A Message from Keir and Emma
“We would like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people, the first people to dream, create, wonder, dance, play and learn on this breathtaking land. This land was cared for and respected for tens of thousands of years. The First Nations people lived in companionship with the animals and the life on this land. We acknowledge that this is stolen land and we pay our respects to elders, past, present and emerging.”
Rayma Atkinson (2023 Suzanne Peterson Award Recipient)
Inquiry Cycle 2 - ‘Water Worlds’
This week everyone at BNWPS will move into our second Inquiry cycle for 2026. This Inquiry cycle is titled ‘Water Worlds’, and the School Wide Key Understanding (SWKU) for this Inquiry is;
Water is precious. We need to manage water in sustainable ways. The health of water is the health of all living systems.
This Inquiry explores the Science and Geography elements of the Victorian Curriculum, as well as continuing our constant focus on Personal and Social Learning.
As always, you might like to explore this SWKU at home. Some interesting discussion points over dinner might be;
- Where does water come from?
- How much water do we use at home?
- Water systems we have visited …
- Local water systems
- What is healthy water?
There are also some great documentaries about water, water environments and eco-system's and water sustainability on the ABC iView platform.
Last week, teaching teams planned the learning and teaching for this cycle of Inquiry. Each team has designed three Big Ideas that ‘translate’ this SWKU into learning that is specific to their year level and reflects the complexities of the curriculum at that particular level.
In the coming weeks, teams will send out their Learning Itineraries through Sentral. These Itineraries outline the learning that orbits around just one big idea, and will include important information for families such as the Mentor Texts students will be exploring, and the Maths focuses that will be explored. Each chapter of the Inquiry (each big idea) will have its own Learning Itinerary, so make sure you keep your eyes on your Sentral notifications.
As always, we will be linking the Learning Itineraries to the front page of the newsletter, so if you are unable to find or access your Sentral link, you will be able to follow the link each week in the newsletter.
Bush KInders and Playgroups in Yakai Barring
Many of you may have noticed lots of pre-school aged children around and about recently - particularly near Yakai Barring.
This is because some of our local Kinders and Early Childhood Centres have realised what an amazing space Yakai Barring is, and have booked regular sessions to run a Bush Kinder from the site.
This means that Yakkai Barring is booked out by a Kinders for most mornings of the week, ending on Friday with our very own Yakai Barring Bush Playgroup. North West Brunswick Kinder, Dunstan Reserve Kinder and Wales St Montessori are all enjoying their immersion and exploration of nature.
Anyone can come along to the Friday Bush Playgroup - adults need an active working with children check. Details of the amazing Bush Playgroup program can be found here.
Along with our Wednesday morning Storytime, the Bush Playgroup is a great way for pre-school children and their families to become part of the BNWPS community, and they are both wonderful ways to begin the transition into Foundation 2027.
Story Time
Every Wednesday at 10am, staff from BNWPS will be offering a story time in the library for any children aged 3-5. Together, we will have fun reading a new book, take part in a fun activity and have time to borrow and return books. The sessions will be run by Kate Middleton, who will share her favorite books. Come along this Wednesday and check it out!
Cross Country
Last Wednesday, our year three to six students took part in our annual cross country run event, held this year at Dunstan Reserve. Congratulations to all students who participated, and a big thank you to Martin and his team of staff and parent/carer supporters for making the day run so smoothly.
Traffic around the School
This is a friendly reminder to all members of our community that the drop off zone on Culloden Street must only be used for quick drop offs and pick ups at the beginning and end of the day. Leaving your car parked at the front of the school contributes to congestion and makes it tricky and dangerous for all families to find parking, or for our students to safely navigate the road and footpaths.
In addition, we would like to remind all of our families to have a chat at home about how to cross the road safely. We have had a few incidents of students (particularly on bikes or scooters) who are entering the road from the school quickly and without checking for traffic or looking both ways. If your child is not yet ready to cross the road independently, we ask that you meet them at school and help them cross the road safely rather than calling them to cross the road alone.