Principal News
Remembrance Day – Lest We Forget
On Remembrance Day, our Bittern Primary School leaders had the honour of representing our school at the Remembrance Day service at the Crib Point Memorial. Alongside members of our local community, they took time to pause, reflect, and pay tribute to the brave men and women who have served and sacrificed for our country.
It was a wonderful opportunity for our student leaders to demonstrate respect, show gratitude and recognise the importance of remembering those who have served to protect our freedoms and way of life.
We are very proud of our leaders for representing Bittern Primary School with such respect and dignity.
Lest We Forget.
Acknowledgment of Country
Last week I was asked to present Bittern Primary School's acknowledgement of Country to the Southern Peninsula Principal Network Meeting.
Our senior leaders and students’ representatives performed both our official acknowledgement of Country and our daily acknowledgement. I videoed these performances for this presentation. It was very special to choose both our new welcome court and the Yarning circle as the location for these presentations. It was lovely to share this important practice with other schools in our network.
World Teachers and ES Day
Thank you to all our families and students who helped to make World Teachers and ES Day so special. The day was great with everyone dressed in bright colours and bringing along certificates of gratitude and appreciation and small gifts for our staff. Thank you for a special morning tea on Tuesday provided by one of our beautiful families and we also enjoyed a scrumptious Mexican lunch provided by Nat and myself. A great day was had by all, and we appreciate the efforts from everyone. Our staff are the best in the world, and it is nice to be able to appreciate them in such a special way on this day.
Every Minute of Learning Counts – The Importance of a Full Day at School
Regular school attendance is essential to ensuring every child has the best possible opportunity to learn, grow and achieve. While we understand that there may be occasions when children need to leave school early, we encourage families to make every effort to ensure students remain at school for the full school day.
Learning at school is carefully planned from the beginning of the day through to the final bell. When children are regularly collected early, they can miss important learning opportunities, including the introduction or consolidation of key concepts, explicit teaching, group activities, specialist sessions, and opportunities to work collaboratively with their peers.
Leaving early can also disrupt a child's learning routine and make it more challenging to maintain continuity and keep up with classroom learning. Just as importantly, the final part of the school day provides valuable opportunities for students to reflect on their learning, complete activities, celebrate achievements and strengthen their connections with classmates and teachers.
We appreciate the support of our families in prioritising full-day attendance wherever possible. Together, we can ensure every student has the time, support, and opportunity they need to thrive at school.
Everyday counts, and every minute of learning matters!
End of year - here we come!
Please keep an eye on Compass for updates via our newsfeeds as well as the awards and celebrations page of this newsletter. We are entering the busiest time of the year with lots of events planned over the next 7 weeks. Please check you Compass app regularly and make note of the dates and times of upcoming events. Thankyou!
SPOTLIGHT on POLICIES
Please see below for the updated
Bullying Prevention and Response Policy. All Bittern school policies are found on our website
Sally Herbert
PRINCIPAL