WELCOME TO THE 2021 SCHOOL YEAR

Welcome back to everyone and hope your family enjoyed a good break.

The end of 2020 was quite hectic, as we transitioned the students back to school from remote learning, prepared for changes to the class structure and moved a large amount of furniture and equipment to accommodate new learning spaces for year levels. Despite all of that, we finished off the year really well.

Last year was like no other, but everyone should be proud of how the school community managed the situation. It seems we are better placed this year with respect to covid19 and that things are in place to limit the likelihood of extended lockdowns and school closures…..fingers crossed. In the Wellbeing section of this newsletter, Scott outlines current arrangements relating to covid19 in schools. It is worth mentioning here that we will return to weekly assemblies in the gym, but just for staff and students. Look out for information regarding the live streaming of assemblies.

Our staff have done an excellent job in making sure we are ready to hit the ground running and engaged in planning and professional learning last Wednesday and Thursday. The rain on Friday morning posed a few challenges, but that didn’t bother the kids and they settled into their new classrooms very quickly. The kids even coped well with having just 15 minutes outside for the day.

Quite a few new families have joined our school, with a number of families moving into the area and of course lots with their eldest child starting in prep….a special welcome to you all.

We had 86 preps start with us last Thursday, 80 of those at Buninyong and 6 at Scotsburn. Our preps have settled in very nicely and have been supported very well by their grade 6 buddies. The photos attached give you a sense of how the preps have settled in.

We welcome a number of staff to the team, those being:

Cindy Armstrong – Cindy returns to a grade 5/6 class after a few years of working in international schools in Vietnam.
Belinda Hargreaves – Belinda worked with us a few years ago and now returns to work in a grade 1/2 class.
Anna Stott – Anna returns after some time on Family Leave and will be sharing a 1/2 class with Belinda.
Ela Bourke-Finn – Ela has done quite a bit of emergency teaching with us over the past few years whilst on Family Leave and now returns part time to share a 1/2 class with Kate Miller (Scott).
Kate Tucker – Kate comes to us from Exford PS and has a 5/6 class.
Kirsty Robinson – Kirsty has been teaching at Hopetoun P-12 and has a 1/2 class this year.
Erin Dexter– Erin will work with us as a teacher aide on a 12 month traineeship

Many of you will have already met with the relevant classroom teachers, but if not, hopefully you will get an opportunity to come along on the ‘meet and greet’ evening on Feb 16…..see details later in this newsletter.

We have lots to look forward to this year and encourage parents to look for and take advantage of opportunities to get involved with the school and your child’s education. Hopefully those opportunities will get back to something like normal in 2021.

Uniform – We have sold lots of uniform over the past few weeks and we’re glad this service is continuing to be convenient for parents. Thanks to everyone for making sure your children are in full uniform and the effort to have children in black shoes has been very noticeable…thanks for that. To make life easier for all parents, we’re keen to continue a concerted effort to encourage uniform compliance throughout 2021.

FACILITY UPGRADES

We had quite a bit of work done at the school over the break. This included:

External painting was undertaken around quad and court yard rails.
The internal walls of the office foyer were painted.
A new doorway and internal glass sections were installed off the rooms behind the library to create new spaces for the Japanese program and a maths storeroom.
Final stages of an upgrade to the way water is sourced, stored and distributed at Scotsburn were completed.
New carpet was installed in 2 of the grade 5/6 classrooms.

Some projects we have planned for 2021 include:

The installation a shade sail structure on the south west corner of the gym. Work has started on this project and should be completed in the coming fortnight. This project is funded through a state government grant.
It’s highly likely that we will have significant solar systems installed at both campuses. This too will be funded through a government grant and we hope to hear of an announcement very soon.
Alterations are planned for the gym. This includes the creation of a quiet break away space for Base 1270, increasing the size of the sports storeroom and the bike shed and installing fans and air conditioning. All of these works are to be funded by Base 1270.
We’re planning to construct a shed to house a bus and trailer, whilst providing other storage. The bus will be leased and funded through Base 1270. Running a leased bus will cost significantly less that contracting a bus company. The shed will be funded by Base 1270.
Continuing works on developing a new Japanese Garden on the east side of the basketball court.

We look forward to making progress on all of the above projects throughout the year to continue our quest to provide the best possible environment for students at both campuses.

Base 1270

Well done to our Base 1270 Team who once again ran a successful Vacation Care Program. Typically there were mid 20s in attendance, and the feedback from students has been very positive.

Devi McCartin (Program Coordinator) and Casey Douglas (Assistant Coordinator) are continuing in their roles and are looking forward to a big year at Base 1270. With the Japanese Program moving up the hill, Base 1270 has the space to itself and Devi and Casey are in the process of setting the room up.

We’re looking forward to numbers steadily growing to the reach pre-covid numbers.

GRADE 6 GRADUATION AND FINAL ASSEMBLY OF 2020

Preparing for the Grade 6 Graduation was challenging due to changing covid19 safety rules, but in the end it all worked out beautifully. There was a threat of showers, but it turned out to be a beautiful evening. The outdoor stage near the music room and the slope in front of it created a perfect amphitheatre and a stunning location. The ceremony was enjoyed by all, including those watching the live stream at home. At the conclusion of the formal part of the evening, students and staff headed into the gym for the students to have a bite to eat, dance up a storm and enjoy each other’s company. Overall, the evening was a huge success.

The final assembly in any given year is a big event and presents a nice way of celebrating the year and thanking everyone for helping to make Buninyong PS a special place. It was a bit weird to have no parents present, but hopefully lots were able to watch via the live stream.

As is tradition, there was a focus on our grade 6 students who were heading off to secondary school. To finish the occasion, the grade 6s performed their grade 6 dance before walking through an avenue of honour, throwing their hats in the air and signing polo shirts. The assembly is a nice way for all staff and students to acknowledge the group, thank them for their efforts and to say farewell.

Attached here is the link to view the 2020 graduation

CATHERINE KING COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD WINNER 2020

Our local Federal Member of Parliament offers an annual community service award for someone in the community who has made a strong contribution to the school. For 2020, the award recipient was Jacqui McMillan. After school closure periods, Jacqui came to the Buninyong Campus each morning with her reading dog

(Honey) to greet the kids and provide them with a bit of joy as they arrived at school. For children who were struggling to transition back to school, Jacqui and Honey provided a useful distraction, enabling them to put aside their worries and make their way to class.

Jacqui did all of this off this without being asked and attended regardless of the weather. Her contribution in a challenging year was significant, making her a worthy winner of the award.

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