From the Assistant Principal

What a week! The positive vibes at Banyule Primary this week have been reallly evident as we've been celebrating all things Literacy and Numeracy. Seeing the commitment to Wednesday's dress up day by not only the children, but the entire staff team, again reaffirmed that I'm now well and truly part of a very special place. Both Natalie and I went with a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' theme for our outfit, and while it was somewhat lost on a lot of those that weren't brought up on the books like we were in the 80's, hopefully we inspired children to check them out. The opportunity to leave the typical work attire in the wardrobe and mix boardshorts with a cowboy shirt and a tutu was a bonus. Such a hoot!

'Finding Our Heart' Story Walk

Visitors to our school may have noticed a new addition to the yard with the story walk display installed on the weekend. Adding vibrancy to the construction fencing below the new administration building, the story walk shares the Thomas Mayor story 'Finding Our Heart' picture book that explains the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart for young readers. There are 21 placards to explore and they will be here for another week before heading off to another school.

Backyard Blitz

Another change in the yard some may have noticed is the revamped garden at the end of the Senior School building. While the building project restricts some of the areas of the yard we can work on ourselves, we took the opportunity to tackle a section of the yard not impacted by the project and the before, during and after photos below show what a few green-thumbed students can achieve. 

Student Voice

This week I invited the Grade 6 Captains to eat their lunch with me and share their thoughts and ideas about the challenges of using the yard during the building project. We specifically looked at the sports field and ideas on reducing the risk of ball-induced injuries. The Captains came up with great solutions to try such as capping the number of balls used to one per goal, restricting the playing space to one game per goal and even having a ball free period where the space can be used as a passive green space. We look forward to trialling some of their solutions. 

Sun Protection 

Continuing my accidental theme of all things outdoor, this is just a reminder that from the 1st of September, hats we remember, as our Sun Protection Policy becomes active. Students are now required to wear their school hat or a hat that protects the face, head, neck and ears when outdoors, for example a broad-brimmed, legionnaire or bucket hat.

Students are also encouraged to bring their own SPF30 (or higher) broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen to school.

That concludes the 'outdoors' edition of my newsletter page. May the weekend provide you all with the chance to have some fun outdoors.