“We would like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people, the first people to dream, create, wonder, dance, play and learn on this breathtaking land. This land was cared for and respected for tens of thousands of years. The First Nations people lived in companionship with the animals and the life on this land. We acknowledge that this is stolen land and we pay our respects to elders, past, present and emerging.”

Rayma Atkinson (2023 Suzanne Peterson Award Recipient)

Welcome

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome each and every one of you to 2025. We, along with the other members of our leadership team (Lilly Van Dyk and Alice Hamilton) are excited to be guiding the school through what will no doubt be a year of evolution. We would particularly like to extend a warm welcome to all of the members of our 2025 Foundation community. We are overjoyed that you have chosen to start your educational journey with us, and we cannot wait to see what the future brings for these delighted and delightful students.

As a leadership team, we may all be acting in our positions, but that does not mean that we will be simply ‘holding the reins’ or engaging with teaching, learning and community in a half hearted manner. Each member of the leadership team not only has strong beliefs in the power and importance of the education that BNWPS has historically, and will continue to provide, we each whole heartedly believe in and stand behind all of the children who make up our community.

Please say ‘HI’ if you see us around, and remember that our doors are always open if you have any questions, queries or would like a chat. Emma and Keir can be found in the principal's office beside the Culloden St entrance, and Lilly and Alice can be found at the top of the stairs at the Sprout end of the building in what was the sensory room but will now be called the Leading Teacher’s Office.

As we communicated with your 2025 class lists, each of us have particular responsibilities as leaders of separate areas of the school. If you have any questions or require any support in any of these areas, please do not hesitate to contact us;

Alice Hamilton (Mon & Tues) - Maths/Numeracy

Junior School Community Co-Leader

Lilly Van Dyk (Tues, Thurs, Fri)- Disability Inclusion

Junior School Community Co-Leader

Emma Mallia (Mon - Fri) - Acting Assistant Principal

Literacy/English

Foundation Community Leader

Middle School Community Leader

Keir Jasper (Mon-Fri) - Acting Principal

Guided Playful Inquiry

Senior School Community Leader.

Term One School Calendar

A hard copy of our Term One 2025 school calendar was sent home to families late last week. If you did not receive a calendar, please check the bottom of your child’s bag or pop into the office for a new copy. Term one is jam-packed with lots of exciting moments and events, so we recommend you keep the calendar somewhere visible so that your family can be ready to engage in each and every one of them.

Just a reminder that on the back of the calendar is a brief description of some of the big events that will be happening. This information also includes key contacts for each event in the instance that you might have a question or a wondering, or you might like to offer your support. Other important information on the back of the calendar is the upcoming key dates and events for next term. It can be so easy to pin the calendar up at home, and then forget that this important information is right there on the back.

Our first whole school event for the year will be taking place on Friday 14th February. First we have an Open Afternoon, where classrooms will be open for parents and carers to visit from 2.45 until 3.30. This will be followed by our Wominjeka picnic where we get together as a community to welcome the new year and each other. We would love to see you there.

Being Sun Smart

Victorian primary Schools are required to encourage, teach, support and implement ‘Sun Smart’ behaviours and practices. Part of this practice means that every student should be wearing a sun smart hat when they are outside - this includes recess, lunch and any classes that are held outside (eg - PE or Science/Garden)

Today was our first day enforcing SunSmart rules at school - we had quite a few students who had forgotten their SunSmart hats and were therefore asked to play in the shaded undercover area.

Sun Smart hats are any hats that have a full brim all of the way around, or a legionnaires hat that has a peak at the front and a loose flap at the back that protects the ears and the back of the neck.

Hats are available to purchase from the office for $15.

Tips for surviving SunSmart Season:

Please write your child’s name on their hat so it can be returned if lost. Avoid naming the label/tag as they can fall off.
Decorate your school hat. Our school hats are well priced, safe and convenient! But also common - if your child wears a school hat, we recommend to decorate it so it’s easily identified even when someone is wearing it.
If you buy a hat from somewhere else, we strongly recommend you look for hats with quick release attachments on the chin strap. Playing tag or on monkey bars can become dangerous if a chin strap gets caught; quick release attachments significantly reduce the chance of choking or neck injuries.

Assemblies

This year, we will not be holding any Monday morning assembly. Our Friday afternoon assembly extravaganza will take place every Friday afternoon at around 3pm. The assembly will take place on the basketball court, or in the undercover area (depending on the weather). These assemblies will continue to be where students celebrate their learning, we sing the school song, and we continue to give out Shining Star awards. We look forward to seeing you all at assemblies on Friday afternoons.

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