Principal Report

Child safety and wellbeing 

Child safety and wellbeing at Boroondara Park Primary School: information for families and the school community

Boroondara Park Primary School is committed to providing an environment where students are safe and feel safe. 

Our child safety framework includes policies, codes and procedures that explain how we support and maintain the safety and wellbeing of our students and protect them from harm. These documents are available on our school website.

We are committed to continuous improvement of our child safety framework. Our students and families are important partners in this process, and we welcome your feedback on ways we can improve our approach to child safety and wellbeing. 

If you have any suggestions or comments, please contact Susanne Lowe or Shannon Reeve on 98575157 or at boroondara.park.ps@education.vic.gov.au 

2025 staff 

Our teaching staff for 2025 have met their new classes and spent time getting to know each other. 

Staff changes at BPPS

We have a number of staff who will be leaving Boroondara Park PS at the end of this school year. 

Jemmah Kelly will be taking maternity leave, we look forward to meeting her new family member in the new year. Thank you to Jemmah for all of her work as a classroom teacher at BPPS. Jemmah has a strong commitment to her students, always striving to ensure they are individuallly catered for in the learning program. She has been an active member of our Wellbeing team and provided staff with some fantastic professional learning over the last two years. We wish her well in this exciting time. 

Liz Watson has been working at Boroondara Park PS for 11 years. She has been integral to our Education Support staff and has worked with many students throughout this time. Liz is a caring and intuitive person, always looking out for the needs of students with specific needs. She has proved to be amazing at recognizing and redirecting students to help them to stay regulated. Liz is reitring from work and we wish her well in this new part of her life. We might be lucky enough to have her as a casual replacement when staff are on leave next year. 

Sarah Jacobs is leaving Boroondara Park PS and taking up a teaching position at Carey Grammar.  She has been a member of staff at BPPS for 20 years, having taken on many roles as a classroom teacher and leader in the school. Sarah has been our literacy learning specialist this year and supported staff with feedback, observation and professional learning. She has always worked with a focus on individual students and ensuring her classroom program meets the needs of everyone. We wish Sarah well in her new role. 

Heidi Roast leaves us again, this time for Europe, South America and Asia. Heidi has worked tirelessly as a member of the Year 5/6 team this year. We cannot wait to hear about her next lot of travel adventures. Heidi will be here as a casual relief teacher in the few weeks she is in Melbourne next year. 

Lisa Trevorrow is leaving Boroondara Park PS and taking up an art teacher position at Ivanhoe Grammar. Lisa has been a part of the BPPS team for 15 years. She has worked both as a classroom teacher and visual arts teacher. As a classroom teacher Lisa always aimed to provide a program that met the needs of each individual who sat in front of her each day. As an art teacher she has supported individual creativity across the school. With her back in the art room this year the school has been filled with student work of a high quality. We wish her well in her new role. 

Jane Xie leaves Boroondara Park PS and will be taking on casual relief teaching again from 2025. We thank Jane for her work in the 3/4 team this year. She has worked hard to provide her students with a learning program that meets their needs. She has also volunteered to support other teams at school events when a late emergency staff member was needed. We wish her well in 2025. 

Northeast Link Grant 

We are very excited to announce we have successfully applied for a grant with the Northeast Link Community Grants program. The school will use this grant to redevelop the year 5/6 playground are next year. 

In February I will meet with a representative of the playground company and groups of students to put together a wish list for this area. It is limited due to space, but we aim to have student input into what is installed. 

Stay tuned! 

Carols Night 

What a wonderful night we had on Monday at the Carols. Thank you to Ms Zoe for all of her organization and ensuring the students were well prepared and all ready for the exciting evening. 

It was great to hear each of our students performing. Well done to them all! 

Thank you to Liz, Emma, Maddie, Ruby, Milla and Vivian who kept us entertained and the program moving. What stars! 

Thank you to our instrumental music teachers who were able to showcase their students. 

Thank you to Maria and her community engagement team for organizing our food vans, set up and pack up. 

Be sure to check the Community Engagement page of this newsletter for some photos. 

Graduation 

Our Year 6 graduation takes place this coming Monday December 16th. We will be holding our ceremony in the Stadium with our audience taking their seats from 5.45pm, with the ceremony commencing at 6.00pm. This is followed by a disco and food in the Hall for our students. Parents spend time together at the Stadium whilst the students are having fun. We have hired air conditioners which we hope will make both the stadium and the hall more bearable with a predicted 42 degrees for Monday. 

Assembly and Talent Show 

Our last full assembly took place today. Our local Federal member of parliament Dr Monique Ryan attended to present the school with new flags. 

The assembly was followed by our exciting Talent Show! 

Tree Works

During this coming holiday period there will be a tree company on site to undertake works on a number of trees across the property. The majority of the works will involve pruning canopy, removing deadwood, reducing weight and making sure our trees are safe.  They will remove one tree and work on 14 other trees. They will be on site from January 2nd. 

Gutter cleaning

We will have all gutters cleared over the holidays, there will be people on site on January 17th to complete these works. 

Shade Sails

The shade sails in Area 1 will be taken down over the holidays, they will be cleaned and repaired. They will look brand new and should last us about 8 more years once this work has been undertaken. The Area 2 playground, Area 3 playground and Area 4 playground shade sails have all been measured today for repair or replacement. 

New Deapartment webpage 

Help for families and students preparing for a new school year 

A new school year is an exciting time for students and families, but it can be a big step – particularly for those starting Prep or moving to secondary school.

The Department of Education has published a webpage with resources and information to help you prepare for the new school year.

During the school holidays, please consider reading through the resources, which include:

· Tips to help transition between kinder and Prep and primary to secondary school

· What to expect at school

· Help with school costs and fees

· Health and wellbeing guidance to support children’s mental health

· Learning and disability support.

The Department will add more resources and information, case studies and videos to the webpage throughout 2025. 

Please refer to the New year of learning webpage.

Parent concerns

A reminder if you have any questions or concerns about your child's education please speak to their class teacher as a starting point. Shannon and I are always available to answer questions, you can contact the office and make a time to meet with us. 

VICSWIM program details to share

VICSWIM is a 5-day intensive learn to swim and water safety program for children aged 4 to 12 years. 

The Victorian Government subsidises the program. Aquatics and Recreation Victoria runs it. You can share the below details about the program with your school community. You can also use VICSWIM resources, including social media tiles, to help spread the word. 

Program details:

Dates: Monday 6 January to Friday 10 January, Monday 13 January to Friday 17 January, Monday 20 January to Friday 24 January 

Time: 5 lessons, 30 minutes each 

Location: more than 170 pools, beaches and waterways across the state. To find your nearest location, refer to VICSWIM 2025 venues  

Cost: $35 per child for the week. 

For more information and to book, refer to the VICSWIM website. You will need to create an account to book. 

Swim City 

Life Saving Victoria’s Swim City is a program for students and families to help prepare to stay safe in and around the water.  

Swim City is a free online game-based experience where children can learn about water safety from animated characters, Fin, Pod and Splash.  

Swim City is designed to complement swimming lessons. It now includes a module about water safety at farms. 

Swim City resources and promotional material.

2025 dates 

Pupil Free Days: 

Tuesday January 28th 

Tuesday April 22nd 

Wednesday July 2nd 

BPPS Facebook and Instagram

Don't forget to follow our social media accounts and see what is happening at school each day. Boroondara Park Primary School Facebook

Search @BoroondaraPark on Instagram to follow the school.