Principal

2021 classes

As you will be aware many hours go into the planning for a new school year, employing staff, deciding on teams and making classes. 

Our teaching and support team for next year is set out below for your information. 

Foundation Team

Kirstin Jones

Claire Brennan and Kristen Schultz

Year 1/2 Team

Tracey Cronin and Simone Draper

Emma Thomas

Julie Tainsh

Maryanne Cozzio

Felicity Black

Aaron Matthews

Year 3/4 Team

Cameron Batt

Lisa Trevorrow and Sarah Jacobs

Clare Efron

Ray Owens

Roslyn Pritsis

Ali Mulder and Bianca Gelsi

Year 5/6 Team

Lisa Kanaris

Cat Fleming and Lyndsey Thwaites

Jemmah Kelly 

Nick King

Carlos Milan 

Claire Ballot

Shannon Turner 

Specialist Team 

Llaaneath Poor 

Carli Thomas

Jennifer Hortin

Marylou Higgins

Jen Christie

Sujatha Chaturvedi

Education Support Team

Christina Penna

Litsa Nedelkov

Margaret Coombs

Anna Damalas

Liz Watson

Antonella Giardini

Louisa Judd

Olga Anderson 

May Vos-Rutter

Sujeewa Costa

Leadership Team

Susanne Lowe 

Randal Symons 

Shannon Reeve

From Ms McHugh

Dear BPPS community, 

After 7 years as a student and 9 years of teaching at BPPS, I am embarking upon a new adventure.  I have accepted a teaching position at Ivanhoe Grammar School, commencing next year. BPPS is a wonderful community that has been instrumental in shaping the teacher and person I am today. My relationships with students, staff and parents are very dear to me, and I leave with many cherished memories.  I am privileged to be a part of BPPS, and thank you for your support over the years.

All the best, 

Bronwyn McHugh

Staffing leaving BPPS

We have the following staff leaving our school at the end of this year. We wish them well in their new school, new opportunities and new experiences. We thank them for all that they have contributed to BPPS in their time here, their dedication to their students and their teams. 

Paul Roast has been on staff for two years and has prior to that been a casual relief teacher at our school. We wish him well in 2021 as he moves out of teaching for the year. 

Phil Wickham has been on staff for two years and has taught in Year 2. We wish him well at Balwyn PS

Lisa Blanch has been on staff this year as a member of our Foundation team, in the two previous years she worked as a casual relief teacher and for Term 1 last year in Year 3. You may see her in a local secondary college teaching next year. 

Josh Bramham has been on staff this year teaching in Year 5. We wish him well next year in his new position at Wyndham Vale PS. 

Carli Greenwood has been teaching in Foundation this year, we were excited to see her return to school last year. She is heading off to have her second child and we wish her well and look forward to meeting her new bundle of joy next year. 

Beth Stewart has been at our school for most of the last two years in Year 6. We wish her well as she returns to Ivanhoe East PS. 

Bron McHugh has worked at BPPS for nine years, teaching in Year 5/6 and Year 3/4 and has been a curriculum leader in that time. We thank her for all she has contributed in her years as a teacher and formally a student. We wish her well at Ivanhoe Grammar next year. 

Carols event

Thank you to Llaaneath Poor for her expertise in planning for our Virtual Carols evening. A special thanks to Cameron Batt for his expertise with putting the film together - especially the editing of the staff item!  Thank you to Kosta and Callum our Performing Arts captains for compering. 

We hope many of you were able to come together this evening and enjoy singing.

Graduation 

Next week we are holding a week of Graduation celebrations for our students. We look forward to celebrating their last week of primary school with them. 

Thank you to the team of dedicated staff - Lisa Kanaris, Cat Fleming, Beth Stewart, Lyndsey Thwaites, Jemmah Kelly and Simone Draper and parent supporters who have ensured our Year 6 students have a wonderful final week of primary school life. 

Thank you

To all of our students, thank you for taking care of yourselves, for trying so hard to keep up with your learning programs this year. It has been hardest of all for you as this year was nothing like you expected. We cannot wait to have you all here together next year for another year of outstanding learning at BPPS. 

To all of our parents and carers, thank you for your support in 2020. This year has been like no other and without your support and care for your children and their learning we would not have been able to provide our learning programs in the remote environment this year. As you all juggled life and students being home we know you dedicated endless hours to supporting your children. 

We thank you for taking the time to contact the school and let us know what you appreciated about the program we provided, about our communication and ongoing information to you all. 

To all of our dedicated staff, thank you for keeping each other focused on what matters at our school - the education of our students. Your ability to be flexible, to adapt and change what you do has been outstanding this year. Your efforts have ensured our students have achieved so much this year, they have had new experiences and on return to school your focus on their wellbeing as well as academic progress has meant they are ready to head into the new learning year. All staff have supported us in keeping the wonderful school that is Boroondara Park PS functioning in 2020. 

Thank you one and all. 

How to support our students with change

I know that each of you has the very best intentions and hopes for your own child. As a staff we work to support individual students, as we teach them daily and as we interact with them in the yard. A teacher supports a whole grade of learners with the development of their classroom or specialist program. Our Education Support Staff, both aides and office staff support our students individually and in unique ways. We also have the best intentions for your child, we have 580 students to educate and we strive to always do our very best for each and everyone of them. 

Not every year will your child have their best friends in their class but we make sure they have one person from their list with them.

Not every year will your child be with the teacher you have decided they should be with but we believe in the strengths of all of our teachers, we work together as a team and we know that your child will be catered for no matter who their teacher is. 

Some of you may have found that your child did not come out of the gate on Orientation Day happy with who they are with, be it other students or the teacher. It is our job as the adults in their lives to support them, let them see that things will be alright and to focus on the excitement for a new start. Not everyone likes change, but each year in a school things change, this is the nature of the environment. 

A hard year

As we move rapidly to the end of the school  we all acknowledge how hard many have found this mixed up and confounding year. 

Please be sure to look after those you love and yourself by reaching out if you need support or assistance throughout the holiday period. 

Help can be found through - 

Beyond Blue  - 1300 22 4636

Kids Helpline -  1800 55 1800 

Lifeline - 131114

Pupil Free Days

A reminder the first two days of the 2021 school year will be Pupil Free Days. Students in Year 1-6 start school on Friday January 29th. Our Foundation students also start this day but only for part of the day - to provide for a continued Orientation program. 

Camps and excursions 

We are pleased we will again be able to begin Camps and Excursions in 2021. There will be some changes required with ongoing COVID safe plans but the opportunity to get our students back into more of our extra programs is very exciting.  

Onsite Access

Will update you on our first days of the new school year towards the end of the January holiday period. All going well we really look forward to seeing you onsite next year - will update you on any rules. 

Uniform

Does your child need uniform? Because of the COVID pandemic our onsite uniform shop has closed for Term 4 this year and Term 1 next year. If you need uniform then your options are:

• order online - RHSport - orders can be delivered to school and then sent home with your child
• visit the shop at 100 New St Ringwood

Is your child staying at BPPS in 2021?

If you know that your child will be leaving BPPS at the end of 2020 please fill in the Google form to assist us with planning. 

Leaving Boroondara Park at the end of 2020

Wishing you all a wonderful last week of the school year

Susanne Lowe

Principal