It has been another busy and positive week at Bolinda, with plenty happening both in and around the school.

One of the biggest milestones this week has been the commencement of Bolinda OSHC.

After many months of planning and preparation, it has been fantastic to finally see our Before and After School Care program up and running. A big welcome to Emma, who has done a wonderful job settling into the role, and thank you to the families who have supported the service during its first week.

Next week, we are very excited to welcome three new students to the Bolinda community. It is always wonderful to see our school community growing, and we are very proud that families are choosing Bolinda for their children.

One of the special things about being a small school is that every new student quickly becomes an important part of our community. Our students always do a terrific job of welcoming new faces, helping them settle in and making sure they feel like they belong from the very beginning.

We look forward to welcoming our newest students and their families to Bolinda next week!

Visit from Kate Kendall

Last week, I welcomed Kate Kendall, the new Liberal candidate for Macedon and former Mayor of the Macedon Ranges, to Bolinda Primary School. Kate was very interested in coming out to Bolinda to tour our wonderful school and learn more about our school community.

When I met with Kate, I had the opportunity to speak with her about what makes Bolinda such a special place – our exceptional children, our dedicated staff and our amazing community. I also took her on a tour of the school so she could see our facilities firsthand.

Kate was a little taken aback by the condition and age of some of our buildings. While we know that tremendous learning doesn't require the very best facilities – something our students and staff demonstrate every day – Kate expressed the view that the facilities available to our students should be in line with those provided at other schools. Following her visit, Kate committed to raising the needs of Bolinda Primary School with the Leader of the Liberal Party and the Shadow Minister for Education.

School Council's position has always been that any genuine advocacy for our school is a step in the right direction. We welcome the opportunity to show decision-makers, candidates and community representatives what makes Bolinda so special, while continuing to advocate for the facilities our students, staff and community deserve.

We thank Kate for taking the time to visit, listen and see our school firsthand, and we hope to hear from her soon regarding any developments.

Junior Landcare Gets Planting

Although Schools Tree Day officially took place on Friday 24 July, we were finally able to get our planting underway this week!

Our Junior Landcare students rolled up their sleeves and helped plant a range of new plants around the school grounds. The project is another step towards increasing the greenery around Bolinda Primary School while giving our students the opportunity to learn about caring for their environment.

A big thank you to Julie from Landcare, who joined us and helped our students with the planting, and to Greener Cooler West for generously donating the plants.

We can't wait to watch them grow!

Bolinda OSHC – Our First Week

This week marked the beginning of a new chapter for Bolinda Primary School with our Before and After School Care program officially commencing.

It has been fantastic to see students enjoying the program and settling so quickly into our new Before and After School Care service. In the afternoons, the smell of ham and cheese toasties has been filling the hallways, while the happy voices coming from the library have been lovely to hear as children play Lego, get creative with arts and crafts, and enjoy games together.

It has been wonderful to see the program already becoming such a relaxed and enjoyable part of the school day for our students.

Thank you to Emma for a terrific first week and to our families for supporting the service as we get it established.

Bookings for Bolinda OSHC remain available through FullyBooked.

Raising Kids in a Digital World

A reminder that Bolinda Primary School has partnered with Inform & Empower to provide families with practical, evidence-based advice about supporting children in today's digital world.

Wednesday 12 August – 7:00 pm at Romsey Primary School

The 90-minute session will explore social media, screen time, online gaming, cyberbullying, current online trends, explicit content, parental controls, family communication and practical strategies for supporting children online.

We strongly encourage interested parents and carers to attend.

Book Week – Save the Date!

Book Week is coming!

This year's Book Week will run from Monday 24 August to Friday 28 August, with the theme:

Symphony of Stories

Our annual Book Week Dress-Up Day will be held on Thursday 27 August.

Students are invited to come dressed as a favourite book character and join in our Book Week celebrations.

More information about our Book Week activities will be shared soon.

District Athletics

We wish our 14 Bolinda students heading to District Athletics, next Friday, all the very best!

Representing our school at the next level is a fantastic achievement, and we know our students will represent Bolinda with pride, determination and great sportsmanship.

Most importantly, enjoy the experience, support each other and have a great day!

Bolinda Birthdays