Principal's Message

Building Works

In Term 2, I applied for a Safe Trees grant, which included an assessment of the trees on the school grounds and any work needed to maintain them. I was pleased to see that our grant was accepted and they dispatched a team of arborists to inspect the trees. 

Thankfully, the inspection revealed that none of the trees were in need of urgent work. However, some necessary maintenance work was identified, and the arborists recommended pruning to improve their safety. Over the course of three days, the arborists pruned the trees, ensuring they remained safe while maintaining their natural appearance. We even kept two piles of mulch which Sharon and the sustainability crew will no doubt be using. 

Last weekend, Sharon was at the school with the Brown family, transforming the back of the yard. We are preparing to give the area a huge makeover with some exciting announcements to be made soon. 

Student Success

Year 5 student Bella recently participated in a gymnastics competition where she had a very successful day winning a handful of medals and a trophy. Bella has been involved in gymnastics for a number of years and was very excited to show her achievements to her class. We are very proud of Bella and her continued dedication to perfecting her gymnastics skills. 

Scienceworks

On Thursday 20th of July, we took the students to Scienceworks to help their understanding of all the concepts they've covered in STEM. 

One aspect that truly made me proud was the outstanding manner in which our students conducted themselves in a public space. They were not only attentive and engaged during the educational presentations, but also showed great respect to other visitors and the museum staff. Throughout the exhibits, our students actively participated in hands-on activities and embraced every opportunity to learn. 

A teacher from another school to spoke me to tell me how impressed they were with our older students, who had shared and assisted the younger kids in exploring the exhibits. The teacher was truly impressed by the kindness and leadership displayed by our bigger children towards the little ones. I was immensely proud of our students and wanted to share this with the school community.

Athletics Trials

This week we held our athletics trials, and we couldn't be any prouder of the Year 2 - 6 students as they showed tremendous persistence in having a go at all the events. The students selected will go on to compete against the other Macedon Ranges schools at an event in Bendigo on August 10th. 

Compost Delivery

Last term, Owen won a whopping 6 meters of compost for our school in a competition run by the Macedon Ranges Shire! The competition was about promoting environmental awareness and sustainable practices among schools. We will have to wait for the ground to dry out before the delivery can be made, but the Macedon Ranges Shire has already delivered a compost bin to our school, a symbol of what's to come once we get to work on our green project. It's a reminder that we're making a positive impact on our environment, one step at a time.

Basketball

Thank you to Indiana and Paige's family for their slam dunk effort in spending a few hours after school putting together our portable and adjustable basketball system. We will be putting it to good use in the coming weeks as the weather starts to clear up. 

Instrumental Music Update

This week I received news from Jacob, our musical instrumental teacher, that he was relocating to the other side of Melbourne at the end of the term. This will mean that it will be Jacob's last term with us at Bolinda Primary School. No doubt families will be disappointed to say goodbye to Jacob as he has really helped out the children on their musical journey. I am currently working Jacob to put on a farewall performance. We'll have more information on this once we confirm details. Moving forward, Bolinda Primary School will still have an instrumental music program and I will have further news to share on this in our next newsletter. 

NAPLAN Results

We've just received our NAPLAN results, and I couldn't wait to share the exciting news with all of you. First and foremost, I am so proud of our amazing students who tackled these daunting tests! It's not just about the numbers though; it's about understanding where we stand, recognising our strengths, and identifying areas where we can improve as a team. This process will help us develop a well-informed plan of action to keep excelling in the years to come.

It's important to acknowledge that test scores don't define us entirely. We're so much more than that. NAPLAN is just a snapshot of our abilities in specific subjects, and it doesn't capture the full scope of our talents and potential. We have budding artists, talented musicians, future athletes, and aspiring scientists among us.

Book Week 

Book Week is fast approaching and we will have more information soon about what we are planning to do for the special week commencing Monday 19th of August. 

Donut Birthday

In case your child came home speaking of a super-sized donut cake earlier this week, here's why... This week I celebrated my birthday and was surprised with over 50 donuts. The children were looking after me and my health and wouldn't let me eat all of them by myself, so they convinced me to share them. I was even lucky enough to receive a few surprising birthday cards which students worked on during their break time. Overall, it was a very memorable way to celebrate my first birthday at Bolinda Primary School.

Jordan Chamerski

Principal