Principal's Report

Transition to School 2026 and Step Up 2026

Last Friday we had our first Kinder transition to school for our new Foundation students (and parents).  This is an incredibly reflective time of year for us as we watch our current Foundation students step up and be more mature, independent and confident within themselves.  Hilariously, we may have overheard some of our current Foundy students referring to the new group as "so tiny".  How quickly they grow up, eh?

By the 21st of November we will have our first whole school Step Up session.  This is an opportunity for our current students to get to know their classmates in other classes and do activities in the next year level for a series of mornings over the next few weeks!  The first couple of sessions will be a mix up of classes and teachers as we finalise our staffing for 2026.

Victorian Schools Music Festival

A big congratulations is warranted for our Concert Band, lead by conductor Ken MacDonald for their performance at Hawthorn Town Hall yesterday.  Our Concert Band is made up primarily of grade 4s and 5s but they absolutely blew everyone out of the water with their exemplary playing.  Once again, we were the only Primary School performing alongside local and private High Schools but still recieved the highest honours from the judges.  We say it time and time again, our school bands are one of a kind and our students are lucky to be part of such a unique program at BPS.

Evening of Music and Band Recruitment Evening

Coming up this Thursday is our annual Evening of Music.  A big kudos goes to our music teacher extraordinaire Lisa Shacklock, who has helped organise this event alongside Ken MacDonald and parent and friends rep Kate Heng.  We are looking forward to celebrating the hard work of all of our musicians and choir, in such a special evening dedicated to our band and music program.  See you there, if you have already got your tickets!

Next week, will be our band recruitment evening.  If you would like to join our band in 2026 this is the place to be.  This is an event for both parents and your children as they will be making a decision about the instruments they will want to play for 2026.

Time: 5.30pm

Date: Thursday 20th November

Who: Grade 2-5 welcome to try new instruments and sign up for our band program

Where: Multi-purpose Room

Please see our band and music page for more details.

Uniform Update

Please check COMPASS for more details about our flash sale for our old uniform items.  Old uniform can be worn for the next two years as we transition to our new uniform completed by the end of 2027!  If you would like a bargain in the meanwhile, you will need to place an order with our front office.  New uniform will go on sale by December 2025, so please keep a lookout on COMPASS for more details about that.

Reporting

We are heading to the nitty gritty part of the year with teachers burning the candle at both ends; moderating assessments, planning student goals and writing reports.  Last week, our student free day was spent moderating assessments and beginning report writing.  It's definitely a busy time, but also a rewarding one as we monitor and reflect on student growth in learning. We have an established process for students transitioning from year level to the next with a comprehensive hand over between teachers coming up over the next few weeks. Likewise, parents will recieve a comprehensive report in December outlining your child's progress for the year. 

Students Leaving

If you have a house move or family change happening for 2026 that results in you moving on from Blackburn Primary School, please let me know via the school email address ASAP, as student movement helps us better plan for classes for 2026.  I can be reached at blackburn.ps@education.vic.gov.au  please attention Andrew Cock or Marianne Fusillo so that we get your message.