This will be my last newsletter for the term. From Monday, I will be taking long service leave until the end of the term. During this time, Ms Rapetti will be stepping into the principal role while continuing to teach the Prep/1 class. On Wednesdays, when Mr Steere takes the class, Ms Rapetti will be focusing on administration tasks.

Additionally, from March 19, Mr Steere will be taking leave for the remainder of the term. His role will be covered by Mr Swain, who has worked at Bolinda before and is well known to our students.

There are a lot of things to look forward to in the coming weeks that I am looking to hearing about when I return.

School Council

This week, we had our first meeting with our new School Council. With two positions open, we’re excited to welcome Sandy Webb to the team for the first time and to welcome back Kylie O’Hagan, who is rejoining us for 2025.

A huge thank you to all our School Council members for stepping up to support our school – we really appreciate the time and effort you put in!

Our office bearers for 2025 are:

President: Kylie O'Hagan
Vice President: Krystal Spiteri
Treasurer: Kerrie Frost
Secretary: Sandy Webb

We’re looking forward to a great year ahead, working together to keep Bolinda Primary the wonderful school it is!

Pop-Up Produce Stall

Our pop-up produce stall was a fantastic success, bringing together fresh, homegrown produce from our school garden and the gardens of our generous staff. It was wonderful to see so many families stop by to browse, swap produce, and share ideas on how to use different fruits and veggies—some even swapped recipes!

A special mention goes to our Prep and Year 1 students, who took great care in preparing pickled cucumbers and zucchinis for the stall. Their enthusiasm and effort were fantastic, and it was great to see them so engaged in the process.

A big thank you to Donna and Nicole for bringing this idea to life. We’re excited to make it a regular event each term!

All funds raised from the stall will go directly towards supporting our Bolinda Primary School Kitchen Garden, helping us continue to grow, learn, and share fresh produce with our school community.

The leftover produce has been donated to Riddells Creek Neighbourhood House Food Pantry.

Thank you to everyone who supported the stall—we hope you enjoyed the fresh produce, and we look forward to the next one!

Family BBQ & Zucchini Competition

Last Thursday, we fired up the BBQ and welcomed families for a fantastic evening together. This year, we added a bit of fun with our very first zucchini competition, and it did not disappoint!

Students were given zucchini seeds last year and challenged to grow the longest and heaviest zucchini. Some of the results were truly impressive! We also had a category for most creatively dressed zucchini, and our students’ imaginations ran wild!

Winners in each category took home book vouchers from Red Door Books, which was a nice little surprise for the students. It was a brilliant night, with almost the whole school turning up to enjoy good food, great company, and plenty of laughs. The kids made their own fun, and we made sure no one went home hungry.

Interschool Sports

Our recent Interschool Sports Day was a fantastic experience for our Bolinda students. From strong performances to receiving praise from other schools for their teamwork and sportsmanship, it was a day where they represented our school with pride.

The volleyball team stepped up to a real challenge, competing in a sport they had never played before. With each game, they grew in confidence and steadily improved their scores. Their determination and willingness to learn was a highlight of the day.

In tee-ball, our team had an outstanding day, going undefeated in the round-robin matches. They made it through to the final, where they faced Tylden in a tough contest. Though they experienced their first loss of the day, their effort and team spirit never wavered. Congratulations to Tylden on their win, and a huge well done to our team for their resilience and hard work.

It was a day full of teamwork, encouragement, and perseverance, and our students should be proud of the way they conducted themselves. They gave it their all and showed what it means to be part of the Bolinda school community.

Toilet Update

I had really hoped this would be the update where I could say the toilets are ready to use—but unfortunately, we’re not quite there yet. A key part for the doors has been difficult to source, which means we’ll have to wait a little longer before they can be opened.

I know it’s frustrating, but I promise it will be worth it once everything is in place. Thank you for your patience—we’re looking forward to finally getting them up and running soon!

Ground Works

We’ve been continually working to keep our school grounds safe and looking their best, and over the past two weeks, several improvements have been made.

Our library roof has had some much-needed repairs, with our carpenter ensuring the gutter is now secure. We also removed the rusty water tank that was sitting on the stand—though the stand itself remains in place. To finish off the work around the new septic system, fresh mulch has been spread to improve the space. The leftover granitic sand in front of the Gaga Pit has also been spread out, making the area much easier to walk on.

One of the bigger changes was the removal of the chicken cage due to safety concerns. We acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of those who originally built it, just as we do the families who contributed to the construction of our current toilets. However, bringing the structure up to standard would have required a significant financial investment. With its removal, the area has opened up, restoring some valuable space that was taken by the new toilet block.

NAPLAN

Next week, our Year 3 and Year 5 students will be participating in NAPLAN testing. Testing will take place after recess from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm on the following days:

Wednesday 12 March – Writing
Thursday 13 March – Reading
Monday 17 March – Conventions of Language
Tuesday 18 March – Numeracy

At Bolinda, we take a relaxed approach to NAPLAN and encourage students to see it as an opportunity to do their best without pressure. We hope they go into each session with a positive mindset and feel confident in their efforts.

Bolinda Birthdays