From the Principal
Italian Consul General visit
We were delighted to welcome the Italian Consul General, Chiara Mauri, to our end of term assembly. During her visit, she presented students with participation certificates and achievement medallions to acknowledge their participation in the highly regarded international Giochi Matematici del Mediterraneo competition.
This was our first time taking part, and we are the only school in Australia to do so! Molto grazie to Nancy and Giuliano for making this possible.Whilst it is an individual competition, we were so proud of our students for their team spirit throughout and the way they encouraged each other to do their best. It was really special to see the warm response of the whole student cohort toward their peers during the presentation. It was a lovely finish to the term!
Term 2 Professional Learning day
To begin the new term with clear direction and purpose, staff participated in a fantastic professional learning day on their first day back from the break. The sessions centred around our Strategic Plan goal: Strengthening students’ capabilities to thrive, contribute, and respond positively to challenges and opportunities.
Academic growth begins with students feeling safe and a strong sense of belonging—and this is an area where BSPS truly shines. It was a pleasure to share highlights from our 2024 survey data with staff and take a moment to celebrate this success together.
For example:
Staff Opinion Survey: These results tell a really positive story about what it’s like to work at our school, with highly collaborative staff teams, a strong sense of Collective Responsibility (BSPS 92%, Network 87%) and a strong Collective Focus on Student Learning (BSPS 94%, Network 82%).
Student Opinion Survey: These results tell us that our students have a strong sense of connectedness to their school (76%), that they feel safe and have a trusted adult at school (84%).
Parent Caregiver Guardian Opinion Survey: Again, excellent data showing our parent community are highly supportive of our school. It’s wonderful to see the strong positive response to the Safety measures, with Respect for Diversity (BSPS 95% Network 90%) and Promoting Positive Behaviour right up at 96%, well above other Network schools (87%).
Dr Matt Harrison and Jess Rowlings from the University of Melbourne ran an engaging and highly practical workshop with teachers and Education Support staff about ways to foster inclusive learning communities. Caro, our Wellbeing Leading Teacher, provided an overview of the processes in place at our school to identify and support those students who may benefit from more specific strategies at different times. Staff then met as Learning Area teams to apply this new learning and complete their Term 2 preparations.
Students have settled back into school routines very smoothly and we’re off to a great start to the new term!
Italian Day
After hearing so much about it, I finally got to experience my very first BSPS Italian Day! Che spettacolo! Huge thanks to our tireless Bilingual Engagement Leader, Nancy, and Bilingual Pedagogy Leader, Chiara, for coordinating this much-loved event, along with essential behind-the-scenes assistance from Mary and others to make it all happen. There is a full run-down of all the festivities further in this newsletter.
Interschool Sport
Our Year 5/6 students took part in the School Sport Victoria Interschool Sport program for the first time last week, with our very first outing at Gillon Oval. Our wonderful new PE teacher, Ciara, has done an amazing job organising teams in soccer and t-ball. Interschool sport is a fantastic opportunity for students to demonstrate our school values of Mutual Respect and Sense of Possibility as they represent their school with pride, to meet new people and of course, to be active! Students have written our inaugural Sport Report, which you’ll find further in this newsletter.
Students voted to choose the team name and colour for our team jersey last term, and not surprisingly, BSPS pink was their preference. Name suggestions included Bilingual Bilbies, Lupi, Brunswick South Bluetongues and the Kaleidoscopes, but Insieme United was the clear winner! The jerseys are being supplied by Dobsons and are made with upcycled polyester. We have ordered enough for 5 teams in a range of sizes so that students can borrow them and return them afterward. Hopefully they are delivered soon!
Student Action Team of the Year Finalists!
Student voice and agency is a strong feature of the BSPS culture, and our very own Environment Action Team have been announced as finalists in the Resource Smart Schools Awards this year! They have been invited to attend the award ceremony at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on June 5th to celebrate not only their own achievements, but that of other like-minded students across the state. Regardless of the outcome, we are so proud of our very inspiring students! Special thanks to Eileen, Tristen, Jenny, Noel and Kelley for their support.
Review of lunch order offering
Thank you to all those who have submitted their feedback into our review of the current lunch order offering. We’ve had a fantastic response, with lots of very constructive feedback. We appreciate your input! We look forward to providing an update soon.
Finally, sincere thanks to Stef Zunga and her merry band of volunteers for their efforts at our Election Day fundraising stalls on Saturday. All proceeds will go toward the Inclusion Space decking project, which is expected to get underway very soon.
Ciao for now,
Kristie