From the Principal and Assistant Principal

Welcome back everyone

Thank you to everyone for your ongoing support and understanding in these challenging times.

Thank you to the amazing BPS staff for once again carefully preparing and organising, in great detail, all the elements of Home Learning to ensure a smooth transition for our students and their families.

Some families have called in to collect devices or their child's books and we sincerely thank you for your cheerfulness and positivity.

We have been watching the WebEx meetings between teachers and their students and it is wonderful to see the smiling faces and waving hands. Some children can be seen leaning into the meeting to connect to their classmates. Some are clearly well set up in their own study areas and at times we can see others have found a sunny spot outside to sit and join the meeting.

To say that a lot has happened since the year began would be an understatement for all of us. COVID-19 has changed our lives in so many ways and we’re all feeling the sting of this pandemic in one way or another.

My heart goes out to you for the struggles you may have endured and most especially to those of you who have lost someone due to the virus.

To see us through, let's remember “tough times don’t last but tough people do”. Let's think about how we can use this time to re-assess our priorities and grow stronger. We have our good days and our bad days but we are bonding in new ways throughout this experience. We will continue to focus on solutions. Whatever our difficulties or however we are feeling, we will use opportunities for something different to happen, for something to be better.

Please use the Gratitude questions below as a daily check-in activity with your children and yourself.

Above all stay safe and stay well everyone.

Resources to support family wellbeing

Home Learning can be challenging for both students and parents. To support families, the Department has shared a range of resources that may help you to support your child's mental health and wellbeing. There are tips to kick-start conversations, ideas to stay active, advice about being safe online, as well as information to help you take care of yourself during Home Learning. Please find these linked below.

For further resources, please visit the Family Health section of the Department Website.

School maintenance during the holidays

School holidays always provide an opportunity to complete maintenance and improvements around the school. During the holidays the following tasks were completed:

Mowing and weed management on the oval
Mowing around the school perimeter and entrance
Installation of sensor lights overlooking play equipment
Installation of additional safety switches
Upgrade of power points in preparation for an industrial dishwasher in the canteen
Installation of additional shelving and pin board in the Prep area
Overall cleaning of the school
Repairs to the roof tiles on the red brick building
Tree maintenance across the school site
Removal of unwanted shrubs, pruning, mulching and tidy up in the Kitchen Garden
Trimming of shrubs overhanging the footpath in Herbert St
Maintenance and mulching in the Japanese Garden

Parent Survey: Master Plan for upgrade of the oval

Thank you to the families and staff who completed the online survey. The information will be analysed by the Buildings & Grounds Committee and inform the master plan for the staged upgrade of the oval in the years ahead. We will also be surveying some groups of students to ensure there is collective input from all members of our school community.

The new iPads have arrived

Families may recall that last term School Council approved the purchase of 50 additional iPads for students to support their learning. The iPads arrived last week and we are in the process of preparing them for use in classrooms.

Quote of the Week: Empathy

Learning to stand in somebody else’s shoes, to see through their eyes, that’s how peace begins. And it’s up to you to make that happen. Empathy is a quality of character that can change the world. Barack Obama

Gratitude and Mindfulness

What are three things that went well for you today?

What are the best things that happened to you today?

Who are you most grateful for and why?

What are you looking forward to most about tomorrow?

Sheryl Skewes Ellen Hollowood

Principal Assistant Principal