And That’s a Wrap on Another Amazing Term!

As we wrap up another busy and exciting Term, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the wonderful experiences and achievements of our students and staff over the past few months. It has truly been a term filled with energy, enthusiasm, and a strong sense of school and community spirit.

One of the highlights this term was our Interschool Cross Country Carnival, where our students displayed outstanding determination and sportsmanship. It was fantastic to see everyone giving their best and supporting one another. Congratulations to those who placed, and to all who participated—you’ve made our school very proud!

We also held our Junior and Senior Athletics Carnivals in Week 9, which were packed with fun, competition, sportsmanship, and a fantastic display of athletic skill. Whether it was running, jumping, or throwing, our students excelled across both individual and team events. We trialled a new system this year with toilets and entry/exit points to the Willetton SHS oval. I credit this system with helping us to finish on time, ensure the safety of our students and work in partnership with our neighbouring schools to minimise the disruption the carnival has caused to their programs in previous years. I want to extend a huge thank you to our PE team, Mrs Bain and Mr Vinci for their hard work in preparing the students, as well as all the organisation for the day. I’d also like to thank Mrs Stone for her amazing administrative skills and Mrs Leece, Mrs Melville, and Ms Lindley for organising many operational matters behind the scenes to ensure the carnival ran smoothly. It’s important to acknowledge all our staff who arrived early and stayed late to help set up and pack up too. The job description of an educator is very broad and much of the extra time and effort we give to these events is done in the spirit of goodwill and a passion for supporting the students, there is no financial reimbursement for the weekend and after-school hours work that running a successful carnival requires.

In addition to the staff, I’d like to acknowledge our P&C parents and volunteers who helped to run the cake stall on the day. I know that students loved having the opportunity to purchase some sweet and savoury treats to keep their energy levels up, and am thankful for the money the stall raises each year.

On the weekend following the carnivals, we held a Busy Bee to clean, tidy, prune, weed and mulch our school gardens. Although we only had three parents attend alongside our school staff, we accomplished a huge amount. I would like to thank the following people for sacrificing their Saturday and time with family and friends to instead work on our school grounds:

- Mrs Annie Leece (Business Manager)

- Mrs Bek Melville (Deputy Principal)

- Ms Kelly Lindley (Deputy Principal)

- Miss Michele Marlow (Teacher) and Patrick (Former Student)

- Mrs Kiara Duvall (Teacher) and Hunter (Student)

- Mr Mitch Sherston (Parent and School Board Chair)

- Mr Myint Thaung (Parent)

- Mrs Yalin Lao (Parent) and Albert (Student)

Unfortunately, due to the small number of parents who volunteered we were unable to complete all the tasks on our ‘to-do’ list.

You may have noticed that we have started the restoration of our Chinese Garden located on the north/west side of our school playground. In the coming months, we hope to replant the gardens around the gazebo and paint the structure. Next year the restoration will include a new deck, Chinese bridge, and seating area. Once restored this area will become an outdoor classroom, as well as a quiet place to sit during recess and lunch.

Our students have started rehearsals for the Massed Choir Festival. They attended Churchlands SHS on the 10th September and performed beautifully alongside others from across WA, showcasing their hard work and talent, as well as exceptional behaviour. Two of our students have again managed to secure a place as a soloist and a compere. Peyton Garner will be featured as a soloist and Betty Huang will be one of the two comperes for the evening – an incredible achievement and opportunity to showcase the talents of our wonderful students. We are looking forward to the performance on Friday 1st November.

Our school also had the privilege of participating in the STEM Conference on Wednesday 18th September, where some of WA’s brightest young minds explored new technologies, collaborative projects, and creative problem-solving techniques. It was inspiring to witness their curiosity and engagement in this ever-important field. The theme of the conference ‘STEM – making and shaping the future’ highlighted how STEM develops the transferable skills and mindsets that will empower young people to shape not only their future but the future of the world. Burrendah Primary School selected 25 students to attend the conference this year. Mrs Crouch identified students from Years 4-6 who show exceptional potential and enthusiasm in STEM during Science lessons.

Congratulations to all the students selected to attend, we hope you have an amazing day. This is one of the many extra-curricular opportunities we provide at Burrendah Primary School to extend and support our students with gifts and talents or the ability to be academically challenged.

On a more personal note, we will be saying a fond farewell to two valued members of our school team. Mrs Sarah Hustwick, our wonderful School Officer, will be leaving us to return to Richmond Primary School. Sarah has been an integral part of our school for in Term 3, and her dedication, kindness, knowledge, and professionalism will be greatly missed. We also say goodbye to Mrs Jianye Wei, our Ethnic Education Assistant, whose support and commitment to our students and families have been invaluable. Mrs Wei wishes to reduce her working commitments due to the needs of her children and therefore is unable to continue in the role. We wish both Mrs Hustwick and Mrs Wei the very best in their future endeavours and thank them for their outstanding contributions to our school.

Often when we say goodbye to some of our team members, it also means we say hello to new staff. In Term 4, I would like to welcome:

Mrs Alejandra Pretorius will be joining our administration team as a School Officer on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in Term 4. Mrs Pretorius has an interesting background in media and marketing and has already shown great skill in learning and applying school processes.

Mrs Leesa Spencer will also be joining our Special Needs Education Team. Mrs Spencer is a very experienced Special Needs EA, having recently worked at Parkwood Primary School and Castlereagh School. She brings a range of skills in working with children with autism as well as running social skills programs such as Rhythm to Recovery (otherwise known as Drumbeat).

Mrs Angela Ocholimoi will also join our team as an Ethnic Assistant. Mrs Ocholimoi has worked for the past 10 years as an Ethnic Assistant in an Intensive English Centre, as well as extensive experience supporting immigrants and refugees with settling into the Australian way of life. Mrs Ocholimoi will take on a mixed role, supporting students in the classroom as part of our EAL/D Team and building relationships with our parents and carers by running parent workshops, morning teas and cultural clubs.

This term, we also recognised R U OK? Day on Wednesday 11th September. RU OK Day is an important reminder about the significance of checking in with one another. Our teachers wore yellow and paused during recess to share a coffee and catch up. This was kindly supported by Camp Australia who donated funds for a Coffee Van – Ruby on Wheels. The Ruby Girl's mission statement is "To provide unique and equitable opportunities for people of all abilities relating to employment, events and practical life experiences." Their two vans, Ruby On Wheels, are the only coffee vans in Perth staffed by people with disability. The van continues the work of Our Ruby Girl Cafe in Como, by employing and upskilling our staff with disability in order to improve their social and emotional wellbeing and increase their opportunities to be engaged in meaningful work.

Our students were also engaged in activities promoting the importance of reaching out to a trusted adult or friend when they feel overwhelmed or need help. It was a heartwarming day that reinforced the power of connection and communication within and across our school and our extended community.

As we approach the end of the term, I’d like to wish all our families and staff a safe and restful school holiday. It’s been a rewarding and productive term, and I hope everyone takes this well-deserved break to recharge and spend quality time with loved ones.

We look forward to seeing everyone back on Tuesday 8th October, refreshed and ready for an exciting Term 4!

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