Principal Report

Cross Country 

Congratulations to all of our students for their efforts at Cross Country on Wednesday March 22nd. 

Our Cross Country is always held in conjunction with Belle Vue PS who hold their event in the morning. As neighbourhood schools it is always great to support each other and share resources when we can. 

Thank you to Phil Wickham for all of his fabulous organisation for the Cross Country and his communication about the event. We were all organised and the event ran smoothly. The smiles on the faces of our students, the effort they put in and their ability to keep going and try their hardest was on display for us all to see. 

A special thank you to the staff and parents who went down to help with set up in the morning, we always appreciate our volunteers and the extra effort our staff and parents put in to ensure we can run exciting events like our Cross Country. 

Thanks to those who assisted with the pack up at the end of the day, making sure we could get everything packed and back to school. 

Thank you to our staff for their support of the event, marshalling, supervising, recording and much more. 

Thank you to the parents who volunteered to walk to and from the event with the grades. 

It was great to see lots of our community members cheering on their children, they love to hear the crowd and are encouraged to keep going.

Welcome Back BBQ 

Everyone will have received information about the Welcome Back BBQ on March 31st, which is being held after the Whole School Expo which showcases all our students' work at the end of term.  Classrooms will be open to visitors from 3.00pm until 4.00pm. 

Following the Expo, you are invited to attend the BBQ from 4.00pm to 5.30pm provided by School Council. Please note the BBQ cooking will finish at 5.00pm. Water and cordial will be provided, please bring your own water bottle or portable cup for use. Disposable cups will be available but we would like to limit the use of these.  The Canteen will be open from 4:00pm for the sale of icy poles and drinks.

We look forward to seeing you all there looking at the amazing work your children have done this term and enjoying a sausage! 

When booking a ticket via this link - Welcome Night BBQ  make sure you include each family member attending to assist us with catering numbers. 

RSVP is required by Monday 27th March 

Mother's Day Dinner

Very exciting to see the Mother's Day Dinner invitation go out, we have had a few parents book in but have lots of space. Get together with a group of friends and join in the celebration of Mother's Day. 

Our Mother's Day dinner is being held at Elia Greek Tavern in Heidelberg on Thursday May 4th from 6.30pm - 10.00pm. 

The dinner is $60pp shared menu and includes a glass of wine on arrival.

We ask you to book in by Monday 1st May via Compasstix. 

You can find the information in the COMPASS event feed and you can book through COMPASS or using this link - Mother's Day Dinner 

Bullying 

Following on from my article on what kind of friend we want to be in our last newsletter I have had lots of conversations with our students about the behaviour we expect of them at school. My next set of conversations will focus on bullying and what happens at Boroondara Park PS if someone is bullied. 

Bullying is never okay and can impact someone for a long time. Bullying is more than a fight or disliking someone. It is being mean to someone over and over again. Bullying is ongoing or repeated behaviour, which can be verbal, physical or social (as defined by Kids Helpline).

In 2018 the Education Council of the Council of Australian Governments endorsed the following definition of bullying for use by all Australian schools:

Bullying is an ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social and/or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power, or perceived power, over one or more persons who feel unable to stop it from happening.

Bullying can happen in person or online, via various digital platforms and devices and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert). Bullying behaviour is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time (for example, through sharing of digital records)

Bullying of any form or for any reason can have immediate, medium and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders. Single incidents and conflict or fights between equals, whether in person or online, are not defined as bullying. 

As a staff we are always supporting our students with their behaviour, this will have a strong focus in the coming weeks and throughout Term 2. We will review what is acceptable and what is not acceptable when we interact with others. This will be complimented by our Respectful Relationship curriculum, classroom lessons and on going conversations with me across individual grades and cohorts. These conversations will name bullying behaviour and reflect on our rights and responsibilities as a school. 

We are currently exploring incursions for students and professional learning for staff which will build their understanding of bullying and what it means to be a bystander, how we can take action in situations and what that action can look like. The professional learning will give staff knowledge and confidence to continue to develop student skills in taking bystander action and understanding bullying. 

When a child is bullied we investigate thoroughly, ensuring everyone gets the opportunity to be heard. Parents of students are contacted and involved in conversations around what has happened, including their child's specific behaviour.  

When students behaviour impacts others, if they are mean, hurt others or bully others the following may be applied:

• warning a student that their behaviour is inappropriate
• teacher controlled consequences such as moving a student in a classroom or other reasonable and proportionate responses to misbehaviour 
• withdrawal of privileges
• referral to the Assistant Principal or Principal  
• restorative practices
• detentions - at recess or lunchtime
• behaviour support and intervention meetings
• suspension
• expulsion

Suspension, expulsion and restrictive interventions are measures of last resort and may only be used in situations consistent with Department policy. 

Did you use these questions from the last article to help your children to explore what good friends do and don't do and what they should expect and accept? This might help them to understand when behaviour is not acceptable, when it hurts them and moves into bullying. It may also support them to seek help. 

• What does a good friend do?
• How do you know this is true?
• What doesn't a good friend do?
• How do you know this to be true? 

Sleep Health

The following was shared by the Education Department and I thought worth all of our time. 

While we know sleep is essential for good health, research shows that many children and young people are not getting enough sleep on school nights. This can affect thinking, concentration, memory, reaction times and mood.

Research shows about 12% of primary school-aged children, a quarter of 12- to 15-year-olds and half of 16- to 17-year-olds don’t get enough sleep on school nights. The recommended amount of time to sleep for primary school-aged children is 9 to 11 hours. For teenagers, it’s 8 to 10 hours.

Signs that your child is not getting enough sleep can include:

• low mood and irritability during social interactions
• reluctance or arguing about getting off devices and going to bed
• falling asleep during the day
• difficulties waking up for school and sleeping in late on weekends to catch up
• changes to communicating or interacting at home.

You can help your child to improve their sleep by:

• establishing a regular sleep pattern and consistent bedtime routine
• supporting them to avoid using electronic devices such as smartphones before going to bed and in bed
• encouraging your child to exercise and spend time outside in daylight, steering clear of vigorous activity in the hour before sleep
• encouraging them to wind down and relax before going to bed.

If your child is still having trouble sleeping, has persistent problems with low mood, excessive daytime sleepiness, restlessness in bed, severe snoring or wakening unrefreshed, despite getting adequate length sleep, they should see a doctor. 

For more information on sleep health, you can refer to: 

• Sleep tips for children and Facts about sleep for parents and school staff, from the Sleep Health Foundation 
• Why sleep is so important, from the Kids Helpline’s 
• Sleep explained, from the Better Health Channel.

BPPS Facebook and Instagram 

Don't forget to follow our social media accounts and see what is happening at school each day. Boroondara Park Primary School Facebook

Search @BoroondaraPark on Instagram to follow the school. 

Susanne Lowe

Principal