Principal's Message 

We will be holding our first community event of the year on Tuesday 4 March from 4:30pm – 7pm. We are going to merge our Open Evening and our Twilight House sports into the same event. Families are welcome to arrive at school from 4:30pm to visit their child’s classroom and meet their teacher. We will have a sausage sizzle available for a quick feed before our House Twilight Sports begins at 5:30pm. 

Children are encouraged to wear their house colours and to participate with their house in a number of games/ challenges. They will be accruing points for their house as they go. We will then have a culminating challenge where we will all meet back on the oval at 6:30pm and aim to conclude the evening before 7pm so everyone can still be in bed at a reasonable time. 

Parent’s Group Annual General Meeting – Monday 24 February @7pm in the staffroom

We have a great community at Billanook and are so excited for the year to come.  But we need your help to be able to hold all the amazing events ahead. Your amount of time and help with our Parent’s Group is totally up to you.  We have families who can help at one event per year and others who can apply for grants or shop for our Mother’s Day stall.  Every contribution, no matter how large or small is appreciated and contributes to making Billanook a wonderful place for our children. 

We are holding our Annual General Meeting on Monday 24 February at 7pm.  We will meet in the staffroom and hear from past Parent’s Group members.  Parent’s Group is a wonderful opportunity to be involved in your child’s schooling and to meet other families from school.

School Council Annual General Meeting – Wednesday 19 March 7:00pm

School Council helps to establish the broad direction and vision of the school within the school's community.  School Council representatives play a crucial role in the effective running of the school. If you would like to join School Council, please consider nominating for a position.  We currently have 2 parent member positions available.  It is not an onerous time commitment (8 meetings a year on the 3rd Wednesday of every month), you will get to meet fellow community members and become involved in the decision making of the school. 

Our School Council AGM will be held at school on Wednesday 19 March at 7pm.  If you are interested in nominating for School Council, please see Jenny in the Office for a nomination form.  If we have more parents nominate than positions, then we will require an election. Nominations for School Council close on Monday 24 February at 4pm.

Pupil Free Day – Monday 3 March

We will be holding our first Curriculum Day of the year on Monday 3 March.  Our Learning Specialists will be working with our staff on the newly introduced Math Curriculum 2.0.  Their Care will be operating throughout the day if you require care for your child/ren. Please book via the Their Care website https://theircare.com.au/.

School leadership process

Our Level 6 children have completed their applications and will make their speeches for our leadership roles on Monday 17 February.  Children who would like to be a house captain will present to all year 3 – 6 children who are in their house.  Children who would like to go for one of our other leadership positions will present to the Year 5 and 6 cohort.

 All Year 5 and 6 children were provided the opportunity to vote for who they believe will best represent the school in the various roles. 

It is always great to see their enthusiasm for the roles and to hear of their ideas for how they can improve our school.  The successful leaders will be announced at our leadership badge ceremony.

Brain Breaks at Billanook

At Billanook our teachers incorporate brain breaks between each learning block. Studies reveal that the intervals between learning sessions are as crucial as the learning session itself.  A brain break may be providing our students with 10 minutes to eat their brainfood whilst having a chat with their friends, going out for a run or play or playing an indoor game.

Brain breaks aren’t a waste of classroom time. They help kids refocus and learn better. Research confirms that during breaks our brains continue to work on tasks that are crucial to learning, mulling over complex problems and consolidating information. To boost productivity along with creativity and social skills we plan for frequent pauses throughout the school day. Brain breaks refresh our thinking and help us discover another solution to a problem or see a situation through a different lens. During these few minutes, the brain moves away from learning, memorising, and problem solving. The brain break actually helps to incubate and process new information.

Regards

Michael Puddy