education week

This week has been education week, which is a quieter celebration at BNW as education and learning is something we celebrate every week. It is interesting, however to engage with the wider community in discussions of education - to hear from others’ perspectives and to share the wonderful work we do. Earlier this week I was talking with a friend about the pursuit of knowledge; he and his colleagues had spent the majority of a day pondering and discussing a question that had been posed by one of them. When this question was shared with me, I instantly unlocked my phone and typed the question into google - finding the answer in under 5 seconds. This to me was a spectacular illustration of two of the best types of learning and this is what we strive for at BNW. My friend and his colleagues were sharing their wonder - one person’s question spread across almost ten adults, who were all surprised that they lacked the knowledge to answer the question. Their pursuit of knowledge was socially constructed and opened up each other's worlds. On the other hand, I pursued the knowledge on my own and with the goal in mind rather than the journey. I wanted to know the answer to the question and had the skills to discern the best and quickest way to find what I wanted. My pursuit of knowledge was driven by my own agency.

It was in talking to someone outside the education industry that I was able to see that at BNW we are striving to support your children to develop skills in both approaches to learning. We collaborate and ask your children to; we support your children to have empathy, develop their communication skills, be inclusive and set their own boundaries. We also guide your children to understand how they learn best; to develop questioning and reflective skills, learn how to set goals for themselves, learn how to follow a line of inquiry and to be critical of the information they are consuming. With these skills, your children will be lifelong learners and that is the best celebration of education that I can think of!

I must admit that it has been a week filled with pride for me. On Wednesday we had our annual Open Day for incoming and prospective families. I feel it’s a great sign that things are going well when you invite visitors into your space and actually don’t do anything different! We don’t need to put on a big show and dance as we are brilliant each and every day. Our learning programs, our grounds, our staff and our incredible students - they sell this place better than any advertising company could ever dream of. I always enjoy meeting new families and thinking about them starting their journey with us, but nothing beats the smiles of awe as grown ups finish tours led by our senior school or the glimmer in visitors’ eyes when they see teachers interacting with students in mutually respectful ways. I share this with you because those smiles should be shared with everyone.

2020 enrolments

At this time of year we are steadily receiving enrolments forms for Foundation 2020. In order to assist with planning for next year, we ask that any younger siblings who are coming to BNW next year have their enrolment forms in ASAP. With recent changes to the Department’s enrolment policy, it is increasingly important to get these forms in early to avoid disappointment or overcrowded classrooms. Please let the office know if you have any questions!

baby news

Our family just keeps growing and I know I am not alone in being quite excited about it! We all want to say a huge congratulations to Tim and Ash Plummer for the arrival of their second baby boy: Theodore James Plummer, born on Monday 20th May. Mum and the family are all doing well - Theodore is a happy and healthy baby and I can already see the makings of Tim’s smile. We will miss Tim while he spends time with his growing family, but are delighted that we can continue to support young families at all stages.

sticks needed

It’s not just through newborn babies that we are growing - with more students in the school we continue to need more resources. Over the past few years you would have noticed more classrooms, more garden beds, more teaching staff and more technologies to support the educational needs of our growing student population. Now we need more sticks! If you have (or see) spare sticks that look like they could be good for cubby building, please bring them into the school yard as we are running low which tends to cause increase cubby-conflict. Please check to ensure the sticks are free from any leaves or other materials and let the office know if you have any questions.

we want your opinion

If you have not yet completed the parents & carers survey on your own experiences in playing/school yards, we would really appreciate five minutes of your time! We are collecting data to help inform our oval equity project and want to hear from all families. You can complete the survey here until next Monday, when it will be closed in order to analyse the data received.

sausages, trivia & THANK YOU

I would like to finish this week’s newsletter by saying a massive thank you to our whole school community. Last weekend was a big one, with the federal election and trivia night, it was a weekend of the BNW community connecting and raising funds for our incredible school. Through delicious democracy sausages, tasty treats and wondrous wigs, our school was able to raise a little under $8,000 and demonstrate a whole lotta school pride! We will share the final profit with families once we have finalised the expenses, but I couldn’t wait to share the great news and thank all those involved.

Thank you to everyone who assisted with: organising, communicating, advertising, shopping, setting up, cooking, serving drinks and pizzas, selling tickets, the photo booth, the fun questions and brilliant hosting, the silent auction, the treats and sausages, the smiles and jokes, the packing up and most of all… thank you for giving back to our school and demonstrating the true sense of community.

school council

important news from our school council and sub committees