Principal's Report

It has been a fantastic couple of weeks at Blackburn Primary School, with students now fully settled into their new routines and classrooms. I have been particularly impressed by our Foundation students, who have transitioned into their first year of school with confidence and are already comfortable in their new spaces. It has been wonderful to see our band program back into rehearsals over recent weeks as well. There is a real sense of focus across the school, and it is a pleasure to see our classrooms so settled and productive so early in the term.

Parent-Teacher Exchange

Thank you again to the families who attended our recent information sessions and parent-teacher exchanges. We know from experience that when parents and teachers work closely together, it has a significant impact on a child's academic and social progress. Building these strong relationships early in the year is one of the best ways we can support our students' learning and wellbeing.

Cultural Festival - Save the Date

Our first whole school event is just around the corner and we would love to see as many as families as possible join us. Please mark your diaries for Thursday 19th March, from 4:45 pm to 7:00 pm, for our Cultural Festival (formerly known as Holi Festival). It promises to be a great evening for our community and is certainly a date not to be missed.

School Council Nominations

We are currently seeking nominations for school council. Please see Compass for further details on how to nominate.

Child Safety & Onsite Procedures

In accordance with Child Safety regulations, we have specific procedures to ensure the security of our students during school hours:

• Yard Supervision: Teachers are on yard duty supervising students from 8:45am each morning and until 3:45pm each afternoon. Students should not be at school outside of these hours unless they are under direct adult supervision.
• Morning Drop-off: All families should be off school grounds by 9:10am.
• Afternoon Pick-up: To ensure student safety during the school day, families should not enter school grounds before 3:20pm.
• Locked Gates: The school gates will be locked between 9:10am and 3:20pm.
• Visitors & Sign-ins: Any visitor arriving during school hours must sign in via the Compass Kiosk at the front office and present a valid Working With Children Check (WWCC).
• Toilets: For safety and privacy, visitors must only use the designated toilets in the Administration Building. All other school toilets are for student or staff use only.

Student Insurance – Reminder from DET

Parents are reminded that the Department of Education (DE) does not offer any form of ‘student accident insurance. If families are concerned about this, they are advised to make their own arrangements. Ambulance cover could be one consideration as the school will not hesitate to call an ambulance if we are concerned about a child’s wellbeing.

Personal Goods brought to school at the ‘Owners’ risk

The Department of Education (DE) does not hold insurance for personal property brought to schools. All schools are requested to remind students and parents/guardians of this at the beginning of each academic year and to discourage parents/students from bringing any unnecessary or particularly valuable items to school. Please avoid bringing these items as it can be most upsetting for all concerned if items go missing or are damaged.

Parking @ Blackburn PS

Please be reminded that the Surrey Road car park is a staff car park with very limited visitor spaces. We ask that families use the Kiss ‘n’ Drop for daily drop-offs and pickups to help keep traffic moving safely. If you need to park and come into the school, spaces are available in the One Community Church car park from 8:45 am to 9:15 am, or in the surrounding streets—just please be mindful of local time restrictions. A friendly reminder that parents are not permitted to park in the Whitehorse Road or Blackburn Clinic car parks, as these are reserved for their respective patrons.

Scott Minetti

Acting Principal