Principal Report

Open Classrooms and Welcome BBQ 

Our Open Classrooms are a wonderful way to get to know the learning environment your child is a part of this year.  

Having a strong home school relationship supports your child's education, academically and socially.  This article from Raising Children provides information about Building Strong Partnerships. 

Exploring the classroom environment can assist you to engage with school and support your child’s learning throughout the year. This is also a chance to ask any questions about the teaching and learning at Boroondara Park PS or what’s happening throughout the school year. We hope you have been able take the time to explore the classroom including the rules and behaviour expectations - together we can support your child to be their best learner in 2025. 

These documents were sent home via COMPASS with the invitation to the Open Classrooms and Welcome BBQ.  

Thanks to our School Council and Community engagement team for our Welcome BBQ. A great chance to catch up, reconnect and get to know new members of our school community. 

Visible Wellbeing 

At Boroondara Park Primary School we prioritise social and emotional wellbeing through our safe and supportive learning environment, evidence-based strategies, our curriculum programs and whole school community engagement. 

To support this, in 2025 we are implementing the Visible Wellbeing Framework which will provide links to all parts of our wellbeing program. 

Visible Wellbeing (VWB) is a whole school approach to wellbeing combining the science of wellbeing with the science of learning to achieve the three key goals of:

• helping students and staff to more clearly see their own and other’s wellbeing using VWB practices.
• helping students and staff more systematically build wellbeing using the SEARCH framework.
• facilitating learning through the visible wellbeing classroom process.

Designed by internationally recognised psychologist, Lea Waters AM, PhD, the purpose of Visible Wellbeing is to empower staff with a comprehensive framework, language, and practices to foster wellbeing within the classroom environment. 

On Tuesday January 28th staff began the Visible Wellbeing (VWB) journey by participating in a 

workshop. We were introduced to the SEARCH Wellbeing Framework and VWB philosophy, its evidence base, and an outline of the core WVB practice – see – hear – feel – used to identify wellbeing in the classroom, staffroom and beyond.

The learning involved in Visible Wellbeing will take place over the next two years as we continue to embed the language of VWB and practice into our classrooms. 

We will provide more information to the community after our second workshop in April. 

School Review 

School undertakes a Review every four years to inform the direction of the four-year Strategic Plan. This year Boroondara Park Primary School will have a Review. 

The Review has two distinct parts - 

• the preparation of the pre-review self-evaluation (PRSE) where the school reviews data and other evidence to form a collective view of current practice and areas for improvement. 

• a review facilitated by an independent school reviewer across three days with a panel comprising the principal, school council president, Senior Education Improvement Leader (SEIL) and challenge partners. The panel considers the PRSE and undertakes addition fieldwork activities including classroom observations, focus groups (students, staff and parents) and interviews. 

The Review concludes with a report proposing draft goals, targets and key improvement strategies for the school's next Strategic Plan. 

Attendance 

This week we provided information about attendance via COMPASS - it is included below in case you missed the news item. 

Attendance and missing school can impact on a child's education. 

Everyday Counts. Children and young people learn, socialise and develop important skills at school, which helps to build connection and to foster a sense of belonging.

Going to school every day is an important part of your child’s education. Children and young people learn new things at school every day, connect with friends, have fun and develop good habits that help them to succeed after school. Attending and participating in school will help your child:

• develop important skills and knowledge to help them learn
• develop social and emotional skills such as good communication, resilience and teamwork
• establish friendships with peers which help develop self-esteem and a sense of belonging.

There is no safe number of days for missing school. Being away from school for 1 day a fortnight adds up to missing 4 whole weeks of school a year. Where possible, you should avoid your child missing school, for example, make appointments for your child outside of school hours and keep family holidays to outside term time.

If your child is sick or absent you should let the school know as soon as possible and tell them why your child can’t come to school. You can do this via COMPASS. It is important to note all absences should be explained. Schools need to know when and why a student is absent so you must let the school know as soon as possible on the day of absence and explain why your child can’t come to school. If you do not let the school know, we must contact you on the same day to make sure your child is safe - this is done via an email from COMPASS.

Talk to the school if your child needs to take an extended period of time off and find out what work we can do to keep up with their learning and other ways to stay connected while they are away.

As a parent/carer, you are legally required to ensure your child attends school every day, and if an absence is required, you must provide an explanation.

If your child has frequented unexplained absences, then the school will work with you to implement appropriate supports to assist your child and ensure they attend school every day and remain at school during school hours.

If the supports do not improve your child’s attendance, the school might make a referral to a school attendance officer in the Department of Education. The school attendance officer will monitor and investigate your child’s attendance, and may issue a warning, an attendance notices or a fine.

In our role we regularly review absences, if your child is away unexplained for a period of time, we will contact you to check in, we monitor attendance and will reach out if we are concerned your child's absences are impacting their learning. It is vital that you explain all absences, we will regularly contact families during the school year to ask them to attend to any unexplained absences. Parents have found it is easier to complete them as you go rather than have a considerable amount to try and remember about at the end of a month.

Your child might refuse to go to school. This is different to truancy. School refusal can occur in instances where a student is experiencing significant emotional distress about attending school and their parents/carers and the school are working together to support them to identify the underlying issue/s.

Signs of school refusal include:

• an expressed reluctance to attend school
• sleep disturbance
• psychosomatic complaints (headaches, nausea)
• emotional distress when faced with the prospect of attending school
• avoidance behaviours (not wanting to get out of bed, not wanting to get ready for school, hiding or refusing to leave the house, refusing to get out of the car).

It can be normal for children to go through a stage where they refuse to go to school. If you think your child is experiencing school refusal, it is important to find out why they don’t want to go to school. Speak to us about what’s happening and then we can work together to find solutions. Speak to your child’s classroom teacher in relation to accessing support for your child if they are experiencing school refusal.

Volunteer induction and registration 

It has been fantastic to see a number of parents complete the induction and registration so that they can volunteer at BPPS in 2025. This link will take you to the google form so you can undertake the induction/registration. 

All volunteers must undertake the induction and register to be involved in school activities. 

Volunteer induction and registration

School Council Elections

At the time of nominations closing, we had three nominations for the parent category of school council. As there were fewer nominations than positions those who nominated have been duly elected to school council. The elected parents are John Lee, Davina Aliotta and Ross Bartel. 

 A further period of nomination has been called for the fourth parent category position on School Council. This closes on February 20th at 4pm. 

Yard supervision

Each morning, we have supervision in the yard from 8.45am. This supervision happens in Area 2/3 and Area 1. Students who arrive at school before this time should be supervised by parents and carers. They should not be left in the yard unsupervised. 

Their Care is available from 7.00am in the morning and until 6.30pm in the afternoon. 

Carparks

Our school has three carparks for employees. The car parks might not always be full, but that does not mean they are available to parent for parking.  At times parents will enter the Almond St carpark to use the disabled parking at the front door. 

Parents should take note of parking restrictions around the school and ensure they follow these. This is especially important in the drop zones which are: 

• between the Almond St gates
• the turning circle in Bolinda Rd  

BPPS Facebook and Instagram

Don't forget to follow our social media accounts and see what is happening at school each day. Boroondara Park Primary School Facebook

Search @BoroondaraPark on Instagram to follow the school.