Hello BRPS Community,

Welcome to Term Two - can you believe we're three weeks in? We hope you had a relaxing break over the recent Easter holidays and especially enjoyed the recent burst of warm sunshine - at least up until this week!

We're excited for the learning and activities planned for this term.

Mother's and Special Person's Day

Wishing you all a happy and meaningful Mother’s and Special Person’s Day this coming weekend.

Whether it is a mother, grandmother, guardian, or another special person, we know all of the students in our school appreciate the vital role in nurturing, guiding, and supporting our children each day.

At our school, we are grateful for the strong partnerships we share with families and caregivers. Your encouragement, care, and involvement help create a positive foundation for learning and wellbeing.

This special occasion has been celebrated within our classrooms, where students will have the opportunity to express their appreciation in thoughtful and creative ways. On behalf of our entire school community, I extend sincere thanks to all those who make a difference in the lives of our children.

Professional Learning - Dr Lorraine Hammond

Last Friday, 1st May, staff from four local schools joined many other educators from across the network for a highly successful combined schools Professional Learning session led by Dr Lorraine Hammond - a renowned national expert in early literacy and explicit direct instruction.

For our school, the Professional Learning was particularly affirming as it reinforced and consolidated our existing understanding of approaches to effective literacy instruction.

With clear connections to learning science and current classroom practice, the workshop will help us to further refine and enhance our already strong approaches to teaching literacy from Foundation to Year 6, improving outcomes for all students.

Thank you to Assistant Principal Emily Harvey, for engaging Dr Hammond as the presenter, and to Brighton Primary School for their generous hosting of almost 200 educators on the day.

Curriculum Days - Student Free

Our next student-free day is Friday 5th June (adjoining King's Birthday Long Weekend). Camp Australia have opened bookings for a full-day program - please see the attached flyer and book by Wednesday 13th May.

The remaining 2026 student-free days are:

Friday 5th June
Friday 20th November
Friday 18th December (final day for students will be Thursday 17th December)

Early Arrivals and Supervision

We frequently see students arriving at school well before 8.45am, even between 8am-8.15am. Senior students arriving early by bike and remaining in the bike shed is a specific concern.

We kindly remind all parents and carers that school supervision begins at 8:45am, when staff are rostered on yard duty.

Students should not arrive at school before 8:45am, as there is no staff supervision available prior to this time.

If your child needs to arrive earlier, they must be booked into our Outside School Hours Care provider, Camp Australia, who offer a fully supervised and engaging Before School Care program.

Ensuring students arrive at the correct time helps us maintain a safe and well-supervised environment for everyone.

Thank you for your support and cooperation.

MORNING ROUTINES

Parents can assist us to ensure a calm morning by talking about and reinforcing the morning routines that ensure readiness for learning. These include walking through school grounds, waiting quietly outside classrooms before soft-starts commence and ensuring that all sports equipment (especially basketballs/footballs) is kept in bags or held on to on the way to class.

Save the Date - Parent Social Night - Sat 8th August

The Community Events and Engagement Team are planning a fun and inclusive parent social evening for Term 3.

Please save the date for what should be a wonderful evening to bring our parent community together in a local event.

Further details about the night will be forwarded soon via Compass NewsFeed.

ART SHOW

It Takes a Community to Raise a Child - Thur 18 June

Students from Beaumaris Secondary College, Black Rock Primary School, Beaumaris North Primary School and Beaumaris Primary School have been working on a range of artistic projects that explore the theme: ‘It Takes a Community to Raise a Child’.

This promises to be a joyful evening that highlights the strength of our local community and the creativity of our young people. We would love to see you there.

Please save the date and see the Visual Arts page for additional information.

Thank you to our Arts team - Beth Tyrrell, Lauren Bell and Matt Halford - for their collaboration and support to prepare our students for this event.

House Cross Country

We're very excited about the upcoming House Cross Country to be held on the school oval on Wednesday 13th May.

The weather looks amazing and the event is a wonderful opportunity for the entire school to come together and cheer on their friends and members of their House in races from Foundation to Year 6.

Further information can be found on the Health and Physical Education page.

2022-2026 School Review

Our school will soon take part in the Victorian Government’s School Review process, an important opportunity to reflect on our progress and plan for the future. This review occurs every four years and involves evaluating our achievements, identifying areas for improvement, and setting clear directions to support student learning and wellbeing.

As part of the process, input from our parent community is highly valued. There may be opportunities for families to share feedback through surveys or discussions, helping ensure the review reflects the perspectives of our whole school community.

We look forward to engaging in this process and working together to continue providing the best possible outcomes for all students.

Parent Payments and Voluntary Contributions

The Compass Portal remains live 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.

Intensive Swimming Programs

Congratulations to the Year 3/4 students and team for completing the first of our school's 2026 intensive swimming programs.

As part of the Victorian Curriculum F–10, students are required to participate in swimming and water safety education and work towards demonstrating the knowledge and skills identified to achieve the Victorian Water Safety Certificate.

Year 3/4 students were well-organised and participated keenly to improve their swim strokes and water safety skills through the cumulative daily practice.

The dates for the remaining swim programs can be found here.

2027 Foundation Enrolments

We have now held four well-attended tours for prospective 2027 Foundation students. This year we are using the Department of Education’s secure digital enrolment system called VicStudents. This means you can submit your Foundation (Prep) applications online and receive updates through the system

If you are aware of any families that are seeking a school for next year, please direct them to our website for information about these events and the enrolment process.

Sibling enrolments for Foundation 2027 are now open thrrough the digital enrolment system. Please see the BRPS Website or inquire at the office for information and support.

Year 5 Camp - Phillip Island

Despite the challenging weather, our Year 5 students are enjoying an amazing time at "The Island" Phillip Island.

A brave visit to the Fairy Penguins saw three equally brave penguins emerge from the deep, before the group had to make a run for it to beat the driving rain.

Some adjustments have been made to the program due to the weather, however the students and staff have reported resilience and care for one another to make the most of the time. The students are happy, as always the giant swing was a hit, and the talent show was a highlight as students were entertained by dances, comedy and magic! Everyone reportedly slept very well in their cosy rooms overnight.

As always, I extend an enormous amount of gratitude and thanks to the Year 5 teachers (Catherine Brand, Jacqui Hutchinson, Emma Brindley, Steve Muller, Rowan Doyle and Brett Herskope, as well as Adam Littlehales, for their effort and commitment in planning such a successful and safe camp. We know that camp involves 24-hour responsibilities and duty of care to provide such a rich and rewarding experience for our students. I thank all of the staff attending for spending half the week away from their families in support of this experience for our students.

Looking Ahead - Term 2

Please continue to check the Compass Calendar and your News Feed for updates about school events and activities, as well as the dates pages on this newsletter.

We wish everyone a wonderful month ahead.

Sam Tyndall Emily Harvey

PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Camp Australia OSHC