Principal's Message 

There’s one week to go of what feels like a very long term. We have had a lot of children absent with colds and the flu, particularly in our senior classes where we’ve had up to 10 children per class absent each day over the past couple of weeks. Thank you for keeping your sick children at home to avoid spreading germs and viruses further. 

2026 Foundation Enrolments

We have continued to have a very high demand for enrolment places for Foundation at Billanook for 2026. If you have a sibling beginning next year, please make sure you have completed the online enrolment form by Friday 25 July. We need to ensure that we have all siblings enrolled so we can offer the appropriate amount of out-of-zone enrolments. 

Group chats

It is great that most year levels at Billanook have a group chat where parents can communicate with each other. The group chats are usually set up by a parent and include most family members of the cohort. These group chats aren’t an official Billanook forum, however we as the school are the reason the pages are created. We occasionally get complaints from members of our community regarding their treatment or the treatment of others in a group chat. 

Unfortunately, there isn’t anything that we can do as a school other than remind everyone to remain respectful to each other and of the importance of adhering to privacy restrictions.  It’s not OK to mention other children’s or family’s personal information in a group chat.

If you have a concern with anything to do with school, please come and speak to your child’s class teacher or a member of the leadership team.    

First Aid training

All Billanook staff took part in their annual first aid training this week. Department of Education employees are required to be up to date with general first aid, asthma, CPR and anaphylaxis.  We meet regularly with families that have specific first aid needs and who require action plans to ensure their child is safe at school. Please let us know if you require a meeting to support your child’s needs. 

Wakakirri – August 13

We are very excited about our upcoming Wakakirri performance. Wakakirri is a national story dance competition. It’s inspired by the belief that great stories can inspire change. Billanook hasn’t competed in the Wakakirri for over 10 years. It’s wonderful that our children are getting the opportunity to learn a dance together and be able to perform at a professional venue to a huge audience. 

The theme for this year’s Wakakirri is ‘Mind Over Matter: Tales of Inner Strength.’ Our Billanook performance has a focus on the negative and positive impact of social media. Wakakirri is open to year 3- 6 children. We will be performing at the Frankston Arts Centre on the 13 August. All are welcome to book tickets and attend.

Regards,

Michael Puddy