Principal's Message

PWS Awareness Day

Today our school community proudly wore orange to raise awareness for Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS).

Last week, Harvey spoke at assembly and helped us learn more about PWS and what it means for him and his family. It was wonderful to see our students listening so respectfully and showing genuine interest and support.

Our Junior students also put their maths skills to work by preparing and selling cupcakes at lunchtime to help raise awareness. Not only was this a great real-world learning opportunity, but it was also a chance for students to contribute to an important cause.

Thank you to everyone who wore orange, purchased a cupcake and supported the day. The school community raised $105 for the day, which is tremendous for a school of our size. The kindness, understanding and encouragement shown towards Harvey was something our school community can be very proud of.

A message from Harvey:

"I feel excited and proud to see everyone wear orange. And I liked the cupcakes. Thank you to everyone."

Every Day Counts

One of the key findings from our School Review last year was that student absence rates at Bolinda Primary School are higher than we would like them to be. As a school, we are working to reduce the number of days students miss because being at school every day makes a real difference to learning, friendships and wellbeing.

Of course, children get sick. We absolutely encourage families to keep children at home when they are unwell. Looking after health always comes first.

However, when absences start to add up throughout the year, they can have a significant impact.

From the start of the school year until 29 May, our average attendance rate was 87.8%.

While that may sound reasonable, it means the average student has already missed approximately 9 days of school this year.

What our attendance data shows

So far this year:

The average student has already missed approximately 9 days of school.
17 students have already missed 10 or more days of school.
8 students have already missed 15 or more days of school.

Research consistently shows that attendance matters. Students who attend regularly are more likely to:

Achieve stronger academic results.
Develop positive friendships and social skills.
Feel connected to school and their teachers.
Build routines and habits that support future success.

Research also shows that students who miss 10% or more of school are at a significantly greater risk of falling behind academically, regardless of whether those absences are explained or unexplained.

When children miss school, they miss much more than a lesson. They miss important explanations from their teacher, opportunities to practise new skills, classroom discussions, group activities, friendships and the daily routines that help them feel confident and connected.

We know that some absences cannot be avoided. Illness, medical appointments and family circumstances sometimes mean students need to be away from school. Our goal is not to criticise families, but to work together to ensure students are at school whenever possible so they can make the most of every learning opportunity.

Every day really does count, and we thank families for their support in helping our students attend regularly, stay connected and achieve their best.

Curriculum Day Reminder

A friendly reminder to families that Monday 15 June is a Curriculum Day at Bolinda Primary School.

Students are not required to attend school on this day as staff will be focusing on assessment and reporting, ensuring we have a clear understanding of each student's progress and preparing Semester Reports.

We look forward to welcoming students back to school on Tuesday 16 June.

Interschool Netball

Our Senior students represented Bolinda Primary School with pride at Interschool Netball this week, competing against schools including Lancefield, Woodend, Romsey, Tylden and Trentham.

While the results on the scoreboard showed two draws and three losses, the real success of the day was the growth, teamwork and determination shown by every student. For several members of the team, this was their first experience playing netball, and the improvement from the first game to the last was remarkable.

Lucas C wasn't afraid of either the ball or his opponents and worked hard to disrupt the opposition's play. Lucas W buzzed around the court with endless energy and never gave up. Evie used her height and reach to great effect, constantly challenging the opposition and refusing to let the ball get past without a contest. Briar was a calming presence through the middle of the court and remained composed under pressure.

Logan put his basketball skills to good use, taking several important intercepts and helping his teammates when they were under pressure. Lexie's leadership and knowledge of the game proved invaluable as she guided teammates into position and helped organise plays throughout the day. Zoe was relentless in defence, regularly challenging taller opponents and preventing numerous scoring opportunities. Noah brought incredible enthusiasm and energy whenever he stepped onto the court, while Holli played outstanding defence and made every possession difficult for the opposition. Coby consistently found himself in the right place at the right time, providing important options for his teammates across the court.

Most importantly, our students encouraged one another, worked together and represented Bolinda Primary School with great sportsmanship throughout the day. We are incredibly proud of their efforts.

Junior Landcare

Over the past two weeks, our students have been buzzing with excitement as they explored the fascinating world of bees through our Junior Landcare program.

Last week, we were fortunate to welcome Bruce, who shared his knowledge about bees and the vital role they play in our environment. Students learned that bees are some of our most important pollinators, helping many of the plants we rely on for food to grow and reproduce. Bruce also helped students understand the challenges bees face and why protecting them is so important.

This week, Emma from Landcare visited Bolinda Primary School to continue the learning. Students worked together to construct bee hotels, creating safe spaces for native solitary bees to shelter and nest. Along the way, they learned that not all bees live in hives and that many native Australian bee species rely on small natural hollows and protected spaces to survive.

The bee hotels will provide valuable habitat for these important pollinators while also helping students make a real-world connection between learning and caring for the environment.

A huge thank you to Bruce and Emma for sharing their time, knowledge and enthusiasm with our students. Experiences like these help bring learning to life and inspire our students to become active caretakers of the natural world around them.

Latest Additions to the Garden

Our Community Garden has recently received another exciting addition, with several new planter boxes installed on the school grounds.

These planter boxes mark the completion of our Community Garden Grant from Macedon Ranges Shire Council, with the grant now fully utilised. We are incredibly grateful for the support, which has helped transform this space into an even richer learning environment for our students.

The new planter boxes will provide additional opportunities for students to learn about sustainability, food production, plant life cycles and caring for the environment through hands-on experiences. The project also includes new lattice screening, which will help reduce the impact of the westerly winds that occasionally sweep through the garden area, creating a more sheltered and productive growing space.