Principal's Report

Hello BRPS community,

What a month it has been to commence Term 4. Already we have had the Foundation Swimming Program, Year 2 Pen Pal visits, Year 5/6 Dance Lessons have commenced, Division and Regional Athletics, several basketball competitions, Sustainability Leaders workshops, Year 3 Camp, Year 6 Bike Ed and more!

After a brilliant year of learning and community building, we look forward to sharing the many other highlights to come over the final two months of the school year. 

World Teachers' Day

Happy World Teachers’ Day to all of our amazing teachers today – a day to celebrate the care, dedication, expertise and effort that teachers demonstrate every day to support the learning and wellbeing of students in our school. BRPS students are lucky to have teachers who have a strong sense of collegiality and shared responsibility to support them in all that they do. 

Teaching is a challenging role and much more complex than it is sometimes believed to be, with that complexity and challenge seeming to grow each year. 

Every day in our school I see teachers who give their all and go above and beyond to ensure the success of our students, as well as provide opportunities well beyond their core responsibilities. 

So, on this World Teachers’ Day celebration, hats off to all the teachers and school staff that support our students so well!

Thank you parents and carers

Thanks to the BRPS parent and carer community for their generosity in supplying an amazing morning tea and collection of pantry items in recognition of World Teachers' Day and appreciation of the important work that school staff do every day. 

School-home partnerships are so important and we appreciate the sentiment on days like today.

2024 Enrolments & Class Placements 

Please notify us at your earliest convenience if you know that your child will not be enrolled at BRPS next year.

Our projected enrolments help to determine the class structure and staffing requirements.

**Early confirmation of student numbers is essential to ensure this process is managed effectively.**

2024 Class Placement 

Important planning in Term 4 is undertaken to form classes for the following school year that will enable your children to reach their full potential. Parents have previously been advised of the requirements for providing feedback regarding class placement, with that feedback due today. 

This year, after consultation with staff, we are making a small change to student friend requests. Students will be provided with the chance to list friends that they feel they work productively with and all four requests for 'friends I work well with' will be recorded in a circle without any priority order. Students will be guaranteed at least one person on their list. Teachers then work hard to ensure social, emotional and academic needs are considered when classes are created.

Term 4 - Important Dates

As previously communicated, the final day for students in 2023 will be Tuesday 19th December. Dismissal will be at 3.30pm after the final Celebration Assembly.  The Year 6 Graduation Lunch will also be held on that day.

2023 Final Day for Students - Timetable

9am:                  Start in classrooms

11-11.30am:   Recess

12.30-2pm:     Graduation Lunch/Lunch Break

2.45pm:            Celebration Assembly

3.30pm:            Dismissal

2024 Start Dates & Planning

Please refer to the Compass Calendar for 2024 dates which are beginning to fill. 

Several key dates for the commencement of the 2024 school year have been determined:

Mon 29 Jan:  Staff Return (Statewide Student Free Day)

Tue 30 Jan - All students F-6 Return

Wed 31 Jan; 7, 14, 21, 28 Feb:  - Foundation days off

Fri 8 March: Curriculum Day (student-free)

The dates of the three remaining student-free days for 2024 will be confirmed after the next School Council Meeting on Thursday 30th November. 

2024 Intensive Swimming Program Dates

To assist with forward planning, the 2024 Intensive Swimming Program dates are published by term and week below. Please see the Compass Calendar for the exact dates.

Foundation:  Term 4 - Week 1 & 2

Year 1/2:  Term 3 - Week 9 & 10

Year 3/4:  Term 2 - Week 1, 2 & 3

Year 5/6:  Term 4 - Week 7 & 8

2024 BRPS Social Night                  - The Great Gatsby  -

The annual parent, carers and staff social night is always much anticipated on the BRPS social calendar. This year has been a challenging and busy year, however the social night provides an opportunity to come together and have fun as the adult members of the community. 

An enormous amount of voluntary effort from parents has gone into making the night a success whilst also supporting our school. I'm looking forward to joining over 150 parents carers and staff tomorrow  at the Mentone Life Saving Club this coming Saturday night, it's sure to be an evening of fun, laughter and great dress-ups!

Year 3 Camp

After speaking to the Year 3 students upon their return from camp on Friday I learnt that it was a lot of fun, with a huge number of activities to challenge the students and help build confidence, resilience, independence and teamwork. Several students told me how proud they were that they challenged themselves to get to the top of the giant swing - I’m sure that was just one example of when students felt pride or developed their confidence through their participation at camp. 

I hope all the Year 3s had a long rest over the weekend and I would especially like to thank and celebrate the school staff who organised and attended the camp - Camp Coordinator Miss B, Mrs Thorpe, Miss Moir, Mrs Hewitt, Mr Badman, Mr Berry and Miss Morgan. As always, the school staff left the comfort of their own homes and went above and beyond to ensure that the camp experience was a positive one in a safe and nurturing environment for the students on their first overnight camp.  

Student Achievements - Congratulations...

Division/Region Athletics

Congratulations to the 21 students from Year 4/5/6 who represented Black Rock PS and the Seaside District at the recent Division Athletics Competition . 

Well done to Chloe G (200m) and Joben K (Hurdles) who won through to the Regional competition. Congratulations to Chloe who came 5th in the 200m at the Regions. 

Division Basketball Finals

Congratulations to the Girls Basketball team who won 2/3 group games in their competition earlier this week, losing narrowly to the eventual winners.  It was wonderful to have Mr Muller along supporting the team!

Congratulations also to the Boys Team who have won through to the Regional Finals next week - good luck!

Sam Tyndall

PRINCIPAL