Principal Report

Welcome to the new school year 

Welcome back to school! 

We are excited to be back in our learning spaces and working through our Start up program. Getting to know each other, setting up our classroom environment and expectations are key to starting each school year. 

As we move around the school we are experiencing settled classrooms and focused learners. 

It has been wonderful to welcome new students across the school including International students who have joined our community. 

A new school year is an opportunity for your child to make new friends, to have a fresh start, to get to know new staff and students. It is also an opportunity for you as parents to get to know new members of the community and make connections with families you may not have met before. The Foundation to 2 Parent and Carer morning tea and the Welcome back BBQ are great occasions for our parents to make connections in Term 1. 

Timetables 

In 2024 we are operating with one hour blocks of learning and this has enabled us to timetable specialist lessons and non face to face time for all of our teachers. As a consquence we have altered break times (which you will have read about in the newsletter in 2023). 

• Recess is 11am - 11.30am
• Lunch eating time is 1.30 - 1.40pm 
• Lunch outside is 1.40 - 2.30pm 

We encourage families to send their children to school with fruit/veggie snack, a larger snack and lunch - your child can chose when they eat their lunch - some may be hungry at 11am, others may choose to have a large snack at recess. 

Providing an extra fruit snack or veggie snack might be all your child needs to get them through to 1.30pm for lunch. 

As always students are encouraged to bring their drink bottles to school, these are always available in the classroom for them to use throughout the day. 

Open Classrooms and Welcome Back BBQ 

Everyone is invited to the Open Classrooms event on Thursday February 22nd from 3.45pm to 5.45pm. 

We are excited to invite all parents and carers into the classrooms to meet the class teachers for 2024. We welcome you to come in and say hello, have your child give you a tour of their new classroom and learn about the programs your child will participate in this year. 

Exploring the classroom environment can assist you to engage with school and support your child’s learning throughout the year. This is also a chance to ask any questions about the teaching and learning at Boroondara Park PS or what’s happening throughout the school year. Take the time to explore the classroom rules and behaviour expectations - together we support your child to be their best learner and person. 

An information sheet will be sent home prior to the Open Classrooms event filled with all sorts of information about your child’s learning. 

Parents and students are free to come and go throughout the two hours, meet up with other parents and then enjoy the Welcome Back BBQ outside the Hall. 

The Boroondara Park PS School Council invites all families to stay on after the Open Classrooms to attend the Whole School BBQ from 4.30pm to 6.30pm. This event will be run by School Council members. Please note the BBQ cooking will finish at 6.00pm. Water and cordial will be provided and please bring your own water bottle or portable cup for use. Disposable cups will be available but we would like to limit the use of these. We look forward to seeing you all in the classrooms followed by a sausage sizzle catch up in the playground! 

There will be a Keen Green Team stand so you can find out about KGT, our sustainability efforts and how you can get involved. 

There will be a Road Safety Information booth to support our safe travel to school project which is being undertaken jointly with the City of Boroondara in 2024. Booth open from 4.30-5.15pm. 

Please ensure you book via this CompassTix link for BBQ catering numbers. 

RSVP is required for catering purposes by Monday 19th February 2024 

Foundation to Year 2 parent and carer Morning Tea 

We would like to invite all Foundation to Year 2 parents to a morning tea on Friday February 9th at 9am in the staffroom. 

We look forward to seeing as many parents and carers from Foundation to Year 2 present as possible. 

A great chance to meet new families and reconnect. 

School Council Elections 

The School Council election period commences next Monday February 12th, please see the School Council page of this newsletter for information about the election process, timeline and call for nominations. 

Class Reps 

We are seeking parents and carers to become Parent Class Representatives for 2024. You will have received a COMPASS email about this last year.  

This is a fantastic opportunity for you to actively engage in your child's class and contribute to the development and success of our vibrant school community. Each year level will have two Parent Class Representatives and all Parent Class Representatives are supported by us, the Parent Class Representative Coordinators. 

Have a look at the Class Reps for 2024 page of this newsletter for details on how to volunteer to be a Class Rep. This page also includes the Class Directory links for you to join the directories for 2024. 

Safe travel to school 

In 2024 Boroondara Park PS will be working with the City of Boroondara to build our knowledge and strategies for travelling safely to school. We will have an information booth at the Welcome Back BBQ to share some of our strategies. 

As part of this work you will receive a park and walk/ride map which shows ways to park without restriction in the neighbourhood. The map then shows routes you can take to get to school using active transport - walk or wheel. 

As we all know school zones become extremely crowded with vehicles during the busy drop off and pick up times, and this can pose a threat to student safety if students don’t use the school crossings and if parking instructions are not heeded.

While our school crossing supervisors ensure safety around their crossings, they are supported by Council parking officers who patrol school zones and issue fines to motorists who disregard road rules. 

Illegal parking endangers students and students who and parents who do not obey school crossing supervisors’ instructions endanger themselves.

Helping to make school crossings safer for everyone

Respect school crossing supervisors’ instructions.

School Crossing Supervisors play a vitally important role in ensuring the safety of children and our wider community at our school crossings. They are carefully selected for these roles for their diligence toward safety and their passion for working with the community and with families. 

• One blast of the supervisor’s whistle means stopping immediately.
• Two blasts of a whistle mean it is safe to cross. 
• Students should not stand too close to the road while waiting to be instructed to cross by the supervisor. 
• Students should keep together and walk quickly and directly to the opposite footpath.

Please note that school crossing supervisors do not have the authority to enforce parking restrictions. Their sole responsibility is assisting children to cross the road safely.  

Respect the road rules and parking signs

Illegal parking in a school zone is not only inconsiderate to other motorists, it threatens the safety of students. If Council parking officers witness a motorist breaking any of the following traffic rules, they will issue them with a fine.

• Double-parking restricts the view of other drivers, obstructs traffic flow, and means children have to get out of the car onto the road. It also blocks the passage of any emergency vehicles that might need to pass.
• School crossings are there to ensure children cross the road safely. Parking within 20 metres before or 10 metres after a designated school crossing is illegal.
• The designated Kiss and Ride areas outside schools are No Parking, with a maximum two-minute standing time. This gives parents enough time to kiss and drop off/collect their kids before moving on to allow the next car to follow suit. For BPPS this is the section of Almond St between the car park gates. 
• School zone speed limits are clearly signposted and must be adhered to.

Walk or ride to school with your child

Walking or riding to school with your child is a healthy and enjoyable way to avoid the inevitable traffic snarls at drop-off or pick-up times.

Mobile Phone Ban 

A reminder that the Department of Education has in place a mobile phone ban that requires students who bring mobiles phones to school to have them switched off and securely put away during school hours. 

The department is requiring all schools to ensure this ban is in place and enforced from the start of the 2024 school year. 

The ban applies equally to all government schools right across the state. This helps ensure that school is a learning environment free from unnecessary distractions and disruptions. 

By ensuring mobile phones are kept away at recess and lunch times, students can interact with each other face-to-face, without the distractions and social pressures that mobile phones can cause.

I ask for the support of all our families and students in continuing to support the implementation of this policy in our school.

Further information

Exceptions: For a small number of students with particular health needs, an exception to the policy may be granted. Please contact Susanne Lowe or Shannon Reeve if you would like to discuss this. 

Emergencies: In the event of an emergency or if you need to immediately contact your child, I ask that families contact the school office who will pass on a message as required.

A copy of our school’s updated mobile phone policy, which implements the government’s mobile policy in line with our local context, will shortly be added to the school website. It will also be shared via the newsletter early in Term 1, 2024. 

Parent support: The Mobile phones in schools webpage provides links to resources for families to help them balance their children’s time using mobile phones. 

If you have further questions, please contact the office. 

Annual privacy reminder for our school community

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and the Schools’ Privacy Collection Notice. 

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy (attached) describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn. 

As part of the completion of paying contributions you and your child were asked to read and agree to the Digital Technology Agreement with your child. This agreement informs you of how we safely use technology at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using please contact the school. 

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. 

This information is also available in ten community languages:

* Amharic

* Arabic

* Dari

* Gujarati

* Mandarin

* Somali

* Sudanese

* Turkish

* Urdu

* Vietnamese

Protecting against mosquito-borne diseases

Warm and wet weather can result in greater numbers of mosquitoes and increased risk of illnesses from mosquito bites. While the overall risk is low, some mosquitoes carry diseases that make people sick. 

The best protection against mosquito-borne illness is to avoid mosquito bites.

Families can protect against mosquito bites by:

• covering up as much as possible with long, loose-fitting, light-coloured clothing
• applying insect repellent that contains picaridin or DEET on exposed skin when leaving home
• limiting outdoor activity if lots of mosquitoes are active.

Families with any health concerns should see their doctor or phone NURSE-ON-CALL: 1300 606 024 (available 24 hours). 

Free Japanese encephalitis vaccines

Japanese encephalitis virus is spread to humans through bites from infected mosquitoes and can cause a rare but potentially serious infection of the brain.

Free Japanese encephalitis vaccines are available to protect Victorians at higher risk of the virus.

The Victorian Department of Health encourages eligible people who live or work in high-risk local government areas to get vaccinated.

For more information, including what is considered a high-risk area and eligibility for a free vaccine, refer to the Department of Health’s Japanese encephalitis webpage.

Find out more

For more information on protecting against mosquito-borne diseases, families can refer to the following Better Health Channel pages: · Mosquitoes can carry diseases ·

 Protect yourself from mosquito-borne disease, including a handy checklist to help reduce mosquito breeding sites at home and resources translated into other languages.

Increase community transmission of COVID-19 in Victoria

You can help us keep our school and those who are immunocompromised in our community as safe as possible by taking 2 important steps:

1. Ensure your COVID-19 vaccinations are up to date. Information on how and where to get vaccinated is available on the Get vaccinated webpage.

2. If your child shows symptoms of COVID-19, please ensure they stay home and get tested. The easiest way to test is to use a rapid antigen test (RAT).

Free RATs are available from your local council where you can collect 2 packs of 5 RATs and an extra 2 packs for each person in your household. People with disability and their carers can get 4 packs of 5 RATs. You are not required to have a Medicare card and you can collect RATs as many times as you need. You can also buy RATs at supermarkets, pharmacies and other retailers.

If your child has symptoms but tests negative, please ensure they stay home until they no longer have symptoms.

If the RAT test result is positive, please ensure they say home for at least 5 days and until there are no more symptoms.

Thank you for your support – these steps will help us all stay well.

BPPS Facebook and Instagram

Don't forget to follow our social media accounts and see what is happening at school each day. Boroondara Park Primary School Facebook

Search @BoroondaraPark on Instagram to follow the school. 

Susanne Lowe

Principal