PFC Pop-up Second-Hand Uniform Shop a great success!

The BPS community donated $1,095 to the Backpacks4vickids Christmas Appeal for kids in foster or emergency care by shopping at last week’s Pop-up Second-Hand Uniform Shop at The Timbuktu Café in Wilson Street.

Parents turned out in droves between Monday 2 and Friday 5 November to buy hundreds of items from the shop which filled the breach while the school’s second-hand uniform shop is closed.

BPS parents donated the clothing, which was then sorted by Jan Browne – PFC Vice President, and sold via an honesty-based self-service-style system at the café.

The beneficiary, Backpacks4vickids, will give 2,500 Santa Sacks to kids in need on Christmas Day this year. The children may be refugees, in out-of-home care, or in emergency accommodation.

Local mum Kathy Bennett is helping out with the campaign. When told of the final donation, Kathy was “very overwhelmed with gratitude. You are all going to the top of Santa’s NICE list,” she said.

“The $1,086 is coming at a perfect time. Target has offered to price-match these amazing $5 stuffed toys and we are aiming to buy as many as we can, as these are the hardest items to source,” she said.

If you would like to support the appeal, go to: https://www.mycause.com.au/page/237814/christmas-4-kids-in-care

The shop is no longer accepting donations. Leftover clothing has been given to BPS for the BPS second-hand uniform shop. For updates about the reopening of the school’s shop, keep an eye on Compass.

All is not lost! PFC finds solution to lost-property problem.

It’s a common story: a child wears their hoodie out to the playground, the hoodie disappears.

Pre-COVID-19, parents were able to rifle through the lost-property racks at the uniform shop but the pandemic put paid to that, meaning lost property has been out of bounds for parents. Until now.

Jan Browne and Emma Oliver have been working with Deputy Principal Joel, and Belinda from the Uniform Shop, to resolve this issue.

Later this month, Jan and Emma will collect, sort and reunite items of labelled clothing with its rightful owner.

More details to come. Please keep a look out for more updates on Compass.

Next chapter in the making of classroom libraries

The PFC hopes parents can hold on to their preloved children’s books just a little longer because the day when the school will be ready to accept books for classroom libraries is getting close.

In fact, mark your diary for book drop-offs in the second or third week of December.

We have been waiting for the new, flat-packed bookshelves to arrive and be assembled, before calling for donations of books (in good to excellent condition) to be brought to school.

We want to make it as easy as possible for parents and students to donate books, and streamline the process for sorting books, so please continue to keep your books safe for just a little bit longer.

It is envisaged that the new classroom libraries will be ready for 2021. Further details will follow via Class Reps and Compass.

Nude Food Tuesdays & Thursdays ’til year-end

As part of the BPS Nude Food Campaign, the school has requested that children bring their recess and lunch ‘nude-food’ style – without disposable wrappers, twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, until the end of term.

Reusable plastic containers are excepted, as are bees’ wax food wrappers.

If you are looking to purchase bees’ wax food wrappers, consider buying the reusable bees’ wax wraps made by BPS Grade 2 pupils, Ellis Benson and Jack Beaumont.

Their wraps are called The Bees Bums, and they are available from Timbuktu Café on Wilson Street or via The Etsy Store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheBeesBumsCreations

Early local festive gift suggestion: BPS COOKBOOK

You can purchase our fabulous cookbook – “Brighton Bites: Recipes from our table to yours” – for just $30 from one of the book’s major sponsors, Church Street Butchers, at 85 Church Street, Brighton.

The cookbook is jam-packed with a diverse range of recipes (including a recipe for a Christmas pud!) and is the perfect festive gift, as well as a great keepsake of your child’s time at BPS.

Danielle Johnston

PFC President

TeamKids