ben Carroll, Opposition Leader Jess Wilson and Shadow Minister for Education Brad Rowswell to advocate for improved facilities and long-term investment in our school.

Bolinda Primary School is a wonderful school with a strong community, dedicated staff and fantastic students. However, many of our buildings and learning spaces are ageing and require significant ongoing attention to ensure they meet the expectations and needs of modern education.

If members of our community feel strongly about the future of our school facilities, they are welcome to respectfully share their views and experiences with our local Member of Parliament, Mary-Anne Thomas (mary-anne.thomas@parliament.vic.gov.au), or the Minister for Education, Ben Carroll (ben.carroll@parliament.vic.gov.au).

We greatly appreciate the continued support of our community as we continue advocating for the future of our school.

Whole School Athletics

Our whole school Athletics Day was an absolutely fantastic day and, in the end, definitely worth postponing for. After last Friday’s weather disappointment, we were treated to perfect conditions, and it made for such a great atmosphere across the entire school.

The children were tremendous from start to finish and gave everything a go throughout the whole day. They ran hard, cheered loudly, encouraged one another and pushed themselves right until the end. I think there will be plenty of tired children sleeping very well tonight.

What stood out most to me was the willingness of students to simply have a go. Even if they weren’t feeling confident, they still stepped up and participated. Even if they couldn’t keep up in a race, they kept trying and didn’t give up. That resilience and willingness to put themselves out there is something we should all be really proud of.

My personal highlight was once again the relay events, although that probably won’t surprise anyone who has read my write-ups from previous Athletics Days. There’s just something special about the energy around the relays and seeing everybody involved.

While the ribbons are exciting for students, what really makes the day special at Bolinda Primary School is the way our students support one another. They aren’t just cheering for their friends or one particular group — they cheer for everybody. Seeing students celebrate each other’s efforts and encourage one another all day long is pretty special and says a lot about the culture of our school.

A huge thank you as well to the parents who helped throughout the day. Honestly, the day simply would not have happened without your support, so thank you. Thank you also to the families who came along to watch and support throughout the day. Having parents, grandparents and family members there added to the atmosphere.

ES Week

This week, we’ve been celebrating and acknowledging our wonderful Education Support staff across Bolinda Primary School.

From Katie in the office through to our fantastic ES staff working alongside students in classrooms every day (Sharon, Nicole, Donna & Amy), we are incredibly grateful for all that they do for our school community.

Education Support staff play such an important role in helping our children learn, grow and feel supported throughout the school day. Whether it’s helping students in the classroom, supporting wellbeing, assisting teachers, or welcoming families into the office, their contribution is enormous.

We are very lucky to have such caring, dedicated and hardworking people supporting our students each and every day, and this week has been a great opportunity to thank and recognise them for everything they do.

Produce Swap

Speaking of our Education Support staff, if you were around at afternoon pick up this week, you would have seen the wonderful produce spread the ES team put together for our Produce Swap.

It was fantastic to see such a great turnout from the community, and the variety and colours of the produce on display certainly stood out. I also heard the chillies packed quite a punch!

Thank you to everyone who came along and supported the program. Funds raised go directly back into supporting our school garden and Kitchen Garden program, helping provide more hands-on learning opportunities for our students here at Bolinda Primary School.

2027 Prep Tours

Next week will see me complete my 20th Prep 2027 school tour for the year, which is an incredible milestone to reach so early on. Even more pleasing has been the number of families already making enquiries about Prep 2028 and coming through the school for tours as well.

It’s a really positive sign for our little school community and something we’re very proud of. Every family looking for a school has many options available to them, so the fact that so many are taking the time to visit Bolinda Primary School and learn more about what we offer is very encouraging.

I truly believe that word of mouth plays a huge role in this. Families sharing their positive experiences and speaking highly of our school makes a real difference, so thank you to everyone who continues to support and promote our small school within the wider community.

Please continue spreading the word about Bolinda Primary School. There is something very special happening here, and it’s wonderful to see more and more families discovering it.

Cross Country

Last Tuesday, I had the pleasure of taking Lucas C, Coby and Zoe from Bolinda Primary School to the District Cross Country event at Hanging Rock.

The three students were excellent throughout the entire day and represented our school wonderfully. While we didn’t come away with a top 10 finish, what stood out most was the determination and attitude shown by all three students.

The conditions were tough, with a very wet and challenging track, but they kept pushing through and never gave up. They encouraged one another, supported students from other schools and spent the day chatting and connecting with children from across the district in such a positive way.

School Council

Last week, we held our first School Council meeting for the year and began discussing a number of ideas and initiatives to continue improving different areas of the school.

At the moment, School Council is still very small, and we do still have positions available for anyone who may be interested in becoming involved. Being part of School Council is a great way to have input into the future direction of the school and support the work happening across our community.

Our next meeting will be held on June 18. If you would like to be involved in helping make Bolinda Primary School the best place it can be for our students and families, please let me know. We would love to have a few more people join the team.

PFA

One item we spoke about at School Council last week was the reinvigoration of our Parents and Friends Association (PFA), with the hope of building a team that can meet regularly and work together to support our school community.

There will be a Compass post shared next week with more information, but I’d definitely encourage people to consider putting their hand up and being part of the team.

This isn’t just about fundraising. It’s about helping create opportunities and experiences for our children and families — whether that be organising special days for students, community events, social gatherings, or simply bringing people together and supporting the great things happening around the school.

At a small school like Bolinda Primary School, community involvement makes a real difference, and it would be wonderful to see the PFA become a strong and active part of school life once again.

Bolinda Birthdays