Principal's Report - Sam Tyndall

Welcome to 2025!

What a pleasure it has been to return to Black Rock PS this week. I've been able to catch up with an enthusiastic and dedicated staff, received many friendly greetings from parents and have enjoyed witnessing happy smiling students across the school. Our school values of Kindness, Aspiration, Respect and Integrity have been on display frequently in the first week. We have a wonderful community who achieve great things when we work together. 

I would like to extend a very warm welcome to all BRPS families, established and new, as we commence the 2025 school year. There is a strong sense of optimism for an amazing year ahead, filled with learning, friendship and fun.  

We have started the year with 470 enrolments across 19 classes. The year has started very smoothly and I thank the teachers and all school staff for their dedication to come in over the holidays to set up rooms, administration and grounds in preparation for the year ahead. 

New Students and Families

A special welcome is extended to the Foundation students who joined our school community for the first time. The smooth and confident start they have had is a testament to their resilience and the hard work and support provided by our Foundation teaching and support team, as well as each child's parents efforts in preparing their children for school. 

We also extend a warm welcome to new students and families across all other levels of the school and trust that their time at BRPS will be happy and successful.  

Welcome Picnic - Friday 7th February

We would like to welcome all families to gather informally for a Welcome Picnic on the school oval next Friday 7th February, commencing at 3.45pm and concluding at 5pm. 

• The Welcome Picnic will be an alcohol-free event.
• Families are invited to bring rugs, picnic chairs, food and refreshments to enjoy the afternoon with other members of the school community. 
• A map of the oval outlining informally designated areas for each year level will be provided. This will allow families existing and new to build and strengthen connections across their child/ren's year level/s.
• No food or drinks will be sold at the event.
• Parents/carers are responsible for their children after school and we ask that safe and fair play is encouraged by parents/carers and that students don’t climb fences, including the bike shed.
• As this is a school event, we request that students do not have access to mobile phones and other similar devices, and that our Photography and Filming policy is followed.
• We ask that people either make use of the bins provided on the oval or take their rubbish home with them.

Further information, including the oval map, will be provided via Compass Newsfeed next week.

Assembly

Whole-school assemblies are held at 9am on Monday mornings. Our first assembly will be this Monday 3rd February. Students should arrive at their classroom for a soft start from 8.50am and allow plenty of time to travel from their classroom to the sports courts with their class as close to 9am as possible. 

Year Six Student Leaders Presentation 

Our Year Six student group will be officially introduced to the school community at the first assembly on Monday. 

All parents are welcome to attend on the sports courts in front of the stage. 

Curriculum Day - Student Free

Each year, School Council approves the dates of our student-free days: four curriculum days and a Professional Practice Day. Our second student-free curriculum day will be held on Friday 7th March, immediately prior to the the Labour Day long weekend. 

2025 Student-Free Days:

• Tuesday 28th January (statewide - all government schools)
• Friday 7th March
• Friday 6th June
• Monday 10th November
• Friday 19th December (final day for students will be Thursday 18th December)

Staffing News 

A warm welcome is extended to all staff who returned to Black Rock Primary School. There is a very positive and welcoming environment evident across the school.   

We're excited to welcome brand new teachers to our school who are also at that very exciting early stage of their careers in education. After attending induction and settling in with the outstanding experienced teachers in their teams we look forward to each new teacher bringing their individual strengths and talents to support the growth of our students. Welcome to: 

Year 1: Miss Hili

Year 2: Catherine Hardeman

Year 3: Tori Edwards

Year 4: Tamsin Hinchley

We also welcome back Sophie Moir into Year 3 after recent parental leave. 

Parent/Teacher Communication

Next Wednesday 5th February, parents and guardians will receive a Year Level Term Newsletter introducing the team, outlining the Term One curriculum focus areas and also year level homework, routines and expectations. Specialist and extra-curricular timetables will be shared, along with key dates for events and activities throughout the year.  

Each year level will also share a fortnightly year level snapshot via Compass throughout the year. 

The first Parent Teacher Conferences will take place in Week Four of Term One (Thursday 20th February, detailed information will be sent separately through Compass.

Compass Insights

The 'Insights' survey seeking information for class contact lists and photography and filming will be provided through Compass portals next week. Please keep an eye out for the link as we will be encouraging 100% completion rates. 

CEET (Community Events and Engagement Team)

The first CEET meeting of 2025 will be held on Thursday 13th February at 7:00pm in the staffroom (main building). 

We will be reviewing our purpose and values and planning events for the year. We welcome your input and ideas. All interested parents/carers are invited to attend. 

Every Day Counts!

In the Victorian education system, it is compulsory for all students to attend school each day of the school year. At times an absence may be unavoidable, however, every effort must be made to ensure students attend school on time each day. 

Evidence tells us that students who regularly miss days of school are at risk of missing out on learning the basic building blocks in subjects, and may experience long term difficulties with their learning. School attendance helps children develop social skills, such as friendship building, teamwork, communication skills and develops healthy self-esteem. 

Please try to ensure that any appointments and holidays are made outside of school hours. To maximise learning opportunities we need all students here all day. If this presents a problem for you and your child please make time to talk to the school. 

REMINDER When your child is absent, please indicate this on Compass by 9.00am so your child’s teacher is informed. 

Cyber Safety Project 

The Cyber Safety Project engenders a whole-school/whole of community approach to support young people to successfully live, play, learn and work online. We are excited to announce that in 2025 we will again be partnering with the "Cyber Safety Project" team. 

The Cyber Safety Project provides a comprehensive F-6 whole school curriculum and learning program underpinned by the four key values of Responsibility, Integrity, Strength and Empathy.

Parent Payments and Voluntary Contributions

The Compass Portal is live now for families to log in and complete all school payments.

The BRPS School Council, staff and school community have high expectations of all     curriculum programs, resources and facilities that the school provides. Much of the operational costs including the provision of computers (including laptops), high-quality school resources, extra sports equipment, library/ICT support and equipment, quality art and science supplies and maintenance, along with the provision of new curriculum initiatives are supported solely from local fundraising, including parent payments. Parent voluntary contributions are a vital aspect of maintaining these high standards and we thank our parent community for their generous support in this area to benefit all students across the school.

Important Information and Reminders

Please review the "Student and School Administration Reminders" page of this newsletter for information and updates about the 

Although many of you will be familiar with the policies and procedures outlined on the "Student and School Administration Reminders" page of this newsletter, it is necessary for us to communicate this important information, as a reminder, at the beginning of each year. We also have many new Foundation families and new families with children commencing in other year levels who will find this information particularly useful. 

COMPASS School Manager

Compass School Manager, through private and secure family portals, is our primary platform for communicating with families. We strongly recommend that parents install the native app on their mobile device (Apple iOs or Android) and set it up to receive notifications. This will allow instant and convenient access to all relevant school communications.

With many optional education events such as excursions, incursions and sporting events across all year levels beginning next week, I encourage all parents to log on to Compass at your earliest convenience and ensure that all details and payments are up-to-date. Parents are also encouraged to check the Compass Calendar and News Feed often. 

The "Student Administration Reminders" page in this newsletter is an essential reference to support parents to navigate and manage important school processes. 

Please take the time to read through the items on the following pages and contact the office should you have any queries. However, I would particularly like to draw your attention to the following points:

• It is very important to check the Compass News Feed and Calendar daily to stay informed of the latest news and upcoming events.
• Absences MUST be reported via Compass on the day of absence (early in the morning or ahead of time where possible).
• Online consent (always) & payment (when required) for incursions and excursions must be received by the due date in order for your child to participate/attend.
• Students must NOT be left alone in the school grounds before 8.45am or after 3.45pm.
• The 'Kiss N Go' zone on Arkaringa Crescent is for dropping/collecting your child within a two-minute time frame.
• Parents and students are NOT permitted to walk through staff car parks OR use them for parking.
• Please dismount and walk scooters, bikes, skateboards etc. within 50m of the school entrance points and AT ALL TIMES on school grounds. Riding is NOT permitted in the school grounds at any time (school and non-school children).
• Please be aware of our dog policy which is outlined on signs at all entrance points to the school.

ARE YOU BEING SUNSMART?? 

As in line with the school's policy, Term 1 is a SunSmart term. This requires all students to have the appropriate wide-brimmed school hat. These SunSmart hats are to be worn during all outside activities. Students without a hat will be asked to sit in designated shaded areas for the duration of all breaks on that day.

PERSONAL PROPERTY AT SCHOOL 

Personal property is often brought to school by students, staff and visitors. This can include mobile phones, calculators, toys, sporting equipment and cars parked on school premises. Please note that the Department of Education and Training does not hold insurance for personal property brought to schools and it has no capacity to pay for any loss or damage to such property. Please note that the Department has a statewide policy on mobile phone use in Victorian schools, details of which have been previously communicated. Phones must be handed into the office for safekeeping in secure, lockable storage and then collected at the end of the day. 

UNIFORM/BELONGINGS

Please be vigilant in clearly naming all uniform items and personal belongings (lunch boxes, sports equipment etc.) This allows us to return any found items to the rightful owner.

UPDATING CONTACT DETAILS/MEDICAL 

We ask all families to please ensure that you have up to date contact details on Compass. This includes current address, phone numbers, emergency contact details etc. Also, any students who have a medical condition must have a current medical records at the office. Of most importance is to ensure Asthma, Diabetes, and Anaphylaxis management plans are up to date. These need to be signed off by your local doctor and are required to be updated annually.

ASTHMA

As part of our commitment to student health and safety, meeting our legislative requirements and the Schools Policy Advisory Guide, we require you to provide us with an updated Asthma Action Plan for your child. Asthma Action Plans should be reviewed annually. Please follow the link below to the Asthma Action Plan for Victorian Schools, which has been specifically designed for schools to identify asthma signs and symptoms, and respond accordingly using the asthma medication device your child currently has at school. Once completed please return it to us as soon as possible with the appropriate medication and other device aids i.e. spacer device. Please make sure the medication is in date and any items are labelled with your child’s name.  https://www.asthmaaustralia.org.au/vic/about-asthma/resources/victorian-action-plans

If your medical practitioner has informed you that your child has grown out of their asthma, they will need to provide a letter, on the practice letterhead to the school stating such.

Privacy Information for Parents and Carers

Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy.

Please take time to remind yourself of the school’s collection statement, found on our website: BRPS Collection Statement 

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents.

Black Rock Primary School Council

Black Rock Primary School is governed by our School Council. The Council is made of volunteers from our parent community and also from our teaching staff, including myself. We will be running nominations and elections for the 2025 School Council over the next few weeks. You may be interested in joining our Council and contributing to our school’s development over the next two years. Further information about the nomination and election process is available at any time. If you are interested or have any questions please keep your eye out for the forthcoming information. 

Have a wonderful fortnight.

Sam Tyndall

PRINCIPAL