Principal's Report

World Teacher Day

Today is world teacher day and I would like to take this opportunity to thank our hard working and dedicated teachers for the many hours of work they put in to help our students achieve their best. Our staff are genuinely caring and work together to create a learning community that we can be proud of. 

If you see your child’s teacher after school today don’t forget to say thank you!

Thank you to Harnoor Khera and his family for kindly donating treats for the teachers today!

Chess Competition

Last week a team of five our students competed in the Victorian State Chess Competition. The students each played nine games online, having great fun and learning more about chess. The players on the day were Ethan and Orlando Amsterdam-Bagdas, Amelia Reid, Tanish Shetty, and Zack Wolfe. The team acquitted themselves well and Zack Wolfe was the MVP on the day. Thanks to Mr Cass for helping the students on the day.

New netball nets

A huge thank you from the school community to the Prendergast Family who quietly snuck in to replace the netball nets at school on the weekend for us. Your generosity is much appreciated.

ICAS and AMC Certificates

Mrs Armstrong hosted a morning tea and presentation ceremony today for the students who participated in the ICAS and Australian Maths Competitions last term. We were pleased to have students from grades two to six participating in these competitions. Although the tests were quite difficult our students acquitted themselves well. Congratulations to all of you!

Echidna on site

Last week we were excited to have a small guest in our school grounds. A lonely little echidna had wandered out of the forest and come to play. Sadly, the cockatoos were not as pleased as we were to see him and tried to chase him away. Fortunately, Mrs Dunn came to the rescue and her helper managed to get the echidna back to safety. 

Canteen News

From Wednesday 2nd of November, the canteen will begin taking cash sales at lunch time only. Students must have the correct money to use cash for the first couple of weeks of November; no exceptions can apply. 

Class splitting

I am aware that there is some anxiety in the community about class splitting when teachers are absent. Although this is always our last choice it also a state-wide issue at the moment. There is shortage of teachers in general, and relief teachers particularly. Budgets have also been stretched due to the large amount of illness due to Covid-19 and the isolation periods required. Just this last week we had six staff members out with COVID-19. It is just not possible to get replacements for that many staff members at the moment. Rest assured that our teachers are preparing work and they are in good hands each day. 

Pevan and Sarah

The prep and year one students attended a fantastic Pevan and Sarah concert at the PRCC in the morning. Pevan and Sarah are qualified teachers and experienced musicians who work phonics and learning into their concerts. They are part of our morning routines in the junior classrooms and an important part of our learning.

Dollar Day/Market Day

Monday, 17th of October was a sensational day at Bundoora Primary School. Grades two to six walked to Bundoora Square in groups of 4 to 6 to purchase lunch with the allocated $1 per person. Many interesting conversations ensued as students tried to work out the best value for money. I highly recommend this activity as a family as it develops money sense and knowledge of where household money goes.

In the afternoon all students enjoyed a sausage sizzle and Market Day, with a huge effort put in by the year five/six students and their teachers in developing products. The excitement in the school yard was palpable.

Congratulations to the SEP team and senior teachers for a memorable and enjoyable event.

Carols End of Year Celebration

I am pleased to announce that we will hold our School Community Christmas Carol Celebration on the school oval on the 12th of December at 5:30 pm. Bring along a picnic and celebrate the end to a full school year with us. More information to come.

Grief and Loss

Parenting Support on Topics of Loss and Grief

Sadly, we will all experience loss and grief at some point in our lives.

Support is available to guide parents in helping their child understand loss and grief experiences, and for adults to make sense of their own experiences.

You can find helpful parenting information and resources on loss and grief on the following webpages:

Raising Children Network -The Australian Parenting Website Raising Children Network

Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement ACGB Home (grief.org.au) 

Free telephone counselling support is also available through the following helplines:

Kids Helpline 1800 551 800 

24/7 telephone and online counselling for children, adolescents, and young adults. 

Webchat option also available at www.kidshelp.com.au

Parentline Victoria 13 22 89

A state-wide telephone counselling and support service for all Victorian parents and carers of children from 0-18 years. 

Available 8am to midnight, 7 days a week including public holidays.

Lifeline 13 11 14 

24/7 telephone crisis line. 

Online crisis support webchat www.lifechat.org.au 

Grief line 1300 845 745 (National-Landline only) 

Metro (03) 9935 7400 (National–Metro Melbourne) 

Free, confidential telephone counselling services to anyone in the community 

who may need support to express their feelings and experiences. 

Midday to 3:00pm, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Online 24/7 counselling www.griefline.org.au  

Additional information on this topic can be collected from the office or the attachment below:

Melbourne Cup Public Holiday

Enjoy your public holiday on 1st November. School is open for business as usual on October 31st, and we look forward to seeing your sensational costumes.

Thought for the week

One kind word can change someone’s entire day. When you are kind to others, it not only changes you, it changes the world.