Colour Run - date change

We have had to change the date of our Colour Run to Friday December 5th due to a clash with a Year 5/6 District sporting event. Please make adjustments to your family calendar.

Be sure to also have November 3rd in your calendar as this is a pupil free day.

When we remember - a poem by July

We were excited to learn July had been awarded runner up in the Primary School category of the Kew War Memorial competition.

The Kew War Memorial, which was listed on the Victorian Heritage Register in 2004, features inscriptions honouring both the returned and the fallen – listing the names of 163 soldiers who gave their lives and the names of the 753 Kew soldiers who served. Thousands attended the unveiling of the Memorial in 1925.

July and her family noticed the COMPASS message and decided to enter the competition. Once they had the topic of ANZAC and the war she started a plan. Each week July writes a journal talking about special events in the week. She likes writing and we are so proud of her work for this competition.

July attended a ceremony at the memorial with her family and teacher on Saturday 30th August. We have included her poem below.

Congratulations July!

Interschool student leadership conference

On Friday September 5th we had a small group of students attend the Interschool Student Leadership conference at Balwyn High School.

The event was designed to:

Build the capacity and confidence of young leaders
Encourage interschool connection
Develop transferable skills in preparation for high school

The students were involved in:

an ice breaker to introduce each other and their leadership roles in the primary school
making warm and fuzzies for each other to take home (they report this was one of their favourite parts of the day)
throughout the day there were posters where students could answer questions about leadership
workshops introducing problems in leadership that they could solve, solutions for problems
Towerball game

The day was run by the Vice Captains Christina and Marianna (Year 12 students). The School Captains, SRC and Year 7 captains were involved in the day.

Theia, Poppy, Colin and Daniel were engaged, thoughtful and participated in all the activities with relish. They demonstrated extremely well-developed leadership skills, which were on display through their collaboration, communication and encouragement.

Our teacher Jen Coombs had time to speak with other 5/6 teachers in our local community and she took time to explain the leadership pillars in Grade 6 and Keen Green Team (KGT) in Grade 5. She noted they were very impressed, and more than one school will be implementing elements of our leadership program with their own students.

New Garden boxes

We are excited to have new garden boxes outside the Stadium. These will be used by our Keen Green Team next term.

You may have noticed Tess the gardener working in the yard on a Thursday - she is enthusiastic to support the school with regeneration of many areas of the school gardens. She has started with the garden at the front entrance to the school.

Expos

This term our Expos are happening on Friday September 12th - we hope all parents are able to attend.

Our Quiet expos commence at 2.30pm, whilst there is a change with our Year 5/6 team this term we know the importance of the Quiet expo for a number of families. Please reach out at all times to discuss your needs with your child's classroom teacher. Our aim is always to support the involvement of all parents.

Reconciliation Action Plan

Our school is expected to have a Reconciliation Action Plan in place by the end of 2025. At Boroondara Park PS we are working as a small team - Claire Ballot our Marrung Lead, parents Jemma and Jacinda and myself. As the plan is developed, we will provide details to the community.

This work includes putting together the Action plan which consists of 14 actions under the categories - relationships, respect and opportunities. In each category there are actions for in the classroom, around the school and with the community.

The Pupil Free Day on Monday November 3rd will involve staff in Community Understanding and Safety Training (CUST) which empowers school staff to foster culturally inclusive environments that enhance Koorie students' wellbeing.

There are many resources we can use to build our knowledge of indigenous culture. Museum Victoria provides some great information about seasonal calendars.

The Greenlink Eastern Kulin Seasonal Calendar is based on the seven Wurundjeri seasons, which are:

Biderap (Dry Season, Jan-Feb)

Iuk (Eel Season, March)

Waring (Wombat Season, April-July)

Guling (Orchid Season, August)

Poorneet (Tadpole Season, Sept-Oct)

Buarth Gurru (Grass Flowering Season, Nov) Garrawang (Kangaroo-Apple Season, Dec)

These are named after seasonal indicators like weather patterns and animal or plant activity, providing a deeper understanding of the land and its resources.

Student Scholarships

The Department of Education administers a range of scholarships on behalf of various trusts. The scholarships are available to students currently enrolled in Grade 4 to Year 11, and students enrolled in Year 12 in 2025 who plan to begin tertiary studies in 2026.

The details of scholarships are provided for your information.

Parent Survey - reminder

A reminder about the Parent/Carer/Guardian survey. Thank you to the families who have already completed the survey. It remains open until Friday 19 September 2025.

The survey is conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones.

The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese. Resources are also available in additional languages to assist parents / caregivers / guardians who speak a language other than English at home. Please reach out to the school directly for survey guides in your language.

Smile Squad - free dental - reminder

The Smile Squad team from health Ability are coming to our school soon from October 6th.

Smile Squad is the Victorian Government free school dental program. This means all students can get a free dental check-up, preventive services, and treatment at school.

How to access free dental care

We need your consent before we can provide services. Consent is usually provided by a parent or guardian.

Sign up to Smile Squad at: https://bit.ly/smilesquadvic

OR use the below QR code:

Paper copies of the consent form are available at the office. The electronic consent form can be translated into more than 100 languages, and the paper form is currently available in 13 languages.

Interpreter service for calling the school

This week we sent out information relating to an interpreter service you can use when calling the school. There is a simple step by step process to make a call to the school using a telephone interpreter.

Volunteer induction and registration

Thank you to those parents who have completed the induction and registration so they can volunteer at BPPS in 2025.

A reminder - All volunteers must undertake the induction and register to be involved in school activities.

Volunteer induction and registration

BPPS Facebook and Instagram

Don't forget to follow our social media accounts and see what is happening at school each day. Boroondara Park Primary School Facebook

Search @BoroondaraPark on Instagram to follow the school.

70th Year Celebration

70th Year Celebration on Sunday November 16th.