The Principal's Report

Pupil Free Days

Why do we pick the days that we do?

Our next Pupil Free day is Thursday April 4th.

Why the day before the holidays start?

The professional learning that will be undertaken by staff on that day will be led by Glen Pearsall. Glen is a highly sought after speaker who presented at the Riversdale Principal Network conference in 2018 and has recently been running workshops throughout Australia and overseas. Our aim in booking Glen this term was to give us time to trial some of his strategies throughout this year, the only day left in his calendar for Term 1 was April 4th. 

Glen will be working with us exploring questioning techniques, building student voice and enabling students to be more active participants in the assessment process. Our staff will have many practical strategies to take away and trial in their programs from their day of learning. They will also have a road map for trialing various forms of formative assessment. 

Formative assessment refers to a wide variety of methods that teachers use to assess a student's understanding, learning needs, and academic progress during a lesson or unit.  

Our last Pupil Free Day for the year is on Wednesday July 17th. This day will be lead by Kath Murdoch, again a much sought after speaker and educator.  She had one day left in her calendar for 2019 and we were lucky to secure it.

Kath is an experienced teacher, author, university lecturer and consultant who has worked for many years in schools throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia, America and Europe. 

As a staff we will spend time exploring Personal Learning and iTime with her. The learning will support the Integrated units of work undertaken each term by our teachers.  Here is a talk she gave in 2014 around the power of questions and that 'Umm' reflective moment.  The Power of ummmm

Racist Bullying

Boroondara Park Primary School is driven by the Rights and Responsibilities you will see in all learning areas and classrooms. We are an inclusive and respectful school. We understand the importance of being connected, protected and respected. An area that is gaining focus in the community and in schools is supporting those who experience racist bullying.

Racist bullying occurs when someone is belittled, mocked, intimidated or shamed because of their: 

• physical appearance
• ethnic background
• religious or cultural practices
• the way they talk or dress.

Racist bullying can range from casual but hurtful remarks, to deliberate physical and verbal attacks. 

Unfortunately, racist bullying continues to occur in our school communities.​

An increasing amount of evidence indicates that promoting upstander behaviour in students who witness or hear bullying is a highly effective strategy to support students who are the targets of bullying behaviour.

Being an upstander includes being friends with the target of the bullying, getting help from a trusted adult and, if it’s safe, calling out the bullying behaviour.

(Source DET website - Racist Bullying)

As a school our implementation of the Respectful Relationships program will support us to promote and model respect, positive attitudes and behaviours. It teaches our children how to build healthy relationships, resilience and confidence. 

Planning Week

This week our teams have been reviewing their work from Term 1 and planning for Term 2. These days provide the staff with much needed time to reflect on the units of work they have undertaken this term, identifying what went well and how they could improve the learning for students next time they are delivering the unit. 

Teachers also spend time planning English, Maths and Integrated units of work for the coming term. This is a vital part of the work of a teacher, taking the time to explore the curriculum, plan assessment tasks and ensure that what is planned for the coming term will cater to the needs of all of the students in their class. 

Staffing news

This week we employed Beth Stewart who will commence in Term 2 in 6DT. Beth comes to us from Ivanhoe East Primary School. Many of you will be aware that Janice Dransfield will be retiring at the end of Term 1.

We thank Janice for all that she has contributed to Boroondara Park Primary School, we have been lucky to count her as a supportive colleague and dedicated classroom teacher. We wish her well in retirement, we know that she will enjoy time with her family, exploring all sorts of new hobbies and having travel adventures.  Janice has been in education for over 30 years. She first started at Boroondara Park PS in 2003 teaching a Grade 5/6 class and it is apt that she finishes her time here in Year 6. She has taught at all levels except Foundation, she has been a Team Leader, Team Manager and coordinated camps for Year 3, 4 and 5.

In other staffing news Travis Longmuir is headed to Sandringham Primary School next term as a full time Physical Education teacher. We wish Travis well, knowing he will have much more time with his young family with work just around the corner from home. Travis started his first teaching job in 2005 at Boroondara Park PS. He taught eight years in Foundation and one year in P.E, which sparked his interest in doing that job on a more permanent basis. We thank him for all he has contributed to BPPS and for his dedicated work as a teacher and supportive colleague. 

Last week we appointed Tessa Sibbel as the classroom teacher for 3LB for the rest of 2019. We would like to thank Lisa Blanch for all that she has contributed to the learning environment for the students in 3LB and to the Year 3/4 team this term. Her dedication to the role this term has been appreciated by all. We will continue to see Lisa throughout the year as she returns to her casual relief work within the school. 

Assembly on the last day of term

On the last day of Term 1 we will be holding an assembly from 1.40pm. Due to Camps and excursions we have not had an assembly since Week 6, so this assembly will be a little longer than normal. We hope that you are able to attend. 

End of term

A reminder that schools finishes at 2.30pm next Friday April 5th. Term 2 will commence on Tuesday April 23rd. We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday. 

Whole School Expo

Next week we celebrate our learning around Identity across the school. You are invited to our Whole School Expo on Tuesday April 2nd from 3.00 to 4.00pm.

This is an opportunity for you to explore the work that your child has completed this term. They will have things to show and share and they will also take the opportunity to seek your feedback on their term. We hope to see all of our community at school next Tuesday afternoon. 

School Council

On Wednesday March 27th we held our Annual General Meeting of School Council. During this meeting we presented the Annual Report, which is then submitted to the Department of Education and Training. Once approved by the Department, the report is available for us to send to all families. 

We also held the first meeting of our new School Council, with the inclusion of a new community member Theresa Stewart. School Council will share their work in the newsletter throughout the year. Keep an eye out for the inclusion of a School Council page.