Message from Bev and Kim

Welcome back to Term 2! It’s been an energetic start to the term, with students already diving into a range of exciting learning experiences and events across the school.

Cross Country

Our Grade 3–6 Cross Country event was a fantastic display of persistence and resilience. Congratulations to Gordon for taking out the winning house title, and well done to all students who challenged themselves and cheered on their peers on the day. Students in Grades 4-6 who placed in the top 12 will go on to represent our school at the District Cross Country on Wednesday 13th May, with further information to come shortly. Thank you to our kind parent helpers for giving time to the event, and to Josh Ancrum for his organisation. 

ANZAC Day

Last week, our school community came together to acknowledge ANZAC Day through a thoughtful and respectful ceremony led by our Grade 4 students. We thank Miss Wickes, along with our School and Community Captains, for representing our school so proudly at the Hampton RSL service. A full report can be found in the Leadership section of this newsletter.

Teaching Excellence at BBPS

At BBPS, we are incredibly proud of the expertise, dedication and care our teachers bring to their work each and every day. We continue to receive wonderful feedback from families recognising how our staff go above and beyond to support every student to be their best, and this is something we deeply value. With an average of 15 years of teaching experience across our school, our team brings a wealth of knowledge, skill and professionalism to the classroom, underpinned by a genuine commitment to knowing each learner and supporting their growth.

Alongside this experience sits a strong culture of continuous improvement. Our teachers engage in weekly professional learning aligned to our Annual Implementation Plan priorities, with a current focus on strengthening how we check for student understanding and respond to data to both support and extend learners in literacy and numeracy. Staff also have the opportunity to work alongside our instructional coach, Shanti Treloar, within classrooms, refining practice in real time. This is complemented by attendance to external professional learning in areas such as neurodiversity, mental health and inclusive education, as well as mentor partnerships across the school that support and develop our early career teachers.

To further celebrate the expertise within our school, we’ll be introducing a regular staff spotlight in our newsletter. This will be an opportunity for our community to get to know the people behind the classrooms – their experiences, passions and the thinking that underpins their practice. We hope this insight helps families better understand the depth of knowledge and care that guides the learning experiences we design for students every day.

We begin with our Grade 6 dream team.

Above: Our Grade 6 teachers: Mark Coulston (left) and Will Crossland (right).

Mark Coulston

What inspired you to become a teacher?

After completing a degree in Economics and Business, I was working in the finance industry full time where a lot of my clients were actually teachers. Whenever I spoke to them about teaching, they always responded with such enthusiasm and joy. They gave amazing insights into the variety that teaching had to offer, especially at a primary level. I was also captain of my football team and leading a group towards a common goal was something that I took great pride in. Making the jump into education felt like the right move, and is the best decision I ever made.

What do you love most about working at BBPS?

I have worked in a range of schools, be it private, interstate or around metro Melbourne. BBPS is unique. It has a warmth that not all institutions are lucky to have. It instils a culture of care and safety which allows students and all parts of the school community to succeed and grow.

How do you support students to engage in our learning program?

In anything you do, you need to have a passion for it. We all have things that make us curious and inspired, students tapping into their interests is key. If you can weave these passions into projects, or our literacy and numeracy curriculum and allow students to make natural connections during their learning, then growth is a natural progression.

Will Crossland

What learning gets you most excited and why?

Although I love Literacy and Numeracy, nothing beats teaching our knowledge-rich units of inquiry. Science, geography and history are all topics I am passionate about, and it is exciting to have the opportunity to share that passion with the students. It is always fascinating to hear the brilliant ideas and questions that come from a younger perspective.

How do you support students at different levels to all experience success? 

I think one of the most important aspects of teaching is understanding that every student is different, so success can also take many different forms. By really getting know an individual you can identify what they need to help them go to the next level - whether it be to given them some extra support or practice or be stretched with a more challenging task.

When you aren’t at school you love to …?

Be active. Walking, riding, gardening and going to the beach are among my favourite activities. I am also an occasional cricketer and regular AFL watcher.

Supervision before school

A reminder to families regarding student supervision: we have noticed an increasing number of students, particularly bike riders, arriving at school prior to the 8:45am supervision time. We ask that families please discuss morning routines at home to ensure students are not arriving too early, and therefore on school grounds unsupervised.

Hats!

Finally, as we move into May, please note that under our SunSmart Policy, hats are no longer required from 1st May (‘1st of May, Hats away’).  SUNSMART POLICY 

We still encourage students to wear hats during recess and lunch, and school sporting events on sunny days. 

We look forward to a fantastic term ahead filled with learning, growth and community connection.

Please see the Important Dates section of the newsletter for a reminder of upcoming events. 

Below: Mrs May has started a tradition of students taking selfies in her office. Here are a couple of recent pics to make you smile!