Principal's Report

Apologies to everyone for being a day late with the newsletter this week. Yesterday we were intent on making sure everything was in place for the Meet Your Teacher session, knowing how important it is to get that right.

We’re now into the final week of term, which is a combination of cleaning up and getting things in place for the start of the 2021 school year, mixed in with some fun activities for the students.

Last night we had the Scotsburn Christmas breakup, which was a lovely event. We’re so glad that the easing of restrictions allowed this to go ahead and it was nice to see the community come together and reconnect. We thank Shaun O’Loughlin for his time as Campus Head and know that Jarrod Morgan will do excellent job in that position for the coming few years. We are so lucky to have a second campus that offers a different experience for students and families and it’s nice to know Scotsburn is travelling well and will continue to do so.

On Thursday we have our grade 6 graduation, which weather permitting, will be a spectacular scene at the outdoor stage. We also look forward to getting all of the staff and students together for a whole school assembly on Friday, which will conclude with a guard of honour for our grade 6 students. Parents can watch this assembly via a live stream and are welcome to join us on the oval afterwards.

We wish our Grade 6 students, and others moving on, all the best and hope they have fond memories of their days at Buninyong Primary.

It has been a year like no other and we are full of admiration for the way everyone has handled the situation. Our students have managed being tossed in and out of remote learning and have finished off the year really well. Our parents have been super supportive, despite constant changes throughout the year and we appreciate all you have done to make sure your children have coped and continued to learn during this Covid interrupted year. We understand that remote learning was really tough for many families. Our staff have been brilliant through this whole episode. They have worked with us to re-design all that we do, constantly adjusting to the latest government guidelines and all without complaining. We are proud of the way they have maintained a focus on what is best for the students at a time when it would have been easy to engage in self-pity. So well done to everyone and we all look forward to some rest and relaxation over the summer break.

A few reflections relating to achievements for 2020 appear at the end of this message.

We wish all the best to staff who won’t be with us next year, those being Roz Schomburgk, Derick Micallef, Kirsty McGregor, Katie Adamson, Lou Marr & Lauren Salter. Each is heading off to new and exciting things and we thank them for the energy they have injected into our school. In particular, we would like to wish Roz well after 16 years with Buninyong Primary School and know there are many current and past students and parents who will have fond memories of their time with Roz.

In 2021 we welcome Kirsty Bull, Kate Tucker, Belinda Hargreaves, Anna Stott and Cindy Armstrong to the teaching team. Kirsty and Kate come to us from other schools (Hopetoun P-12 and Exford PS), whilst Anna and Belinda are returning from family leave and Cindy Armstrong from a stint teaching in an international school in Vietnam. All have been working with us this week to make sure they are ready to go in the first week of 2021.

We are delighted with the staff teams in place across the school for next year and head into the break knowing there is much to look forward to in 2021.

Wishing you all a merry Christmas and enjoyable summer break.

School Captains for 2021

Congratulations to Zoe Gooding, Emilia James, Spencer Stewart and Sam Langhorne who have been selected to be our school captains for 2021. We know they will make an outstanding team and will follow in the footsteps of past School Captains. They are pictured below and will be presented to the school community at our final assembly on Friday.

As mentioned in the newsletter last week, all applicants went through the process of writing and delivering a school captain speech, before being interviewed by the current school captains, Mr McGlynn and myself. The process also included seeking feedback from classroom and specialist teachers.

We’re proud of the efforts and courage of all who applied. Students who were shortlisted for interview automatically receive entry to the leadership conference in Melbourne for 2021 where they will continue to learn about leadership and develop their skills.

Another thank you to our current school captains, Lucy Gravell, Grace Shackell, Cooper Greenbank and Hayden Staggard, who maintained the utmost integrity, professionalism and thoughtfulness across the entire year and especially through the 2020 School Captain selection process.

Pictured below are our 2020 and 2021 school captains.

Lunch Time Live

As part of creating a bit of fun over the past few weeks, Mr Skilbeck has run some Lunch Time Live events, which have been very popular, both for our performers, but also for those that like to come along and watch. Yesterday was a special Lunch Time Live which featured our year 6s and there was plenty of talent on show.

Well done to the team of students that Mr Skilbeck has been training up to perform the national anthem for the Road Nationals (cycling) event taking place in January. The performance has been recorded and will be viewed by an extensive audience.

Uniform

Over the summer break, some parents will be purchasing items of uniform for their children. When doing so, please make sure the items you purchase fit our uniform policy (see our website for a copy).

In particular, please make sure your children have:

· Shorts that comply - that is, all black and without a visible logo. Not sports shorts please, which tend to be shorter than what is appropriate for school.

· Black school shoes, runners or boots.

Reflections from 2020

Our reflections for the year look very different to those from previous years, due to such a large focus on managing learning in an ever changing Covid-19 environment. Following are some of the most notable achievements from 2020.

Rewriting the handbook on how to teach as we entered 2 periods of Remote Learning.
Learning how to use internet platforms like Webex and Compass to connect with students and teach remotely. Even the 4 and 5 year old students were able to maintain their learning momentum from the other side of the screen.
Taking our Parent-Teacher Interviews online was a big change to our assessment and reporting program. Although this proved a challenge, it also opened our eyes to possibilities for the future.
Engaging students in an onsite learning program during the pandemic with Mitch Walsh and Jess Micallef capably leading a brigade of volunteer teachers, Education Support staff and Pre Service Teachers.
Most excursions went online this year with students virtually attending science centres, zoos and learning from experts.
With the pandemic came a whole new level of personal hygiene practices, which is something we intend to continue with.
We still managed to run our Mother’s and Father’s Day stalls, albeit online for the first time.
It was disappointing that we were forced to cancel the school concert, but we did have a number of students participate virtually in the State School Spectacular.
We managed to sneak in a Japanese Theme day, which the students loved.
Year 4 Camp was held just before the pandemic took hold. They ventured to Anglesea for their camp where students were given plenty of opportunities to take on challenges they wouldn’t normally get to experience.
The Year 6 students participated in a camp that saw them walk from the Buninyong campus to the Scotsburn campus, camp overnight in tents and take part in a series of fun and challenging initiative games. A huge amount of work for teachers, but well worth seeing the students have this opportunity in their last year of primary school.
The very first Prep Big Breakfast was held at the Buninyong campus. All Preps spent a morning together in the Courtyard to enjoy each other's company and show how independent they are by washing up their own plates at the end.
Year 1, 2 and Scotsburn P-2 students all held celebration activities in Term 4, with lots of great activities for the students to join in with
The 3-6 sports took place at Llanberris with students running, throwing and jumping their way through the day. A highlight was the teachers v students championship sprint with all teachers finishing without soft tissue injuries.
The High Ability Program was implemented with many students experiencing virtual programs that expanded on normal curriculum topics and understandings.
The SIA (Students in Action) program ran for a second year and was really well received by the students involved. Pictured below is the SIA class of 2020, with Mrs Arts and our helpers from the Friends of the Botanic Gardens (Lorraine, Mark and Maria).
We continued to work with Andrea Hillbrick on creating a more engaging writing model. This has led to students being immersed in books and experiences prior to putting pencil to paper.
We implemented a new spelling model called Words Their Way to overcome the restrictions placed on the school during the pandemic. This new model was taken online and continued once we all return to school in Term 4.
The Pandemic could not stop the Solar Boat Challenge from going ahead. The Year 6’s managed to create and race some very quick boats and also the most detailed written displays we have seen. Unfortunately, other schools could not attend, but this didn’t dampen the enthusiasm for the event.
The Year 4 students once again explored Union Jack Reserve to identify the landmarks and map the tracks within the park. They really were able to experience what it is like to be an explorer.
Our assemblies went online and we trialled live broadcasts every week during the pandemic. These morphed into recorded broadcasts by the end as we tried to overcome some internet issues. A wonderful part of the broadcasts was that by the end they were almost completely produced by a team of students from Grade 6.
Base 1270 has continued to provide an excellent service for families. Whilst patronage dropped away during the peak of the pandemic, numbers have picked up during term 4 and we expect to be completely back to normal in 2021. We are now taking before school enrolments from neighbouring schools and expect those numbers to build also.
We made significant steps forward with regards to management of waste. We have done a great job of recycling paper and cardboard for years, but are now on the journey of recycling soft plastics and other plastics and glass.
We still managed to make some notable improvements to our facilities, including the installation of a bore at Scotsburn, starting to create a new Japanese garden at the Buninyong Campus, finishing off a renovation to create a new kitchen at the Buninyong Campus and placing a number of logs around both campuses. We also made some improvements to the gym, which included constructing a new entry/exit and replacing some old louvres with windows.

So as you can see, even in the midst of a pandemic, good things have happened. Having said that, bring on 2021.