Principal's Report

Thank You Again to Buninyong Community Bank

This week we had confirmation that Buninyong Community Bank would again sponsor our Maestro and Me Program and Music on the Mount Event.  On this occasion, they are providing us with $6,000 which is greatly appreciated.  The Maestro and Me sessions started last week and the Music on the Mount event is scheduled for December 5.

Buninyong Community Bank has been a brilliant supporter of the school and in recent years, providing support for the likes of:

  • Renovating the cottage (old police station)
  • Purchasing a shipping container to become our Playpod
  • Constructing the stage outside the music room
  • Energy Break Through
  • Previous Maestro and Me and Music on the Mount events

We are very lucky to have such a community minded organisation operating in our town and thank them again for their support.

Grandparents & Special Friends Day

On Thursday between 9 am - 11 am we have our Grandparents and Special Friends day, which is highlight on the annual calendar.  The students thoroughly enjoy this event and love sharing some things they are doing in the classroom with people that are special to them. 

Thanks in advance to those who are supplying some morning tea and/or helping out with the serving and cleaning up on Thursday.  Undoubtedly the morning tea is something our grandparents look forward to and appreciate.

Report from Last Week’s PLP Meeting

Last Thursday we had our 1st of 2 PLP meetings for the term, and as always, some great discussions were held.

We shared the results from the recent uniform survey.  The response to this survey was strong (136 respondents), which means we have a good sense of what the community is thinking.  An outline of the responses to each of the 3 questions follows:

  • Leggings – The survey results were mixed, with the majority wanting leggings to be an option and not just as an undergarment.  Consideration was given to how we discourage leggings that are tight fitting and sometimes very thin.
  • Coats – The survey showed considerable support for school coats not being compulsory. Lots of discussion was held around whether there ought to be a stipulation of the only options being a school coat or a black coat.   There was clear agreement that we ought to enforce coats not being worn inside and that this should be included in the guidelines.
  • Shoes – The survey results were very one sided in favour of shoes/runners being black.

The Uniform Sub-Committee meets again this week to finalise recommendations for School Council based on the feedback from the survey and discussions with PLPs.  Once School Council has made decisions, these will be communicated and the uniform policy and guidelines will be updated.

We then took a look at the 2019 Parent Opinion Survey results for the Buninyong Campus.  The results are very positive again this year.

I explained the work of a sub-committee of School Council which is undertaking an audit of our facilities at both campuses.  Unfortunately the maintenance needs at our Buninyong campus are high, meaning we are going to need to manage this very carefully over the coming few years.

We were able to provide an update on the development of a School Strategic Plan and Annual Plan, which follows on from our school review earlier in the year.  This led to some good discussion around:

  • A focus on building student voice and agency in their learning.  That is, making sure we are consistently employing strategies that connect students to their learning.  This makes sure students understand where they are at in terms of their learning journey and are part of deciding what comes next and how to get there.  Improvements in this area will lead to more engaged students.
  • Where do opportunities exist for us to strengthen the connection between school and home, particularly in terms of student learning.  

Another PLP meeting will be scheduled for later this term and all parents (not just PLPs) are welcome to attend.