Principal Report
Our school is located on the land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.
Being ready to learn
There are many factors that impact a child's ability to learn and indeed their readiness to learn.
- Have they slept well?
- Have they eaten breakfast?
- Do they know what is happening today?
- Are they getting on well with their friends?
When we are at school there are other considerations including the ability to transition from outside play to inside learning spaces.
In our learning in the last two weeks our staff have been privileged to have four of our team members lead us in learning about Restorative Practices. As a staff we worked through scenarios and built our skills to ask the right questions and to support students through a restorative conversation.
Part of this work has been around Circle pedagogy, including check ins, brain breaks and energisers. There are many types of circles and as staff start to explore the resources shared you may find lots of ongoing discussions happening in classrooms and we hope moving into situations outside school.
Supporting students throughout the day to be ready for learning and to refocus is core to supporting them as learners.
Foundation Information Night
Special thanks to Kirstin Jones and Kristen Schultz for their work on Information Night. We were able to showcase the Foundation learning program to prospective new parents.
Thanks also to both of them and Shannon Reeve for their work in planning for the evening.
If you have a child starting school next year, be sure to enrol them by July 26th.
The presentation can be found on the school website - Kinder to Foundation Transition
Open Day
Special thank you to our students and parents who supported our tours on Open Day.
Our students enjoyed telling everyone about their school and all of the learning and wellbeing opportunities available to students.
We really appreciated their enthusiasm and wanted to thank:
Addie, Sophie, Matthew T, Milla, Lizzie, Neive, Max and An
Thanks to Jane and Nadia for assisting with tours. We were also appreciative of our Learning Specialists Kristen Schultz, Julie Tainsh and Sarah Jacobs who also led tours.
What a wonderful opportunity to showcase BPPS.
Grandparents Day
What a celebration of our community!
Thank you to all of the families who invited grandparents to school last Tuesday May 14th.
It was so wonderful to see the joy of our students, showing their grandparents around the school and doing activities with them. We have had feedback from many families, telling us how impressed the grandparents were.
Thanks to the Community Engagement team for putting on the Morning Tea, thanks to Jemma our TheirCare coordinator for helping out.
Building a learning environment
Our work with Bill Rogers on May 13th provided staff with a reminder about some of our embedded strategies, it also highlighted consistency of language and expectation.
Each year we commence school with the Start Up program, with teachers and students getting to know each other, setting up agreements for how they will all work in their learning environment for the year. As well as setting up their classroom rules they get to know each other and form their relationships.
Building relationships and trust is an ongoing task for all students and staff at Boroondara Park PS.
Any interaction we have with a child can have an impact, we aim to always find connections and continually develop our relationships with the students at our school.
We will be working under the guidance of Kristen Schultz our Wellbeing Learning Specialist and her wellbeing team to revisit our agreed approaches, common language and the framework throughout this year.
Attendance - Every Day Counts
Daily attendance is important for all children to succeed in education and to ensure they do not fall behind both socially and developmentally. School participation maximises life opportunities for children by providing them with education and support networks. School helps people to develop important skills, knowledge and values that set them up for further learning and participation in their community.
It is essential your child comes to school unless they are unwell. If your child is absent from school, you must always complete COMPASS and give a reason for the absence.
School starts at the same time each day, the music goes at 8.55am, students are expected to be here and ready to learn for a 9.00am start. This has not changed, by supporting your child to be on time each day they can settle into the class and hear all of the learning instructions for the morning session. We are noticing an increased number of students late for school. We will reach out to families and see what support is needed to get our students to school on time each day.
At the moment our community has at least 400 unexplained absences, these must all be accounted for. You will receive a notification each morning for any unexplained absence. You should go in and add the reason for your child's absence to COMPASS. At least twice a term we send hard copy reminders about absences as well.
Thank you for your assistance in reducing this to zero unexplained absences!
Uniforms
Our school uniform is red and navy. At the moment we are having a blitz on uniform, especially regarding pants and shorts. We have noticed an increased number of students wearing black. Your child may come home saying they have been spoken to about their uniform.
Movie Event - Inside Out 2
Don't forget to book in for the movie event being held at the Balwyn Cinema on Sunday June 16th at 4pm.
All information was sent out via COMPASS and bookings are through COMPASS tix.
Stay well this winter
Symptoms of influenza (flu) can hit very quickly and may last several weeks. Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and others from getting the flu.
Keeping our school community well
Parents, carers and students are encouraged to practice prevention measures, including:
· Washing and sanitising hands regularly
· Avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
· Covering nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing · staying home if unwell and consulting a general practitioner (GP) or Nurse-on-call as required
· Staying up to date with flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.
Flu vaccinations
Flu vaccinations can be booked through GPs and pharmacies, many of which can also provide COVID-19 vaccinations. Flu vaccination is recommended for everyone aged 6 months and over.
Some people are more at risk of complications from flu and are eligible for free vaccination as part of the National Immunisation Program.
COVID-19 booster
The 2024 COVID-19 booster dose is available for everyone aged 18 and above.
Getting your booster dose remains the best way to prevent severe illness or hospitalisation, especially in people aged over 65 and those at higher risk of severe illness.
Children aged between 5 and 17 years who are at risk of severe illness can also receive a 2024 booster dose.
You can get your next dose at your local pharmacy or GP. To find one near you, refer to the vaccine clinic finder.
Find out more
For more information about preventing flu, and immunisation, refer to:
· Better Health Channel influenza flu immunisation fact sheet
· Getting vaccinated against influenza.
BPPS Facebook and Instagram
Don't forget to follow our social media accounts and see what is happening at school each day. Boroondara Park Primary School Facebook
Search @BoroondaraPark on Instagram to follow the school.
Susanne Lowe
Principal