BBPSLife

In Visual Arts this week ... 

We are very proud Grade 1s who created art using various things from nature this week. We looked at the works of Scottish artist Andy Goldsworthy as inspiration and the kids had a lot of fun. 

STEM DAY

P-6 have loved STEM day this week, a chance for our students to engage in a range of workshop rotations across their year level, all focussed on Science, Technology, Engineering, (Art), and Mathematics.

From helping Jack and the Beanstalk escape down the stalk using engineering and design principles, to being scientists and observing exploding mentos to observe how materials change in the Junior School to building bridges and coding in the senior years, our Term 1 annual day event is a fantastic way to launch our STEM program for 2026. We build student capability in these areas in a range of ways at BBPS, including Enrichment@BBPS weekly sessions for Gr 3-6; through integrated inquiry units in the curriculum area of Science, culminating in a whole school focus in STEM for term 4. 

Grade ¾ will embark on a 6 part workshop series with Inspire Robotics next term – Game and Console Engineering. Grade 1/2 engage in an external STEM program in Term 3. 

Scientists in Grade 1/2 hypothesising and testing chemical reactions - how do we create a volcano with coca cola and mentos?

Grade 1s and 2s creating balloon powered lego cars with Miss M, and designing and building paddlepop bridges with Miss B - all these activities provide students with the opportunity to explore engineering principles through design and make challenges that require testing and problem solving.

Grade 5/6 engineers building bridges below - Which team's could hold the most weight? What structural decisions helped to strengthen each design?

Students in the Hub explored the aerodynamics of paper planes; Chemical reactions to write secret messages; Sustainable garden practices such as thinning and composting; and coding BBots to overcome obstacle course challenges. 

Around the school

Prep

Well done to our Preppies, completing their first term ever at school! Our Prep students ended their term with some important adding of Easter Eggs discovered in a playground egg hunt, and a showcase of Easter Hats at our Easter Raffle - thanks to all families for your efforts to have these ready!

Our buddies love the chance to connect - Here are some reflections from Charlotte and Charlotte in Grade 5:

This term we did buddies with all the preps, we’ve played games, learnt about our favourite things and had to draw each other. We even made Easter cards for each other.

This term we got to switch buddies to build positive relationships, next term we’ll be paired up.

At first the Preps were shy, but once we asked questions and got to know them they became chatty and more confident.

Grade 1

Well done to our Grade 1 and 2 students, who this term gave their speaking and listening presentations linked to their inquiry into community. Grade 1s presented their All About Me Bags to share their loves and interests and Grade 2 gave fantastic presentations based on their family trees. Developing performance confidence and oral language are crucial components of our junior Literacy program. 

Grade 2

Our Grade 2 SRC reps shared their term highlights in Grade 2:

Louis – Spelling has been good, everyone has been joining in saying the codes and we have learnt some trickier ones. 

Harriet - We have loved writing our stories – we wrote about when there was a big storm of thunder and lightning and we also wrote our own 'Are you My Mother stories, changing the characters to our own.

Sam - They are very nice and caring, they let us have sneaky plays .

Liv – Our teachers are really fun, we have learnt a lot of things. We get to play maths fluency games in the afternoon, which is really fun. 

Grades 3 and 4

Grade 3 enjoyed their first excursion to the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show. 

The Grade 3 SRC reps provided the following report:

Michi's highlight was getting to be with my friends and exploring new places, different from school.

Bea - we saw lots of flowers and creative designs – I really liked the sunflower zebra.

Maxine – We got to see Harvey’s dad’s food truck Sliders on Tyres and we got a treat!

Jonathan – We saw lots of different scarecrows, there were so many. 

Grades 5 and 6

Well done to our Grade 5 students - who were outstanding on school camp to Phillip Island last week. 

Our Grade 5 SRC provided the following report: 

TC, Lyric, Amelia

It was really rainy, but it meant we got to do different activities that normally don’t happen. We saw so many animals, including a queen ant, wallaby, an owl, penguins, and spiders, and don't forget a wild paper plate (don’t let it bite).

Our favourite activities were rock climbing and definitely surfing – some of us even managed to stand up!

We had to work with people we don’t usually work with, and it was nice that we all got along. It was nice to have time with our friends and hang in our tent. 

Even though we already knew each other, going away on camp helped us to feel more like a team. 

Well done to some of our Grade 6 lead learners, who have been facilitating maths daily reviews for their class.

The daily review is a 10 minute component of both our Literacy and Maths programs across P-6, where students revisit what they learned in previous lessons - yesterday, a month ago, last term. It helps reinforce key concepts, strengthens memory, and allows students to connect new information with what they already know. This practice is important because it improves understanding, builds confidence, and supports long-term learning success based on the principles of cognitive science. 

St Kilda Football Club Visit

With a visit from members of the men's team, with captain Callum Wilkie no less, students revelled in the opportunity to ask the players questions - with a strong interest in who was their hardest opponent (Collingwood - Mrs May loved that!); best player; pre game rituals and healthy eating habits. Thanks to the players for spending quality time with our students!