A Message from 

Hannah

“We would like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people, the first people to dream, create, wonder, dance, play and learn on this breathtaking land. This land was cared for and respected for tens of thousands of years. The First Nations people lived in companionship with the animals and the life on this land. We acknowledge that this is stolen land and we pay our respects to elders, past, present and emerging.” 

Rayma Atkinson (2023 Suzanne Peterson Award Recipient)

Goodbye and Thank You

I’ve been trying not to think too much about the ‘Lasts’ I’m doing but some of them have got me teary! The last BNWPS school camp was underway before I’d even realised it, the last Monday Funday was a real hit and this is my last newsletter!

Thank you to everyone involved in the very special afternoon we shared last Friday. It was an absolutely delightful event that left me feeling full of emotions and very much loved. I think most of us can agree that young children are not the best secret-keepers, so I was completely shocked that so many people had managed to be part of such a big surprise without anyone spilling the beans!

We are all lucky to be part of this community; not everyone gets to benefit from a passionate and connected community like ours. The conversations I’ve had with parents and carers recently have often included appreciation for the sense of belonging that means so much to our students, families and staff! I have had the extra special privilege of keeping my connection to our community for 25 years (or 1370 students, as I found out on Friday) and will always consider this place to be my home and each of you to be part of my family.

Being part of our community is not just something we get to reap rewards from; we also have a responsibility to step up and give back to the community that cares for us so well. Over my time here I have always tried to do what I believe is right for everyone; right for the children, our staff and our whole community. Together we have been through some big events locally and globally, together we have raised some exceptional humans. While you won’t see me around the school as much after this week, I hope the mark I have left on this community is a positive one that you will feel every now and then. I look forward to seeing you at the next market, trivia night or graduation and wish you all the very best for your futures.

Last Day

The last day of school will be Friday 20th December where we will finish at 1:30pm. Please make sure you have made arrangements for your child to either be collected at 1:30pm or have them signed up to OSHC, which will start earlier in the afternoon.

We will hold a brief assembly from 1:10 pm so we can say goodbye to our grade 6 graduates and also to the families who won’t be part of our school next year. 

Graduation

Our grade 6 students had their graduation ceremony last Tuesday, which was a wonderful celebration of our students in all their glamour, glory and giggles! It was lovely to share the evening with students, families and staff and we were so pleased to be able to include two of our students via videolink! We heard touching speeches from each class, the graduates looked very grown up in their outfits and had us all laughing, crying (or both) with their graduation video responses. Thank you to everyone who helped put the event together and made it such a great success.

We would like to congratulate Hazel Ambry-Horsfall who is the recipient of the Suzanne Peterson Award for 2025. This award is given to just one student each year - for consistently demonstrating our school values and we are so proud of Hazel’s efforts each and every day.

Some parents have asked for a copy of Hannah’s graduation speech - if you are interested, you can find it below.

2025 Staffing Updates

We have had some changes to next year’s teaching teams over the past few weeks. We have reshuffled some of our existing teachers and have been able to engage another fantastic teacher to work in the vacancy that we had in our senior school. Our 2025 Senior classes are as follows; 

Both Frank and Jennifer have worked as CRTs at BNWPS in 2024 and they are excited to work a little closer with us during 2025. 

Check out next year’s newsletters to learn about our amazing new staff.