Principal's Report
SUCCESSFUL STAFF TRAINING DAY
Our school curriculum day held last Friday was very successful. The focus for the day was ‘student agency’, which is all about connecting students to their learning. As you’d expect, when students are connected to their learning, they’re more motivated and have a clear sense of purpose and direction. For more information, refer to Nicole’s Teaching and Learning section of this newsletter.
We hope some of you took the opportunity to have an extra long weekend as a family.
THANKYOU TO THE BUNINYONG COMMUNITY BANK
Over the years the Buninyong Community Bank has been generous to our school and provided financial support to enable a number of projects to go ahead. These have included:
· A full renovation of the cottage (old police station)
· Construction of the outdoor stage
· Installation of a PlayPod
· Renovation of the kitchen at Scotsburn
· Funding the Ready Set Grow Program
Recently we submitted 2 grant applications and are delighted that both were successful. The funds provided are linked to the following projects.
Project 1 - Energy Audit for the Gym: Our gym would have to be one of the most used buildings in town, starting each day with before school care, followed by PE sessions during the school day and then after school care in the late afternoon. Then of course we have assemblies, special events (eg, Grade 6 Graduation, Fete, visiting performances, etc), hosting of the local playgroup on Friday mornings, regular use by local sporting groups and acting as an electoral venue for state & federal elections. Given the high level of use, we would like to make the gym a more comfortable space by installing air-conditioning at some stage in the future.
The first step in this process is to have an Energy Audit completed for this space. The Energy Audit will help us understand the feasibility of this project and inform a way forward.
The Energy Audit will provide us with:
· The most cost effective means of improving the thermal envelope of the school’s gymnasium.
· The potential for the installation of solar panels on the gym to support the running of an air-conditioning system.
· The most energy efficient heating and cooling systems for the gym.
The Energy Audit has been booked and we hope the outcomes will give us the confidence to proceed with this project. As you’d expect, we’d need to secure further grants from somewhere to move forward, but will have the capacity to use a portion of profits from Base 1270 to contribute. Watch this space.
Project 2 – Gardening Shed for Scotsburn: At Scotsburn we have had a long-standing focus on gardening and sustainability. This involves staff, students, parents and broader community members getting their hands dirty to grow vegetables and fruit, look after the chickens and maintain the school grounds. At times this has been a challenge due to a lack of decent shedding at the campus.
We are delighted that the Community Bank is fully funding the construction of a shed that will house all of the necessary equipment and classroom materials, but also provide a working space for students, staff and community members to engage in gardening and other environmental projects. This is very exciting as we look to maintain and build upon the sustainability programs running at the campus.
So thanks again to the Community Bank and we look forward to delivering these projects and continuing to utilise the funds donated to improve outcomes for students and community members.
PARENT CONTRIBUTIONS
Details for voluntary Parent Contribution payments for 2024 were sent home late last year. As a public school, your contributions are vital in providing essential resources and programs for your child/ren.
Thank you to those who've already contributed and we are lucky to have a large percentage of parents and carers willing and able to help out.
For inquiries or payment plans, contact the general office. Payments can also be made via the QKR app at any time.