This term has absolutely flown by, and I can’t believe that we now only have two weeks to go until our Easter holidays. They say that time flies when you are having fun, but I think it goes even faster when you are having fun and learning lots of new things each day.

When I reflect on the past seven weeks, I must give credit to our amazing school staff who have done a wonderful job at teaching our students the school routines and setting them up for success this year, all while greeting our students with a big smile each day and a quality learning program. They have earnt their holidays and an extra big thank you for all the work they have done this term.

The final two weeks of Term 1 are going to be very busy. We have special events planned for Harmony Day and Ride 2 School Day, as well as our student leaders attending the Halogen Conference in the city, a group of students competing in the Solar Car Challenge and a PBS Reward Day. We can’t wait for all these exciting activities – please don’t forget to check our Term Planner on the website or our Facebook page to find out about the dates and details.

CHANGE OF DATE – STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY TERM 2

We wish to remind you that we will be changing our School Development Day for Term 2 from Monday 15th April (Week 1 Term 2) to Friday 26th April (Week 2 Week 2 Term 2).

The change of date allows us to move the School Development Day to follow ANZAC Day. This would mean that students would have Thursday 25th April (Public Holiday) and Friday 26th April (School Development Day) away from school.

We believe this will be a less disruptive start to the school term and our learning program. Our School Board has voted to approve this change.

Public Primary Schools have 6 School Development Days in 2024.

There are 3 mandated dates:

• Monday 29 January 2024

• Tuesday 30 January 2024

• Friday 13 December 2024

There are 3 flexible days. The school schedules these flexible School Development Days in consultation with the school board.

NATIONAL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM LITERACY AND NUMERACY (NAPLAN)

This week our students in Year 3 and Year 5 have participated in the National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). I am proud of the way they have tackled this challenge and congratulate them all on trying their very best. I would also like to say thank you to Mr Bradshaw, Mrs Whitwell and the teachers in Year 3 and Year 5 for their work in preparing the students and supporting them with this assessment.

Sometimes students and parents/carers can worry about NAPLAN. It is important to remind our community that NAPLAN is just one of many assessments we do at BPS to get a picture of how a student is going and how we can support them. The assessment data is most reliable when looking beyond individual student scores to patterns across several years, across the year group (i.e., Year 3 cohort), across the school (progress between Year 3 and Year 5), and across networks and states.

NAPLAN is not linked directly to school grades or selection processes for public school specialists or academic extension high school placements. We do not recommend that students use products or preparation test booklets or receive coaching specifically for NAPLAN.

SCHOOL BOARD – WHAT DOES GOVERNANCE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS LOOK LIKE?

On 7 March, Ms Rasha Abdelmonem and I attended School Board Training with several other schools in the network. It was a great night, and we really enjoyed the opportunity to meet members of the Rostrata, Willeton, Lynwood, Bannister Creek and West Leeming School Boards. We had the opportunity to test our knowledge of legislation that governs our responsibilities as a School Board and then listen to a presentation on how effective School Boards operate.

A Public School Board plays an important role in contributing to good school governance so that school resources are used efficiently, and community expectations and the school’s priorities reflect the needs of students. The functions of councils and boards are covered by legislation and include both approval and advisory roles. Some of the matters boards may make decisions on include fees and charges, book lists, sponsorship, and dress codes. Public School Boards are very different to a private school board, or a company or a charity board.

For more information on public school boards, please see https://www.education.wa.edu.au/school-councils-boards

PUBLIC SCHOOL REVIEW

Our Public School Review work was submitted on the 5 March, and the review team visited the school to interview staff on the 12 March. I would like to thank Mrs Kelly Lindley and Mr Phil Bradshaw, our Deputy Principals for their incredible and meticulous work overseeing our submission.

I would also like to thank all of our amazing school staff who have worked very hard over the past 12 months to be part of or lead teams to implement the Public School Review 2023 recommendations.

The reviewers were very impressed with the conversations the staff were having and their continued focus on constantly reflecting and improving. They are confident that we have a strong vision to move forward and we look forward to welcoming them back in a couple of years to celebrate even more of our achievements.

SWIMMING CARNIVAL

We held our Swimming Carnival on Tuesday 5th May. We had 104 students qualify for the carnival which was the highest number we have had in recent years. The students did an amazing job competing in the races and cheering on their friends. I would like to thank Mr Vinci for all his organisation to ensure the event ran smoothly. I would also like to acknowledge the many parents and carers who volunteered at the event and came to cheer on our students.

RUNNING CLUB STARTING SOON

At the end of Term 3 2023, we surveyed the students and school community about our Physical Education and Sports Programs at Burrendah Primary School. The survey showed that we have a group of passionate people who wished to give their input about sport and provide the school with recommendations to improve the health and fitness of our students.

In response to this survey, we are excited to announce that we will be starting a Running Club in Term 2. Keep an eye out for more information that will be shared before the end of Term 1.

EXCITING NEWS - 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

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