From the Principal and Assistant Principal 

Happy Holidays

We wish everyone a very safe and relaxing holiday and we look forward to seeing everyone happy, healthy and ready for school in Term 2.

Update on COVIDSafe practices in schools

Families will be aware the Victorian Government further relaxed its COVIDSafe settings from 6pm on Friday 26 March 2021. 

Changes to the COVIDSafe settings include allowing more visitors in the home, changes to mask wearing in some settings and updates to density limits in some settings. There are however limited operational changes for schools. 

Visitors continue to be welcomed at our school, however face masks must be carried by individuals 12 years and over at all times (excluding primary school students when at school)  and worn when physical distancing of 1.5 metres cannot be maintained. 

Individuals aged 12 years and over must continue to wear a face mask when on public transport, school buses and when in taxis or ride share vehicles – unless they have a lawful exemption.

In Term 2 at BPS we will continue with arrangements in place for Term 1. 

If the Department of Education and Training advises schools of changes during Term 2 we will advise our community.

Thank you for your understanding and support throughout this term as we continue to implement COVIDSafe practices at our school. 

Easter Parade and Easter Raffle

The Easter Parade is a wonderful tradition at our school. Yesterday our Prep and Year 1 students came to school wearing their amazing Easter bonnet creations and the parade was a big success. To the delight of everyone, Easter Bunny made a special appearance and then had to head off as there is so much to do over the next few days.

Thank you to the team of parents who wrapped our raffle prizes, they looked fantastic. Many happy prize winners yesterday and again today will have  treats to share with family and friends.

Thank you to all our families who so generously donated Easter goodies.

Funds raised ($4532) will be used to purchase Mathematics resources for the students.

Working Bee Last Sunday 

A big thank you to the following families who kindly spent two hours last Sunday at our Working Bee: Lord, Sinclair, Campbell, Gilroy-Smith, Crawford, Lloyd, Cuffe, Keppel-Jones, O'Shea, Fallon, Valoppi, Beeton, Collins, Hohenspein, Hou, Trjernberg-Knott, Marshall, Dawes and Regan. Due to the generous donation of your time we were able to:

- relocate the wooden garden beds outside the Library and Japanese room

-remove the old carpet from the Performing Arts room

- relocate a concrete planter and garden shed  

-prune and tidy the Fern Garden and Japanese Garden  

-sweep up leaf litter in the grounds and at school entrances

-tidy the sandpits and decking in the Habitat Garden  

-remove the remaining vegetables from two large beds in the Kitchen Garden

-clear some drains.

So much was achieved and the grounds looked beautiful for our students when they arrived on Monday. Once again, thank you everyone.

Solar panel installation has commenced

We are delighted that this project is underway. Greener Government Schools invited schools to submit an application to be part of this initiative and our application was successful.

The students have been commenting on the work being done. 

A year 1 student asked:

"Does this mean our school is MORE sustainable? ' 

The answer is yes, and we are very pleased to demonstrate to our students our commitment to sustainability.

Annual Report 2020

The Annual Report for 2020 has been completed and endorsed by School Council.

Despite the challenges we faced last year the students continued to make progress due to the wonderful support from teachers and parents. The school overall continued to operate efficiently, quickly adapting to changing circumstances throughout the year as well as maintaining a strong focus on the goals and targets within our 2020 Annual Implementation Plan.  

The report will be available on our website in Term 2, following final endorsement by the Department of Education and Training. On completion of the process, a meeting will be organised to share the information with interested parents.

Quote of the Week: Relaxation

"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."

Marthe Troly-Curtin Author

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 Wilson

Principal                                                  Assistant Principal