From the Principal Team
Celebrating Book Week and Our Writers Festival
What a wonderful Book Week celebration we had!
Our Book Week dress-up day was a highlight, with students embracing their favourite characters and bringing much-loved stories to life. From classic characters to imaginative and creative costumes, there was an incredible variety on display. The effort, enthusiasm and creativity shown by our students made the day truly special.
It was wonderful to see so many families joining us at our annual parade to support our students as they proudly showcased their costumes.
The following afternoon, we were delighted to welcome so many parents, carers and extended family members to our Writers Festival. Thank you for taking the time to come along and celebrate your child's learning, creativity and the writing process they have worked through. It was a wonderful opportunity for students to share not only their finished pieces, but also the journey they took as writers.
Our students proudly presented a wonderful range of genres and explored a variety of presentation styles, showcasing their individual voices, ideas and creativity. It was fantastic to see the pride and confidence with which they shared their writing and celebrated their achievements.
It was particularly lovely to see families taking the opportunity to explore other classrooms and year levels, discovering the many different writing experiences and learning taking place across our school. This created a wonderful sense of connection and allowed our community to celebrate the rich learning happening throughout the school.
A huge thank you to all our families for supporting both Book Week and the Writers Festival. Your wonderful turnout, encouragement and enthusiasm are greatly appreciated. These events are a wonderful reminder of the importance of celebrating learning together and the strength of our school community.
Please see the School Insights page for photos of these events.
SunSmart Time
As we roll into Spring, it is time to find our hats, dust them off and begin wearing them again. As of next week, students who do not have their hat and cannot access one of the spare hats in classrooms, will need to find shade in the shelter shed at break times. The school broad brim hats are available via PSW, our contracted uniform supplier.
2027 Student Start Date
At last night’s meeting, School Council endorsed the first two days of the 2027 school year as Curriculum and Professional Practice Days.
These days will provide an important opportunity for our staff to undertake professional learning, planning and organisation at the beginning of the school year, ensuring we are well prepared to support our students and make a strong start to the year ahead.
The additional professional learning time will also be particularly valuable as we prepare for the implementation of our new phonics and spelling program. This will allow staff to build their knowledge, plan effectively and ensure a consistent approach across the school.
As a result, Years 1–6 students will commence school on Friday 29 January 2027. Prep students will then commence through a staggered start from Monday 1 February 2027, as part of our transition program.
Over the coming months, we will share further information with our school community about our new phonics and spelling approaches, including what this will look like in classrooms and how families can support their children’s learning at home.
Administration Appointment
We are delighted to congratulate Nahla on being the successful applicant for our ongoing Administration position.
Since joining our team, Nahla has been a wonderful addition to our school community. Her friendly and welcoming nature, along with the genuine care she shows towards our students and families, has already made a positive impact.
We are thrilled that Nahla will continue to be an important part of our school administration team.
Wear It Purple Day
Today is Wear It Purple Day, an important annual event in the Bell calendar where we recognise and celebrate LGBTQIA+ young people and promote inclusion, acceptance and belonging.
As a school community, we will be recognising Wear It Purple Day on Monday. We invite students to wear a splash of purple to school as a simple way of showing their support for LGBTQIA+ young people and celebrating diversity.
We have chosen to recognise the day on Monday to help avoid adding to the number of events and activities families are managing within the one week.
For anyone who doesn’t have anything purple at home, our JSC students will be at the gates in the morning, handing out a free wristband and sticker to each student.
There’s no pressure to dress completely in purple - even a little splash of purple is a lovely way to show support and help us create a welcoming, inclusive school community where everyone feels they belong.
A special thank you to Lisa Yates and our JSC students for helping to organise and support this important day, and for their ongoing work in recognising and celebrating days that foster a school community where everyone feels safe, valued, respected and included.
Emma Heywood
Principal