From the Principal Team
Review of Our Language Program
This semester, our school will begin a review of our language program to ensure it continues to meet the evolving needs of our students, reflects the priorities of our school community, and aligns with our strategic direction.
The review will be led by a working party in partnership with the Education Subcommittee of School Council. It will consider a range of factors, including community feedback, student engagement, curriculum requirements, and the long-term sustainability of the program.
Parents and carers with an interest in languages education are invited to express their interest in joining the Languages Education Working Party by contacting me directly or through the school office. Working Party members will support the review process by gathering community feedback, considering relevant evidence, and providing feedback and recommendations to School Council.
Any changes resulting from the review are not expected to be implemented before 2028. This timeline allows for a thorough and considered process, including meaningful consultation with students, staff and families. Taking the time to gather a range of perspectives will help ensure any future decisions are well informed and reflect the needs of our school.
The wider school community will be kept informed throughout the review, with updates provided as the process progresses.
Business Manager Position
Congratulations to Jessie on her appointment to the substantive Business Manager role. After stepping into the Acting Business Manager position at the beginning of the year, Jessie has demonstrated outstanding leadership, professionalism and dedication in supporting the day-to-day operations of our school.
Talking the Talk-Healthy Sexuality Education
Families will have received information about our upcoming school-wide focus on sexuality, consent and respectful relationships. Students will participate in age-appropriate lessons from the Talking the Talk – Healthy Sexuality Education program, and to support families, the school has engaged Talking the Talk founder, Vanessa Hamilton, to present an online parent information session.
For further information, including details about the parent information session, please refer to the Wellbeing News section of this newsletter.
After-School Building Access
To enhance the security of our school, all external doors to the main building will be locked from 3:45 pm each school day. Parents and carers who need to access the main building after this time can do so via the Administration entrance at the front of the school, where staff will be available to assist.
Emma Heywood
Principal
Parent-Teacher Conferences – Thursday 6 August
As many of you already know, our Parent-Teacher Conferences were originally scheduled for Thursday 23 July. Due to the industrial action (stop work) that took place on that day, the conferences have been rescheduled to Thursday 6 August.
Providing a two-week postponement was important in recognising that some families have limited flexibility with their work commitments, while also allowing staff, who will be working outside of their regular hours, sufficient time to make the necessary
arrangements. I also acknowledge that, despite this additional notice, the new date may have created clashes with existing commitments for some families. I sincerely appreciate your understanding and flexibility.
At Bell Primary School, our staff genuinely value the opportunity to meet with families to discuss student learning and to continue building the strong partnerships that are such an important part of our school community.
If you had already booked a conference, your original time slot has remained the same—only the date has changed to Thursday 6 August. Please note that the booking date displayed in Compass will still show the original date; however, your booking remains valid for the new date and time. Unfortunately, this is a limitation of the Compass booking system, but we felt it was important to honour the appointment times that families had already selected.
Parent-Teacher Conferences provide an important opportunity for families and teachers to strengthen their partnership. While your child's Semester 1 report is a valuable reference point and should ideally be read before the conference, it is only one part of the conversation. The meeting is an opportunity to celebrate your child's progress, discuss their strengths, unpack their current learning goals and next steps, and explore the strategies being used at school to support their continued growth. We also encourage parents and carers to share insights from home, as these conversations help us develop a more complete understanding of each child and strengthen the support we provide.
Each conference is scheduled for 10 minutes. To ensure all families receive their allocated time, we kindly ask that you arrive a few minutes early and assist us in keeping to the schedule by concluding your meeting within the allocated timeframe.
If you have not yet booked a conference, please contact your child's teacher directly as soon as possible. They will endeavour to find an appointment from the remaining available time slots.
Please note the conference locations should be pretty familiar:
Classroom Teacher Conferences will be held in your child's classroom.
Specialist Teachers Conferences will be held in the central area of the Learning Centre.
We look forward to welcoming you into the school and having an open discussion about the learning that has happened over the past semester and sharing plans for semester 2.
Paul Nicholson
Assistant Principal