A week in review- 

A reflection by Ains 

The past week has been one of connecting, celebrating and working on core School and Kindergarten priorities. 

Open Morning

Last Thursday, Box Hill North Primary School and Kindergarten opened our classrooms to our community and prospective families. We thank everyone who supported our Kindergarten and School by attending and seeing firsthand the excitement and enjoyment of all things learning. Our students showed inclusiveness to prospective students and families and embraced our community, moving from one room to the next, showcasing what makes their class and our school a special place to be a member of. 

The morning highlighted who we are at Box Hill North, a kindergarten and school focused on holistic education, namely, 'Student Learning, Wellbeing and Connection'. The morning was also underpinned by our two school priorities for 2024 - 1) Optimising student learning outcomes in Mathematics and 2) Empowering students to become confident, curious and active learners.

On behalf of our students and staff, thank you for supporting us in sharing who we are, how our priorities are visibly being seen in the classroom, and for taking the time to connect with us during the school day. 

A warm welcome also goes out to our new families for 2024 and the families who have committed to our kindergarten and school for 2025 based on their experience from the Open Morning. 

Farewell

Last Friday, we as a school community said thank you and farewell to David, our Principal. We honoured David's incredible journey with us at Box Hill North over the past five years and wished him all the best as he embarks on a new chapter. 

At Box Hill North, we were fortunate to have past and present students, families, and community members come together at assembly to celebrate David's impact and share a deep appreciation for everything he has done for Box Hill North. We thanked David for his clear vision for our school, and his ability to focus on what truly matters has left a mark on us all – His unwavering dedication to what matters most: the education and wellbeing of our students.

Our student community also had some fun giving David several of our values certificates – stating how they, as students, viewed David model our school values of Courage, Creativity, Compassion and Ambition in his daily interactions at school. 

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, David. You will be sorely missed, and we wish you continued success, joy, and fulfilment in all that lies ahead. David, your care and support for our students, staff, and the wider school community have been a constant source of inspiration. As you embark on this exciting new adventure, on behalf of the entire BHN community, we extend our heartfelt best wishes as you continue your journey in education.

Cross Country 

Congratulations to the following seven students who made it to Division Cross Country. 

10-Year-Old Boys - Angus Jones 15th 

10-Year-Old Girls - Matilda Carpenter 5th 

11-Year-Old Boys - Elliot Suryhardja 8th 

11-Year-Old Girls - Riarn Furi 7th, and Georgia Miller 14th 

12-Year-Old Boys - Mashi Ghanavati 19th 

12-Year-Old Girls - Annabel Jones 15th 

Four of these seven students competed at Monday's Whitehorse Division Cross Country Event. The other three, unfortunately, missed the event due to the Year 5/6 camp. 

Congratulations to Angus, Matilda, Riarn and Elliot for showing courage and athleticism. What a distance, and what amazing long-distance runners you all. 

A special congratulations goes out to Elliot, who has been successful in moving forward to the next stage at Yarra Valley Racecourse on Thursday, 13th June. We wish Elliot all the best and congratulate him on representing Box Hill North at such a high level in cross-country running.  

A special thanks go out to the wonderful parents who took their children to the Ruffey Lake Park event and Emily, our Head of PE, for supporting the students running at school. 

Principal Forum 

Yasmin (Acting Assistant Principal) and I attended Tuesday's Term 2 Inner East Principal Forum. We received the latest state-wide government school update from David Howes and heard from key Inner East school delegates on the latest school initiatives. The areas covered included; the planning and delivering a great lesson, how a school's instructional model can improve wellbeing, wellbeing support services and supporting inclusion. 

Something that truly stood out and was a reminder to us Principals and school leaders was the values we commit to and believe in as educators within the Victorian Government Education System. 

Our values are;

1) Responsiveness – "We respond in a timely way with our best work."

2) Integrity – "We are honest, ethical and transparent."

3) Impartiality – "We behave in the best interest of the public by making fair and objective decisions."

4) Accountability – "We hold ourselves and others to account for the work they do."

5) Leadership – "We are genuine and supportive and do the right thing."

6) Human Rights – "We uphold and respect the rights of others."

7) Respect – "We value others and their differences."

Why I included these values – just like our Box Hill North community values of Courage, Creativity, Compassion and Ambition, we, too, the staff of Box Hill North, have values that we promote and adhere to daily as Department of Education employees and people who commit service to our community. I think it's timely that after the principal's forum, I address the great qualities, dispositions and values that our Box Hill North staff members commit to daily to make the lives of our students and community the best they can at school! 

Box Hill North Sub-Committees

Box Hill North has many sub-committees you may like to join, commit to, and participate in. As a member of one or more of these committees, you will help enable change and innovation and make a difference. The following committees available to our parent community are listed and defined below to their next meeting day and time. 

Education – A driving focus on improving kindergarten and school practices by looking into critical factors such as teaching, learning, wellbeing, programs, orientation, transition, and parent/student/teacher connections. 

Next Education meeting - Tuesday 11th June – 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Building and Grounds – Looking into and actioning grants and labour jobs around the school that improve both the inside of classrooms and out in the schoolyard. 

Next Building and Grounds meeting - Thursday 6th June – 7:00pm-8:00pm  

Parent and Friends Association – Committing to the culture and connection of families within the school and raising funds through fundraisers and special days to improve school resources. 

Next Parent and Friends Association meeting - Friday 31st May – 9:00 am to 10:00 am

Branding – The promotion, branding and advertising of our school within and outside of our community.

Next Branding meeting – Monday 3rd June – 2.30pm-3.30pm  

Please note that all sub-committees are held in the community room. 

School Camp

The 5/6 students and team are back! It is always a relief and an absolute joy to see the return of happy campers and staff. First and foremost, thank you to Tony Squillace and the staff of Box Hill North – Cara, Tracey, Anna, Mie-Mie, Katrina, Sally and Dylan for your time, care and adventurous spirit to take our Year 5/6 students on camp. Camp is one of those experiences that our students will never forget and cherish.  

Please read the following comment by the 5/6 staff regarding their experience at camp and have a look later in the newsletter to view the 5/6 students' reflection regarding their experience at camp. 

The Year 5-6 camp this week was a fantastic experience. It was so refreshing to see all of the students off their screens for 3 days engaged in team building activities and immersed in history during their visit to Sovereign Hill. The camp provided us with the perfect environment to build on existing and new friendships and the students embraced it all with energy and enthusiasm. We were very proud of the way our students conducted themselves, looking after and encouraging each other. 

Tracey, Cara and Anna

Thank you to the whole school community for your support the past week!

Ains