Principal's Report

BOOK FUN DAY

What a fantastic Book Fun Day we had! The school was filled with colour, excitement and creativity as students and staff came dressed in a wonderful array of costumes, bringing their favourite book characters to life. From superheroes and classic storybook figures to modern favourites, the variety and effort on display was outstanding.

It was a joyful celebration of reading, imagination and community spirit — and a reminder of just how much fun books can be. Thank you to all the families who supported the day by helping with costumes, encouraging a love of reading at home and enjoyed the special assembly.

REGIONAL DIRECTOR VISIT

Last week, I was very proud to showcase Blackburn Primary School to several senior Department of Education leaders, including Karen Money (Regional Director), Erika Bienert (Area Executive Director), Richard Lambert (Senior Education Improvement Leader), and Jeremy Beard (Executive Director, School Performance).

Their visit was a recognition of the amazing work our teachers and students are doing and the outstanding student achievement we continue to see at BPS. It was a privilege to highlight the dedication, professionalism and excellence that define our school community.

This recognition was also shared at the Inner East Principals Forum, further acknowledging Blackburn Primary School as a leader in education across our area.

STAFFING NEWS

As we farewell Sue Battista this Friday 29th August after 25 years at Blackburn Primary School, we are pleased to announce that Dylan Ramos has been appointed to take on the 5B class. Dylan is already well known to many of our students as one of our regular CRTs and brings a wide range of teaching experience. 

We are also excited to congratulate Dani Fountain and Zoe Bartus, who have recently shared with their classes that they are both expecting their first child. Dani and Zoe will finish up towards the end of the year, and I will confirm these details directly with their classes as the term progresses.

We know our community will join us in farewelling Sue, welcoming Dylan, and celebrating this wonderful news with Dani and Zoe.

FAREWELL REIHA

Last week we farewelled Reiha from our school office as she embarks on a new opportunity at Rowville Primary. During her time at Blackburn Primary, Reiha was the friendly first point of contact for families, the steady hand behind our day-to-day operations, and the quiet achiever who kept the wheels turning—often before anyone noticed they’d stopped.

We thank Reiha for her service, professionalism, and care for our students, staff, and community. I will confirm her replacement in the coming weeks as we finalise the process.

STUDENT SAFETY

As Spring approaches and more children are walking and riding to school it is important to remind your children about Stranger Danger and general safety as they travel to and from school.

Please speak with your children about actions to take should they experience such incidents. At school, as part of the Wellbeing Programs, teachers discuss various situations with students and how to keep themselves safe from harm. Some tips for parents are, make sure children walk in groups, stay on the main walking paths, walk home at the same time as other school families, discuss where other families live on the walk home if they ever needed, come to school at around the same time as others and utilise TheirCare if an early start or late finish is required. 

The Department of Education has an Emergency Management system where alerts are recorded and shared with neighbouring schools so that all local communities are aware. Local police are also extra vigilant when a report is made. We must work together as a community to keep each other safe especially in and around our school environment.

Safety for kids and Health Direct are great resources for proactive ways to discuss safety when out and about.

PARENT OPINION SURVEY

Thank you to those families who have already logged in and completed the Survey. If you received an email last week with the unique login password, please take the time to complete the short survey by the end of next week.