“We would like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people, the first people to dream, create, wonder, dance, play and learn on this breathtaking land. This land was cared for and respected for tens of thousands of years. The First Nations people lived in companionship with the animals and the life on this land. We acknowledge that this is stolen land and we pay our respects to elders, past, present and emerging.”

Rayma Atkinson (2023 Suzanne Peterson Award Recipient)

Annual Public Meeting

On Thursday (14th August) we will be having our BNWPS Annual Public meeting.

The meeting will take place in the Library at 6.30pm, and will be finished by 8.00pm

We will have some delicious treats from Sprout available, and there will be facilities to make coffee and tea. Please bring a mug or cup with you.

At this meeting, School Leadership and School Council Members will unpack the data that tells the story of 2024. We will also share our 2024 Annual Report and will have time for questions from members of the community.

Some of the things we will dive into include

Learning - particularly in the areas of English and Maths
The 2024 Financial narrative
Wellbeing and Engagement Data
School Council Subcommittee Achievements and Goals

If you have any questions about any of the above areas of the school, please write them below, and we will do our best to address them at our meeting.

On another page in this newsletter you will find a QR code linked to a Google form where you can list any Questions that you would like addressed at the APM. If Leadership or School Council is unable to weave these questions into Thursday night’s presentation, we will endeavour to include answers and topics in further newsletters throughout the year.

2025 School Council Introductions

At our Annual Public Meeting, members of our community will have the opportunity to meet with and hear from our amazing 2025 BNWPS School Council.

Our School council is made up of an enthusiastic group of Parents/Carers and school staff. As parent/carer representatives this year, we have;

President - Sara Webster

Secretary - Ann Brennan

Treasurer - Tess Alston

Working in collaboration with

Jack Furphy

Aleeshha Harrison Grace

Jess Windridge

Randjodh Singh

Karri Hedge

Bilal Khan

Faiza Usman

They are joined by our staff representatives;

Keir Jasper (Acting Principal)

Emma Mallia (Acting Assistant Principal)

Ange Hopkins (Business Manager)

Jesse Hughes (Snr School Leader/Classroom Teacher)

Bernadetta Martella (OSHC)

You may already know many of these amazing members of our community. They are all available to listen to questions, suggestions and comments centred around how and why we make the decisions that we make, as well as any questions or suggestions for BNWPS’ future.

Book Week and 2025 BNWPS Writers Festival

Next week BNWPS will celebrate book week.

There is further information later in the newsletter, but the three highlights of book week at BNWPS are;

Our Annual Writers Festival on Monday 18th August (all day)

Students and teachers will work with a variety of Authors and Storytellers in an online environment to work through the writing process and complete a guided writing piece. Students will take part in a variety of other writing and storytelling experiences, including some exciting electives for our year three to six students.

Our Annual Great Book Swap Monday 18th August 2.30 - 3.30pm

The Great Book Swap is a fantastic way to celebrate reading locally, learn more about Indigenous languages and culture, and raise funds for a great cause. This year the ILF are aiming to raise $300,000 to gift 30,000 new books to remote Communities. Show your support by making a donation to our Great Book Swap page and sharing it with your friends, family and community!

Parents/Carers are invited to join us for this event

Our Annual Book Character Parade

Dress up as your favourite book character!

We will have a parade on the basketball court at 9.00am.

Parents/carers are invited to join us for this event - feel free to dress up too!

Enrolments Now Due

Enrolments for 2025 are now due. If you are intending to enrol your child in our school next year, please make sure you have submitted your form to the office. It may seem early in the year, but this timeline is required to help us with workforce planning.