The finale for 2024!

As I reflect on the year, there's been a million and one things that have happened. As a school we've been blessed with another awesome year of learning, growing and being together. BPS Physical Education and Sport has been a terrific year of learning, engaging as a team, developing resilience when challenges come and enjoying movement.

From Foundation to Grade 6 this year we've enjoyed learning, practising and refining our movement and fundamental skills, using game strategies to outwit and change a game's direction, developing and practising our life skills including teamwork and fair play and understanding why we need rules in games. We've celebrated learning new sports from Tchoukball to Handball, Pickleball to Ultimate Frisbee. We celebrated the 2024 Paris Olympic Games with the opening of our new BPS athletics track and a visit from Annie, our Aussie 1500m Paralympian, and coach and BPS Dad, Anthony DeCastella. Our PE units in cross country and fitness, athletics and gymnastics have taught us a range of sport specific skills that can also be transferred across a range of sports and movement activities!

In Foundatuon to Grade 2 we celebrated a fun KABOOM House Sports earlier this term . In our Grade 3 and 4 sport sessions, our students have been learning winter and summer sports across the year. In Grade 5 and 6 we trained and played at district winter and summer sport tournaments and this term we've given our students "Voice and Choice" to select and vote on some new sports to learn and play!

At our representative level, we've had various BPS representative teams partivipate at district, division, regional and state events including, cross country, athletics, sofcrosse, volleystars, netball, soccer, t-ball, basketball and tennis hot shots.

Overall, I am SO incredibly proud of our students, staff and community and the active way we've participated, learnt new things about ourselves and each other and given our best across the year! High fives!

Important thank yous!

If I begin to name people, I know I will accidentally miss a name and then feel awful so instead I am going to say Thank YOU to the many, many volunteers who have helped in so many areas of BPS Sport in 2024. Your time, support and willingness to roll your sleeves up and do what is needed to help us run an awesome event for our students is very much appreciated!

Our wonderful staff

To our amazing Principal and Assistant Principal, Andrew and Marianne and our BPS Sports Co-ordinators Team of Mrs Fountain, Miss Wood, Miss Tainsh and Mr Liebrich, I want to say thank you for supporting me and our students so well across every sporting event this year and in PE! I appreciate you all very much!

BPS Running Club Coaches

It would also be remiss of me not to specifically thank some very special volunteers who have served tirelessly over many years in BPS Sport.

Thank you to our three BPS Running Club Families who have trained our students before school. Thank you Nicole and Anthony, Nick and Beck and Kirsty and Nick for your hours of encouragement, planning and for being a constant source of inspirations for our runners. Your efforts have allowed kids to get their brains and bodies moving before school and enjoy the art of running as a team. Thank YOU.

Our amazing Jo!

Thank you Jo Seton, who has transformed my life and supported me in so many ways with athletics and setting up a system that records all our student' house points and personal bests. Jo, you are an incredible human and we appreciate your time, which has been over and above for your many years at BPS. Thank YOU.

Our amazing BPS House Captains 2024

I think I have the best role in our school, which includes mentoring and working alongside our eight amazing House Captains every year. This year's BPS House Captains are really special and have left a big imprint on my heart for various reasons. Each one of them has shown real growth as a leader and in their ability to think "BIG PICTURE" and help others, including me. They have also been reliable, punctual, fun and an amazing team to work with. When you see young people in leadership and them seizing their opportunities and being kind humans to those around them, you can't help being proud. And I am! Very proud! They have made my 2024 a wonderful year and helped me grow to in so many ways. Thank you Alfie, Finn, Eqin, Isla, Neve, Maray, William and Rayan! I appreciate each one of you and all of you as the amazing team that you are!!!

BPS Sporting celebrations from term 4!

Our Victorian State Track and Field Champs!

A huge congratulations to our five SSV State Track and Field athletes who competed at Albert Park earlier this term. Amelia competed in the 12/13 females triple jump and long jump and Ruby, Charlie, Chelsea and Arielle competed in the 9/10 females 4 x 100m relay. We are so proud of you all and the resilience and courage you and your families have shown to make it to the State Championships!!!

Amelia, our Victorian State Triple Jump Champion!

Amelia, a HUGE congratulations to you and your family on winning the 12/13 female's State Triple Jump gold medal with an outstanding jump and new personal best of 10.22m. We are in awe of your talent, poise, humility and determination! You are an incredible person and athlete and we are so very proud of you! An outstanding achievement!!!

BPS District Sofcrosse Teams

Well done to our three Grade 6 teams who competed at Koonung Ovals in Blackburn on a sweltering 35 degree day this term. Our teams showed excellent stamina, resilience and teamwork to play their games.

A BIG Congratulations to our BPS Girl's Sofcrosse team, led by Lucy and Sarah (our Co-Captains), who won the girl's district tournament on the day! Outstanding effort to all our players!!!

Thank you to Kris Munro, Jo Seton and Brandy Munro and your support as our volunteers on a very hot day! We appreciate you!

Thank you to Miss Lawlor for training and coaching our team this year to be their very best! We appreciate you!

BPS House Cup Dodgeball 2024

Thank you to our 16 teams, Co-Captains and players who made this year's tournament incredibly fun and intense. Thank you to our amazing House and Music Captains for being at our lunchtime games to set-up and pack up. Thank you to Miss Wood and Miss Tainsh for supporting myself our captains and 16 teams to run this eight week tournament, which our students love to watch and play!

Over eight weeks our teams played to find the top team from each of our four houses. Well done to the Green Grapes, Cookanators, The Great BLUE Sharks and Tassie Devils for topping their house and making it to our preliminary finals. In the end it came down to two teams and one Grand Final, which was incredible.

Congratulations to Dampier's "The Great BLUE Sharks" and Tasman's "Tassie Devils" who were our 2024 Dodgebal House Cup Grand Final Teams! The game was an intense 6 minutes with many great skills on show! In the final seconds it went down to the wire with one team outwitting the other to win! Well done to the "Tassie Devils" who won the 2024 Grand Final and to "The Great BLUE Sharks" who were runners up. Both teams played terrifically and showed excellent skills, teamwork and fair play.

Congratulations to the following players who were awarded their team's "Most Valuable Team Player" award.

"Tassie Devils" - George and Leroy

"The Great BLUE Sharks" - Alisha and Krishiv

Thank you to our awesome staff team (Mr Ramos, Miss Yi, Mrs Stansfield, Mr Liebrich, Jon Stagg, Miss Lawlor and Mrs Shacklock) and our Grade 6 captains team of dodgeballers who played a fun pre-game entertainment match before our Grand Final. Our students beat our staff team by 1 point! Well done students!!! You rocked it!!!

Thank you also to our families that came to support our players on the day! It was great to have family there to watch the game and cheer on their children!

CHAMPIONS 2024 - Tassie Devils Co- Captains - George and Leroy

Team - Lucas, Jessie, Leo, Leroy, George, Alaa, Zoe, Violet and Hazel

RUNNERS UP 2024 - The Great BLUE Sharks - Co-Captains - Reyansh, Alisha and Rayan

Team - Reyansh, Alisha, Rayan, Hamish, Quentin, Krishiv, Aaron, Charlie and Max

BPS Netball Super Champs

Congratulations to the players and coaches of all our BPS Netball Team in 2024. It's awesome to have our own netball club here which bring our students together to play and stay active!

Congratulations to all our BPS Netball Teams that made the grand finals on the weekend. I had the pleasure of watching one of our team's in action and was very impressed with their team efforts and skills.

Spotlight on Valerie!

Congratulations to our Grade 4 student and amazing gymnast, Valerie, who was awarded this year's BTYC Coaches Award. Valerie is one of many of our BPS students who trains for gymnastics outside of school at BTYC in Donvale. The award that Valerie won, recognises athletes who demonstrate dedication, passion, teamwork, and sportsmanship in their club. In Valerie's Mum's words... "It’s a recognition of Valerie's hard work and the positive attitude she brings to every practice, and we couldn’t be prouder. Her commitment to both gymnastics and her personal growth has been truly inspiring, and this award is a reflection of the passion and perseverance she embodies."

Congratulations Valerie on your award and the wonderful qualities that you embody as a person and athlete!! We, like your Mum and Dad, are super proud of you!!

A Happy Christmas and Holiday season to you BPS!

Well BPS, I believe that rounds out my final BPS Sports Shorts for 2024. I wish you all and your families a blessed, peaceful and restful Christmas and holiday season. Enjoy some screen free family time together enjoying each other's company!!!

We're off to visit my family and homeland in Tasmania for Christmas and breathe in some of that fresh country air!!!

To finish, I would like to leave you with this...

My final Christmas joke for the year

"I tried to comfort Frosty the Snowman when he visited Australia, but he kept on having a meltdown!!!!" Ha ha ha!!!!

A happy and safe holidays BPS!

High fives,

Mrs P:)

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