Buninyong PS Newsletter

Principal's Report

TERM 3 BEGINS

Welcome back to everyone and we hope you have had a nice break, despite the weather not being particularly kind.  We’re certainly in for a cold and damp first week, but it’s good to know we’re past the halfway mark of winter.

 

This term is just nine weeks, which is going to feel short after an 11 week term two. And we have plenty packed into the term, so there is lots to look forward to.  These include:

 

  • Celebrating NAIDOC Week
  • Visits from the local Kinder next week
  • A school disco in week 2…we know that will be huge
  • South Street Debating
  • Continuation of Young Authors’ Workshops and Think Tank excursions
  • A final VSSS (Victorian State School Spectacular) rehearsal, followed by dress rehearsals & then the big performance on September 13
  • 100 Days of School celebration with the Preps
  • Book Week from August 18-22, which will include a dress up day on the Friday
  • Our Fathers’ Day Stall on September 5.  This year we’ll also throw in a Father’s Day breakfast, which will happen on September 4
  • Grade 5-6 camp to Melbourne in week 6
  • Students representing our school at Division level competition and above in various sports (Division Basketball, Regional AFL, State Cross Country, Division Athletics and Regional Lawn Bowls competitions are locked in at this stage)
  • Preps Wildlife Park excursion
  • Prep - 4 and Scotsburn swimming programs
  • The Celebration of Learning event in the final week of term
  • Finishing off the term with the Footy Colours Day, sausage sizzle and Mphatso fundraiser.

HOLIDAY PROJECTS

We like to use the term breaks to get a few things done while there are no students on site.  Sometimes this involves a range of trades, but that wasn’t the case on this occasion.  We had painters on site completing a range of small jobs, the most significant being the art room at Scotsburn.  This space needed some attention and now looks like new.

 

The other key work was completed by Simon, our maintenance man.  Simon worked on the synthetic turf area between the old building and the basketball court at the Buninyong Campus.  Areas where soil had washed out from under the synthetic turf were back filled and retaining works completed to prevent that happening again.  To finish the job off, fence palings that had rotted at the bottom were replaced.  That area will be fit for purpose for a number of years now.

SHORT TERM REPLACEMENT OF TEACHERS

We thought it might be timely to explain the approach we take to the short-term replacement of teaching staff, given it has been a while since this information has been communicated and given the landscape in this space has changed quite a bit in the past few years.

 

We know that students do best when they have solid routines and certainty at school, and this underpins the approach we take to the replacement of teachers.  When a classroom teacher is absent, we are conscious of managing the situation in a way that allows students to feel comfortable through known routines and a continuation of their learning.  This also needs to be dealt with in a manner that is manageable for staff.

 

When a teacher is absent, our first option is to replace them with a CRT (Casual Relief Teacher) or with a member of staff that is without classroom teaching responsibilities (usually Mr Georgiou, Mr Rodgers or a member from the leadership team). 

 

Obviously, we want our CRTs to come in and do a good job, both in terms of the learning and wellbeing of students.  To achieve this, all CRTs participate in an induction process and all efforts are made by neighbouring classroom teachers and leadership to ensure CRTs on a given day are well supported.  We have a small pool of trusted CRTs that we use where possible, which helps keep everything settled when teachers are absent.

 

Unfortunately, the pool of Casual Relief Teachers is limited at the moment, which means that sometimes we’re unable to find the number of CRTs required on a given day.  In these instances, we go to our secondary groupings, which is where the students are distributed (split is a term you have probably heard the kids use) to other classes (usually three or four per class). 

 

This is managed at the start of the school day by a member from the leadership team and there are no surprises for the kids as they know which class they always go to when their class is reorganised. Where possible students go to a class at the same year level, but this is not always possible. 

 

Host teachers for students on these days make every effort to ensure the learning continues for any additional students they have on these days. 

 

To stay within budget, there are times when an absent teacher is not replaced, but this is not something that happens on a regular basis. To give everyone a sense of how often classes are re-arranged because teachers have not been replaced, in the term just gone, this occurred 30 times across the school at an average of just above one per class.

 

We closely monitor where classes have been re-organised into their secondary groupings, making sure no individual class or year level is significantly impacted.

 

All of the above relates to short term absences, which is quite different to the way longer term teacher absences are managed.  In these cases, every effort is made to have one of our trusted CRTs in place for the entire period that a teacher is absent.  Unfortunately, this is not always possible, but we do our best to minimise changes and disruption for the kids.

 

Hopefully what I’ve explained above makes sense and please feel free to give me a call at any stage if you’d like to know more.

2025 Student Principal for a Day Competition

In celebration of Principal’s Day on Friday 1 August, we’re once again giving one lucky student the chance to step into the top job and become Student Principal for a Day!

 

This is a unique opportunity to shadow our principal team – Mr Conlan, Mrs Phillips and Mrs Sullivan – and experience what it’s like to help lead our school for the day. The winning student will develop leadership skills, gain insight into school decision-making, and have the chance to share ideas that could make a real difference to our school community.

 

How to apply: The competition is open to all students. To be considered, please submit an application of no more than one A4 page (this can be written or presented creatively) explaining:

  • Why you would like to be Student Principal for a Day
  • An idea or opportunity you’d like to explore to help improve our school
  • What makes you a great fit for this leadership role

Our principal team will review the applications and select a winner based on creativity, enthusiasm and thoughtful ideas.

 

Good luck to all applicants – we can’t wait to hear your big ideas!