Buninyong PS Newsletter

Principal's Report

OFF TO A STRONG START

It has been very nice to start the year without the same level of apprehension experienced over the past few years and I’m pleased to report we’ve had a great first week back. 

 

The students are certainly excited to see their friends and teachers and there are lots of smiles in classrooms and the yard. This includes the preps who have settled in nicely.

 

The teachers have done a great job preparing for the school year and considerable effort has been made to ensure all staff understand approaches and processes relating to both teaching and learning and student wellbeing.  As a result, you can expect to see high levels of consistency between classrooms across the school.  Our new staff have settled in beautifully and we can already see that each will be an asset to our school. 

 

As always, we use the first couple of weeks to build relationships and set expectations and routines and there has been plenty of evidence of this happening in all classrooms across the school.  This work is very important as we set ourselves up for success in classrooms and the playground.

 

Overall, the atmosphere across both campuses is very positive and we look forward to a successful year.  Thanks to everyone for helping us get away to such a smooth start. 

CONDOLENCES TO THE PEARSALL FAMILY

We were all saddened to learn of the passing of Greg last week after a battle with illness.  Greg was a fabulous husband and dad and our hearts go out to Trish, Jaxon, Shaeli and family at this difficult time.  We’ll certainly be doing our best, along with others in the school community, to support the family in the coming weeks and beyond.

SCHOOL FETE

As mentioned last week, it’s exciting that we are now able to hold major events, meaning we can return to the routine of holding fetes and concerts. 

 

We have scheduled the fete to run from 5-8pm on Friday March 3, which is less than a month away. Each class will run an event or stall and by the end of this week we should have all of that sorted. 

 

Coordinating the allocation of stalls and events will be the key work of our Fete Team, which is meeting this Thursday at 3:45pm in the staffroom.  We’re still keen to have more parents join that team, so please contact the office if you’re interested. 

 

It is important to note that school will start at midday on March 3, which enables us to run the event and fit in with staff work schedules.  Base 1270 will operate from 6:30am – midday on March 3 to provide care for those that need it.  For more details, see the Base 1270 page in this newsletter.

GRADE 6 LEADERSHIP TEAMS

Our Grade 6 Leadership Teams have become an institution in the school, providing great experience for the kids and making a strong contribution to what our school has to offer. 

 

A number of our grade 6 leadership teams have already swung into action.  This has included:

 

·         Members of the Photography Team have had a quick lesson and been sent out to record what’s happening in classrooms and the yard.  The photos in our first 2 newsletters for 2023 have featured photos taken by students.

 

·         Our Sporting House Leaders have sorted and re-stocked sports tubs in all classrooms, ensuring all students have access to equipment to play with during recess and lunch breaks.

 

·         Two members of the Morning Announcements Team take responsibility for this role each term.  Declan and Zoe are in charge for term 1 and have embraced the role.

 

·         Our Transition Team have met to understand their role for the year, which includes taking prospective families for a tour.  We have our first tours booked in for next week, so they will be put to work very soon.  Later in the year they’ll help out with kinder visits and the Pre-Schooler Program.

 

The remaining teams will fire up in the coming weeks and we hope badges will arrive soon so we can present them to the grade 6s.

MEET AND GREET

Thanks to all those who are already booked in for next week’s Meet and Greet.  This event presents a great opportunity to check in with your child’s teacher, chat about how the year has started and make sure the teacher has the information they need to meet the needs of your child.  All those who are unable to make the night are invited to contact their child’s teacher to find an alternative time to catch up.

START OF YEAR REMINDERS

Following are some important messages we communicate at this time each year.

 

Student Accident Insurance Arrangements - The Department of Education and Training (DET) does not provide personal accident insurance cover for students.  Parents also need to understand that we as a school don’t purchase cover for our students. 

 

As such, parents and guardians are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including any transport costs. 

 

Reasonably low cost student accident insurance policies are available from some commercial insurers. These cover a range of medical expenses not covered by Medicare or private health insurance. 

 

For Information regarding accident insurance is available at www.studentcover.com.au

 

Bringing Personal Property to School - At this time each year the department asks us to give our parents and students the following reminder.

  • Personal property is often brought to school by students, staff and visitors. This can include mobile phones, ipads, electronic games, toys, musical instruments, sporting equipment, and cars parked on school premises. 
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  • The Department of Education and Training does not hold insurance for personal property brought to schools and it has no capacity to pay for any loss or damage to such property.
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  • This is something we all need to be aware of and heightens the need for us to take the steps needed to keep property as secure as possible.

 

Collecting Children After 3:45pm - Obviously it’s best if parents are able to collect their students from school on or close to 3:30pm. However we understand that this is not always possible and there are times when parents get held up….that’s fine. 

 

To keep students safe whilst they are in our care, any unaccompanied students who are still at school at 3:45pm are asked to go to the office where they can be supervised and kept safe.   

 

If you have any queries about this, please give me a call.

 

Parents attending Camps and Excursions - Working With Children’s Check (WWCC) - Across this year we will run a range of excursions and camps and will have parents come along to help out.  

 

Parents are reminded that it is School Council Policy that all accompanying adults (camps and excursions) require a current WWCC.    Parents can apply for a WWCC, renew (they are current for 5 years) or check their existing status by clicking on the following link http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/ .  Voluntary WWCC do not incur a cost.

Privacy in Schools

The Department of Education and Training (DET) values your privacy and is committed to protecting information that schools collect.  At the beginning of each school year we remind everyone in the school community of what you can expect in this regard. 

 

Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in DET’s Privacy Policy, which can be found on our school’s website.

 

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents.