Principal Report
Our school is located on the land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.
School Saving Bonus
In Term 4, families with a child enrolled in a government school from Prep to Year 12 in 2025 will receive the one-off $400 School Saving Bonus.
The $400 School Saving Bonus provides families with support for education-related costs, such as school activities and/or school uniforms and textbooks.
The School Saving Bonus is not available for full-fee international students, home schooled students, TAFE students and students attending kindergarten in 2025.
Actions for parents and carers
Before 18 October 2024, the Department of Education is asking parents and carers to:
- Complete enrolment: If your child, or children are changing government school for Term 1 2025, or starting Prep or Year 7 in 2025. For more information, read about Enrolling in School.
- Check your contact information: Ensure your email address and phone number is up to date with us. You can check this information by contacting us directly.
We need to ensure your contact information is up to date as the Department of Education will email you twice:
- in October, to verify your email address
- in November, with your $400 School Saving Bonus and access to an online system.
Please check your junk mail regularly to make sure you do not miss an important email.
To learn more about the School Saving Bonus, attached is the School Saving Bonus Information sheet for government school parents and carers or visit vic.gov.au/school-saving-bonus.
Thank you!
Thank you to our amazing Community Engagement team led by Maria, Annette our Canteen manager and Doan for their work to ensure both the Father's Day Breakfast and the Father's Day stall were a success.
Thank you to those members of the community who volunteered to assist with these events.
Trees in Area 2
This last month we have had numerous visits from the plumber. The last visit was again related to the sewer, as sewage was not staying in the pipes!
When trying to identify the ongoing issues and eventually undertaking repairs we have unfortunately found that the roots of the two large trees in the centre of the Area 2 playground are filling the sewer pipes, and the pits. Whilst we love these trees, the cost of continually fixing the pipes and clearing sewer pits, and the possible risk of more leakage has meant we have sadly had to make the decision to remove the trees.
We are planning a project to immediately fill this space with garden area - possibly lifted beds filled with vegetables - that will fill the space with green but not impact the pipes.
End of Term Expo
Our end of term Expo sees our classrooms filled with excitement, lots of movement and noise. We look forward to seeing everyone celebrating the learning for Term 3 on September 13th. Our Community Engagement team will be running a sausage sizzle and arranging games for students from 3.30-5.00pm.
Special thanks to Annette in the Canteen for donating Zooper Doopers for students who attend the sausage sizzle.
Another special thank you to Nikki and her team from TheirCare who will be working hard on the BBQ and who have sponsored this school event.
We are holding a Quiet Expo prior to the main Expo to support access. Whilst we say quiet, everyone knows the students will be excited but there will be fewer people present and we hope to meet the needs of specific visitors in our classrooms.
Child Safe Standards
Our education team has been working hard to review some of our Child Safe policies. The attached policies have been renewed this term.
Student Climate Survey
The Victorian Department of Education is inviting students in years 4 to 12 to take part in the Student Climate Survey.
This is an optional survey to understand what these students think and know about climate change, and how they prefer to learn about it.
The department hopes to use survey findings to better tailor teaching and learning resources for schools.
There are 14 questions in the survey and all responses are anonymous. Students will need consent from a parent or carer to take part.
The survey closes at 5 pm on Tuesday 17 September 2024.
To take part in the survey, students should refer to Student Climate Survey.
Right to disconnect
On Monday 26 August 2024, an amendment to the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Act 2023 came into effect.
The legislation makes explicit that all employees have the right to refuse contact from their employer or a third party (such as a student or a parent) outside of their normal working hours, unless that refusal is unreasonable. This means an employee can refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact that occurs outside their normal working hours.
Where principals, or regional and central department staff contact school employees outside normal working hours, staff have the right to refuse contact outside their normal working hours unless this is unreasonable.
Several factors must be considered when determining whether an employee’s choice not to respond is unreasonable. This includes:
- the reason for the contact
- whether the employee is compensated or paid extra for:
- being available to be contacted to perform work within a specific period, or
- working additional hours outside their ordinary hours of work
- the nature of the employee’s role and level of responsibility
- the employee’s personal circumstances, including family or caring responsibilities.
This change sets clear boundaries for expectations for communications, including that staff have a right not to respond outside working hours.
Dear Ms Lowe - tell me about your child
Each year as part of our planning process I invite parents to spend time considering their child's learning, social and emotional needs for the coming school year.
This is the opportunity for you to consider what you know about your child and enables you to share your thoughts about your child's specific needs so we can work together to provide the best possible learning environment.
As a parent you advocate for your child, you want what is best for them, you support and fight for their needs. It is important we clarify good advocacy. Letting us know your child learns best in an active learning environment, with opportunities to negotiate their learning is good advocacy, whilst requesting a particular teacher for your child is not good advocacy. All children experience different teachers throughout their education. It is important you share information about your child's needs but not tell us which class they need to be placed into.
As indicated above this is not an opportunity to select a teacher - this is not school policy and any requests for specific teachers will not be taken into consideration.
We are proud of our teaching staff, and we work as a highly functional team, planning and working to provide the best learning environment possible at Boroondara Park PS.
Putting together classes is a complex jigsaw, we work to support all students and their needs. It is important to note, we will take your thoughts into consideration, but it will not always be possible to fulfil your requests.
Students will get the opportunity to let us know who they think they would work well with in a class, they will have at least one person on their list in their class.
Prep bags 2024 survey
Have your say about this year’s Prep bags in a short survey, closing Sunday 29 September
Each year, the Department of Education gives every Prep student attending a Victorian government school a bag full of goodies to celebrate this milestone in their education journey. The information and educational resources in the bags are designed to help Prep students and their families thrive from the start of Term 1.
The department is inviting parents and carers of current Prep students to complete a short survey about the 2024 Prep bags, by 5 pm on Sunday 29 September 2024.
Your feedback will help the department learn what families liked about the Prep bags and what can be improved in 2025.
You can have your say atPrep bags 2024 evaluation survey.
The survey takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete, and responses are anonymous.
For more information on this year’s Prep bags, refer to Prep bags.
Emergency Management Plan
Our school has a comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, which is reviewed annually. It is updated throughout the year and sets out the processes and procedures we have in place in case of an emergency.
In each classroom, learning space and office we have evacuation maps and a pocket containing information about what to do if we have to call an evacuation, shelter in place or lockdown.
We are currently having the maps renewed, keep an eye out when you are in a classroom or learning space - they are attached to the wall usually near the door. They provide us all with the safe route out of the building if needed.
This term our evacuation drill will be a desktop review of our risk assessment - for two particular possible scenarios.
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Search @BoroondaraPark on Instagram to follow the school.