Principal Report

Term 1 - a Celebration 

We find ourselves at the end of the first term of our school year and so many things have been achieved. 

Our year started with students settling into their new classrooms and learning environments. 

We have all been going through the transition to COMPASS, with parents and staff getting to know the new system. 

We have had our Open Classrooms/Meet the teacher session with lots of members of the community attending and finding out about the learning program for 2023 and meeting their child's teacher. 

Our Year 3 and Year 5 students have participated in NAPLAN. 

We have had new gates put on the Ruth St carpark to try to reduce dumping on the school grounds. We have had two new sections of asphalt being laid, including a great pathway from the entry in Balwyn Road. 

We have started the full implementation of Smart Spelling - which is the systemic and explicit teaching of patterns in words. Our last newsletter included an article all about the program. 

On the environmental front, our solar panels are up and seem to be working well. Our Keen Green Team are up and running, at the moment they are preparing for animal arrival. We also have new rubbish bins around the school to try and support waste removal in our local environment. 

We have enjoyed the excitement of our Cross Country with many members of the community assisting and being present to cheer on our students on the day. 

We had a wonderful Ride to School Day with huge numbers of students riding and participating in activities at lunchtime on the day.  

Our Junior School Council (JSC) Harmony Day was a great success with $359.50 being raised, this money was donated to the Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal. 

We have had swimming trials, Life Ed, excursions and incursions. We have even had visits from the fire brigade with an engine onsite for our Foundation students. Our Year 5/6 students have been involved in interschool sport across the term. 

We have set up our STEM room and classes are visiting this learning space to undertake regularly STEM activities. This link is to the parent section of the Department of Education website - Encouraging science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills

We have started Care Learn and Share, we have been able to reconnect with our groups, met our new members and spent time getting to know each other. 

Our maths extension program has commenced and our Tutor Learning program has continued. 

We thanked those members of School Council who finished as part of the 2023 election process. We held our public reporting meeting and the first meeting of our new School Council. 

Our JSC is up and running and has run their free dress day last week raised $368.10 for our sponsor child John. Learn about John on the JSC page of this newsletter. 

Our production auditions have been taking place with so many staff supporting Emma Thomas our performing arts teacher.  Our students have taken so much time with their families to learn lines and audition. 

We have our first camp for the school year this week, with our Year 6 students at Club Lorne for their surfing camp. 

Lots accomplished during Term 1 and finished off last week with our end of term Expo. 

Welcome Back BBQ 

A special thank you to all of the parent volunteers from School Council and the Community Engagement team for their organisation, cooking, serving and clearing up at our Welcome Back BBQ on Friday afternoon. 

It was great to see so many families able to attend our Expos and stay on for the BBQ. 

Bystander training

Our Year 5/6 students will participate in a learning program early next term which will provide students with an understanding of what it means to take bystander action, the types of bystander action that can be taken in different situations and gives students the opportunity to practice taking action using different scenarios that they may face within their day to day school lives. 

Our staff will be participating in Bystander Training which will provide staff with the understanding of what it means to be a bystander, how we can take action in situations and what that action can look like. This session will give staff knowledge and confidence to continue to develop student skills in taking bystander action, once students have had their own learning session. 

All other students in the school will get the opportunity to participate in an incursion to support them in this area, we are currently working on booking sessions for Term 2. 

Education Week 

Education Week is being celebrated from Sunday May 14th to Saturday May 20th in 2023. 

Our school will be celebrating with an Open Day on Thursday May 18th, we will be open for tours at 9.15am, 11.15am and 2.00pm. Everyone is invited to visit throughout the day to see the school in action. 

On Monday May 15th at 7pm we will be holding an Information Night for Foundation 2024. If you have a child starting school in 2024 collect an enrolment form from the office and put May 15th into the family calendar. 

Stadium floors and other works

In the second week of the school holidays the floor in the stadium will be sanded and recoated. The surface should be finished in time for us to use it again at the start of term. 

We have undertaken our annual tree inspection, with a number of tasks being identified for immediate action - some trees will need to be removed, we are waiting to hear if this will be over this holiday period. 

The gutters on all buildings will also be cleaned this holiday period. And general maintenance tasks will be undertaken across the holiday period. 

School finish end of term

A reminder school finishes at 2.30pm this Thursday April 6th. Our Year 6 campers are due back in time for dismissal at 2.30pm. 

Term 2 resumes Monday 24th April with a public holiday on Tuesday 24th April, ANZAC Day.

No assembly this week 

We will not be having an end of term assembly because all items need to be cleared out of the Stadium to ensure the floors are ready for the resurfacing works in the holidays. This will occur on Wednesday in readiness for cleaning prior to resurfacing starting in the second week of the holidays. 

Koonung Creek Reserve 

The City of Boroondara Council is working with the North East Link Program (NELP)  to develop a draft master plan for the Koonung Creek Reserve (KCR). The master plan will guide the reinstatement of the KCR once the North East Link (NEL) project is nearing completion. It will also guide future works by Council to enhance facilities and amenity in the reserve in the years to come. 

The draft master plan will be available for community feedback in late April 2023 - once school resumes through until mid-May.  Please refer to the consultation page on Engage Boroondara for further details.  

The Council has reached out to Boroondara Park PS to seek space for a community meeting, input from those using the reserve including students. We will provide more information when the Council has made contact early next term. 

Mother's Day Dinner

Don't forget to book in for the Mother's Day dinner via Compasstix by Monday 1st May  - Mother's Day Dinner 

BPPS Facebook and Instagram 

Don't forget to follow our social media accounts and see what is happening at school each day. Boroondara Park Primary School Facebook

Search @BoroondaraPark on Instagram to follow the school. 

Susanne Lowe

Principal