Principal's Message

Pizza & Bingo Night

What a fantastic evening we had at our recent Pizza & Bingo Family Night! It was wonderful to see so many families come along, enjoy each other's company and help create such a positive atmosphere around our school.

One of the things we value most at Bolinda Primary School is the close connection we have with our families. Events like this give us an opportunity to step away from the usual school routine and simply enjoy spending time together.

The pizza-making was certainly a highlight. Rather than simply serving dinner, we invited families to get involved in preparing their own pizzas, from rolling out the dough to choosing their favourite toppings. It was lovely to see parents and children working alongside one another, comparing their creations and eventually sitting down to enjoy the results. Our four ovens certainly received a workout, with what must have been a record number of pizzas served in one evening!

Once everyone had eaten, it was time for Bingo, and there was plenty of excitement with three rather special prizes on offer. Holli was our lucky winner of the opportunity to become Principal for 30 minutes, while Alice secured an extra 10 minutes of recess for her class. Meanwhile, Mrs Chamerski won the chance to choose a song for our school bell music! Her selection should be added to the rotation next week, so keep your ears open and see if you can spot it!

A huge thank you must go to our wonderful staff, who put so much time and effort into organising the evening, preparing the food and making sure everything ran smoothly. 

Thank you also to every family who joined us and helped make the night such a success. A special thank you to the Gessarolli family for their generous donation of ingredients, which was greatly appreciated.

We are already looking forward to doing it all again next year!

Light Up The Night – CFA Bonfire Next Saturday! 

One of our community's favourite annual events is almost here, with the Light Up The Night CFA Bonfire happening next Saturday!

This is always a fantastic evening for the whole family, with live music, great food, plenty of entertainment and, of course, the spectacular bonfire! It's a wonderful opportunity to get together with friends, neighbours and families from across our local community while supporting our local CFA. 

Bolinda Primary School will once again be getting involved, with our wonderful PFA running a stall alongside our school food stall. Sharon has been busy working with our students to prepare some absolutely delicious curries and burritos, and we can't wait for everyone to sample their creations! It's fantastic to see our students getting involved in preparing food for such a special community event.

We encourage all our families to come along next Saturday, enjoy a fantastic night out and support both our local CFA and school stalls.

We look forward to seeing plenty of Bolinda families there! 

Sporting Success

During the final week of Term 3, Oliver travelled to Bendigo to compete at the Divisional Athletics Championships, having earned his place through his earlier performances at district level. Competing against some of the strongest young athletes from across the division is a significant achievement in itself, and Oliver certainly made the most of the opportunity.

Oliver competed in two field events, Shot Put and Discus, producing excellent results in both. He secured an impressive third-place finish in Shot Put before going one better in Discus, taking out first place and earning the title of Divisional Champion! His victory in Discus means Oliver has qualified for the next stage of competition, the Regional Athletics Championships, which will also be held in Bendigo. He will compete on Monday, with the opportunity to progress to the State Championships later this term should he finish first.

Congratulations, Oliver! We are all incredibly proud of you and will be cheering you on from Bolinda as you compete at Regionals. Whatever the result, you have already achieved something fantastic, and we wish you all the very best!

A Busy Term Ahead

Term 4 is well and truly underway, and if the first week is anything to go by, we are in for another incredibly busy and exciting few months at Bolinda Primary School! The final term of the school year is always a particularly special one. Alongside the important learning that continues in every classroom, there are plenty of events, celebrations and opportunities for our students to enjoy as we head towards the end of 2026.

One of the events we know our children are already looking forward to is our Annual Halloween Dress Up Day. This has become a much-loved occasion on our school calendar, with students and staff getting into the spirit of things by dressing up and enjoying a little Halloween fun. We always look forward to seeing the creativity that goes into the costumes!

We also have our upcoming Prep transition sessions, which will provide our newest students with the opportunity to become familiar with their classrooms, meet their teachers and begin forming friendships ahead of 2027. Our Years 3–6 students have their end-of-year camp to look forward to, while our Year 6 students will be preparing for the exciting milestone of finishing primary school.

Of course, these are just some of the many activities happening throughout the term, and there will be plenty more to share as the weeks progress.

We strongly encourage all families to visit the Calendar page of this newsletter and take note of the important dates coming up. With so much happening, it can be easy to miss something, particularly as we move into the busy end-of-year period.

We will continue to communicate reminders through Compass, but checking the calendar regularly is the best way to stay organised and ensure your child doesn't miss out on any of the exciting opportunities ahead.

We are looking forward to finishing the school year on a high!

OSHC Update – A Fantastic First Term!

It is hard to believe that our Out of School Hours Care program has now completed its first full term of operation! Establishing this service was an important step forward for Bolinda Primary School, and we have been delighted with how positively it has been received by our children and families.

We are pleased to say that the first term has been a tremendous success.

Our OSHC Coordinator, Emma, has done a wonderful job establishing the program and creating an environment where children feel comfortable, welcomed and engaged. Emma has shared how much she has enjoyed getting to know the children and how warmly they have welcomed her into the Bolinda community.

We are continuing to build and refine the service as we learn more about what works best for our families. As always, feedback is welcome, and we encourage families to consider making use of the program whenever they need additional care. 

Booking into OSHC is easy! Simply log in to your Compass Parent Portal, select the star icon and follow the booking link to our OSHC booking system.

A big thank you to Emma for her enthusiasm and commitment, to School Council for supporting the establishment of the service, and to the families who have embraced OSHC during its first term. We look forward to seeing the program continue to grow and become an even more valuable part of our school community.

Romsey Christmas Carols – Can You Help? 

Bolinda Primary School has been invited to participate in the Romsey Christmas Carols on Saturday 12 December, and we would love to see our students involved! However, as many of you know, the end of the school year is an incredibly busy time, with reports, school camp, concert preparations and planning for the following year all happening at once.

We are hoping there might be someone in our wonderful school community who would be happy to take the lead in coordinating our students' participation.

What's involved?

• Running a few practice sessions with interested students during recess or lunchtime.
• Helping the students prepare their Christmas carols.
• Coordinating the group on the day of the event.

Nothing too complicated, just someone enthusiastic who would enjoy helping our students be part of this lovely community event! We would really love to make this happen, but it will depend on having someone willing to coordinate it. 

If you're interested in helping out, please get in touch with me. We'd be very grateful for your support!

School Advocacy – Continuing to Make Our School Heard

Over the coming weeks, you may notice Bolinda Primary School appearing in social media posts or communications involving candidates contesting the upcoming Victorian state election for the seat of Macedon.

I wanted to take the opportunity to explain why these visits are taking place and what I hope they will achieve for our school community.

As Principal, one of my responsibilities is to advocate for the needs of our students, staff and families. This includes celebrating the many wonderful things happening at Bolinda Primary School, but it also means being open and honest about the challenges we face and the improvements we need.

We have an exceptional little school, with dedicated staff, wonderful students and a community that genuinely cares about the education and wellbeing of our children. There is a great deal to be proud of here, and I want our local representatives and prospective representatives to see that firsthand.

However, we also face some significant challenges, particularly when it comes to our ageing infrastructure, facilities and the safety of the environment surrounding our school. These are issues that cannot simply be overlooked, and I believe it is important that those seeking to represent our community understand the realities of operating a small rural school.

I have been extending invitations to candidates from across the political spectrum to visit Bolinda, walk through our facilities, hear about our priorities and gain a better understanding of what our school needs. These invitations are not about supporting any particular candidate or political party. Our school remains politically impartial, and my focus is entirely on achieving the best possible outcomes for our students and community.

I strongly believe that meaningful change begins with genuine conversations, and I am more than willing to have those conversations with anyone prepared to listen, ask questions and consider how they might be able to assist. I also want to acknowledge the considerable work being undertaken by our School Council, along with the many families who have continued to advocate for improvements to our school. Their persistence, commitment and willingness to speak up have been incredibly valuable.

While progress can sometimes be frustratingly slow, I remain committed to pursuing the improvements our school needs. We may be a small school, but our students deserve facilities, resources and opportunities that allow them to thrive, just like students attending any other government school. Thank you to everyone who continues to support these efforts. Your involvement makes a difference, and I will continue to keep our community informed as these conversations progress.

Traffic Safety Update – Our Advocacy Continues

Road safety around Bolinda Primary School remains an important concern, and I want to provide families with an update following a recent meeting with two representatives from Macedon Ranges Shire Council. The meeting provided an opportunity to raise our ongoing concerns about vehicle speeds, driver awareness and the effectiveness of the current school zone signage on both Mullalys Road and Melbourne-Lancefield Road.

As many families know, our school is situated in a unique and challenging location, particularly with Melbourne-Lancefield Road carrying traffic travelling at 100 km/h immediately outside our school precinct. The transition to the 40 km/h school speed zone requires motorists to recognise the signage and reduce their speed significantly, and we continue to have concerns about whether the existing arrangements provide sufficient warning to drivers.

During the meeting, we again raised the possibility of installing electronic school zone signage, which would provide a much more visible reminder to motorists when the reduced speed limit is operating. Unfortunately, Council representatives advised that they did not support further changes to the current signage arrangements on Mullalys Road, including the installation of electronic signs. Their position was that the existing signage meets the required standards.

Council also advised that Melbourne-Lancefield Road falls under the responsibility of the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP), and that any further requests for improvements along this road would need to be directed to that department. While I appreciate the opportunity to meet and discuss these concerns, I am disappointed that we have not yet been able to identify a practical improvement that would provide greater protection for our students and families.

My concern has never simply been whether the current signage complies with the relevant standards. It is whether those arrangements are sufficiently effective in practice, given the location of our school, the speed of approaching traffic and the presence of children. I want to reassure families that this matter is not being left here. I will continue to engage with the Department of Transport and Planning, Macedon Ranges Shire Council, our local Members of Parliament and other relevant departments to seek a more thorough examination of the risks and potential solutions.

I also encourage families who share these concerns to make their voices heard. Community feedback can play an important role in demonstrating the level of concern surrounding road safety at our school. Thank you to those who have already raised these issues and supported our ongoing advocacy. We will continue pushing for meaningful improvements, and I will keep families updated on any further developments.

I Like To Move It Day

What better way to finish Term 3 than with a whole-school day dedicated to movement, friendship, teamwork and having fun!

Our Parents and Friends Association organised a fantastic "I Like To Move It Day" for our students, providing a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the end of another busy term while bringing children from across the school together. Throughout the day, students worked in mixed teams as they rotated through a variety of activities designed to get them moving, thinking and cooperating. From energetic team games and sporting trivia to a scavenger hunt and even some yoga, there was certainly something for everyone to enjoy.

The activities provided a great balance of physical challenges, problem-solving and opportunities to try something a little different. There was plenty of laughter, some healthy competition and no shortage of enthusiasm from our students. Even our staff joined in with their own team, although we might have taken the competitive side of things a little more seriously than necessary!

After all that activity, everyone had certainly worked up an appetite! The PFA provided fresh fruit for recess, followed by a sausage sizzle for lunch. With the weather on our side, the entire school was able to gather outside and enjoy lunch together in the sunshine. 

A very big thank you to our PFA for planning and coordinating such an enjoyable day. We also extend our appreciation to the parents who volunteered their time to prepare food, supervise activities and help everything run smoothly. Events of this nature require a considerable amount of preparation behind the scenes, and we are very fortunate to have a group of parents who are so willing to contribute to our school.

It was a terrific way to conclude Term 3, and one that our students thoroughly enjoyed!

Tree Works

We recently had a qualified arborist complete our annual tree inspection to ensure our school grounds remain safe for students, staff and visitors. The inspection identified several trees requiring maintenance, including pruning and canopy reduction works, which will take place throughout Term 4. 

Unfortunately, one tree located in the fenced garden area at the front of the school has been identified as needing removal due to safety concerns. We are incredibly fortunate to have such beautiful, established trees throughout our grounds, and removing them is never something we take lightly. However, the safety of our school community must always come first.

A New Letterbox

Visitors to Bolinda Primary School may have noticed a small but very welcome addition to the front of our school!

After many years of service, our old makeshift letterbox has finally been retired and replaced with a wonderful new creation that is much more fitting for our school.

While the previous letterbox had certainly served its purpose, it was beginning to show its age. Its rather open design also meant that our mail wasn't always particularly well protected from the weather, especially during those rainy Bolinda days!

Thankfully, a little creativity, some woodworking skills and a generous amount of time over the school holidays have provided us with a fantastic solution. We have Mrs Chamerski to thank for designing and building our new letterbox, which now proudly stands at the entrance to the school. With its schoolhouse-style roof and a prominent Number 1 on the front, it is a lovely addition that feels right at home at Bolinda Primary School.

It is certainly a lovely way to welcome everyone back for Term 4, and we think it looks fantastic!