We have finally reached the end of this extraordinary term - one I am sure that many will be happy to see the back of. In saying that, we have all learnt so much and have come so far in such a short amount of time. We have so much to be grateful for and of course, so much to look forward to.

COVID 19 has forced every career into a change that we never thought possible. Who would have thought that working from home could be so productive and efficient? Every aspect of the changes forced upon us have had so many positives as well as negatives. Education is no different to that of the corporate arena. Some of the current findings has forced all areas to rethink our current practices.

Who would have thought that the simple act of children entering school independently on a daily basis would have shown us the many positives this action brings?

The best change to come out of social distancing and the staggered start to the school day is that children are walking independently to their classrooms, unpacking their bags and getting themselves organised for the day. The corridors and classrooms are quiet, calm and orderly. Most educators thought we would have an increase in separation anxiety, but the reverse has happened. Learning is starting earlier and the children are significantly calmer. It has never been more settled. Feedback from schools state-wide has reinforced this statement.

We are currently canvassing our staff and students in relation to what worked and what didn’t work during our remote learning period.

Did you know that Year 5 & 6 are now doing two full days on OneNote? The use of OneNote is allowing immediate feedback on an individual basis.
Students in the younger classes are continuing to use Wushka. The growth in student reading levels is excellent, especially with students who we know have had support from their parents at home.
Many students have stated that they enjoyed the chance to complete their set tasks without any interruptions from others.
Students also stated they appreciated the option of going back and rechecking the PowerPoint or video produced by their teacher if they needed further clarification of a concept. Many of the presentations developed by our staff during the remote learning time are still being accessed by our students.
Ideas for virtual meetings with parents for Parent-Teacher Interviews and communication in general, offers a range of options for time allocations providing flexibility for all stakeholders.
Staff would prefer to continue to attend night meetings online as this is more efficient, providing them with additional hours as they are not travelling.
There is no question that the aspect of socialisation with friends was missing for everyone during this remote learning period. Many students in Years 5 and 6 did say that they still caught up with their mates when they had finished their schoolwork and it was an incentive to complete their tasks quickly. This was not possible for the younger students due to their age and lack of independence.

Staffing Changes

It is with great sadness that two of our greatly respected and valued staff members have resigned their position at our school. The impact of COVID 19 on my staff has had a far greater impact than members of our school community could ever understand. Recent worldwide events have hopefully invoked a feeling in us all about what really matters in our lives and that is one of health and wellbeing must be a priority at all times.

Shannon Hewlett

Communication and public relations at our school will never be the same. Shannon has been a trailblazer in this area not only at our school but in education in general. You can never replace a person such as Shannon and we will not be able to even try at this time.

Shannon has had a very long association with BNPS and has left her mark with every aspect of her time at our school. She was an extremely positive and active member of our Parents & Friends Association and single-handedly managed our 2012 School Fete.

Shan then shared her professionalism and skills to implement our comprehensive website and the Communications and PR role at our school. Shannon managed the introduction of Compass for all families and supported the staff in their move from paper communication to the electronic platform.

Natalie McMahon and Sid

Nat McMahon has been an extremely influential and innovative member of our wellbeing duo and has ensured that our wellbeing model has paved the way for others to follow. There are many families who have benefited greatly from Nat’s professional knowledge as well as many of our staff.

Sid, one of our Therapy dogs, will be greatly missed by our students and staff.

A special message from Archie to Nat & Sid...

On behalf of our school community I would like to sincerely thank Shannon and Nat for their ongoing commitment to every aspect of life at Beaumaris North Primary School. They have left an immeasurable mark on the direction of our school. The hole that they leave behind will be huge and the positive lasting impression they leave behind is something that everyone fortunate enough to know them, will treasure.

Kelly Bloomfield

Kelly commences her family leave this week. We would like to sincerely thank Kelly for her contribution to our Physical Education team since 2019. On behalf of all members of our school community, we wish Kelly and Nigel good luck as this exciting time of parenthood approaches. Dani Jones will be increasing her time allocation to add to the current PE time allocation.

New Dates for Pupil-free Days

The impact of COVID 19 has meant that we have had to change our previously planned Curriculum Days (originally scheduled for 24 April & 14 August).

The new dates for our 2020 pupil-free days are:

Thursday 30 July
Wednesday 4 November

A Bright and Happy End to the Term!

In case you missed it on Compass, the amazing Rainbow Montage is now complete and I would sincerely like to thank the Junior Council, Wellbeing Captains, Silvi Levine and Angus Ross for their work on this wonderful project.

To top it off, we have our ‘rainbow coloured’ dress up day tomorrow (Friday 26 June), the Year 3 - 6 Rainbow Fun Run (to replace this year's Cross Country) and rainbow Moosies and Paddle Pops will be available for purchase at the Canteen. What a lovely way to end the term!

Term 2 Concludes

Term 2 will conclude at 2.30pm tomorrow (Friday 26 June, 2020). The children will be dismissed in a staggered manner with the dismissal times commencing at 2.10pm. Our final assembly, run by our School Captains, will be in an electronic format which our students will view in their classrooms on their Interactive whiteboards prior to dismissal.

I would like to wish all students, staff, parents and families a safe, restful and relaxing holiday and hope that you have the opportunity for some quality family time together that doesn't involve remote learning!

We are not aware of what will be required of us going forward, and until we hear otherwise, the current protocols will remain in place (please note the slight change to staggered arrival times for Term 3 - see Compass for details). Parent-Teacher interviews will be conducted remotely during Term 3 and details will be posted on Compass once arrangements have been confirmed. Term 3 will commence on Monday 13 July at 9am and I look forward to welcoming everyone back once again to our new kind of normal.

Sherril Duffy

Principal

Mental Health Matters

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