Education Week
What an amazing day we had on Wednesday to celebrate Education Week with our annual Open Morning and Night. We were so lucky to have beautiful weather too. I was overwhelmed by the turnout by parents, grandparents, friends and family. I counted approximately 20 visitors in every class. Never have I seen so many people attending an Open Morning. It’s clear that the community takes great pride in the work the school is doing to enrich the lives and educational experiences for our kids.
The Education Week theme this year is Active Learners: Move, Make, Motivate, celebrating the many ways students learn, through physical activity, hands on learning and student voice. Education Week is an opportunity for our school to celebrate and share with you how we encourage our students to be active learners. When I walked around and visited classrooms throughout the morning, I saw so many examples of kids engaging in activities that focused on moving, making and motivating. The Preps were doing Smartie Maths – what could be more motivating than creating a graph out of chocolate and then eating it? The Year Two kids were searching for indigenous symbols and drawing them on the ground in a large-scale art piece. The Year Threes read “Pig the Pug” and had to create their own front cover for the next “Pig the Pug” book – I even saw one titled “Pig the Vampire”! Mrs Taylor in PE said that there were many parents who loved the opportunity to play a game against their own children. Sounds like fun to me!
In the middle session, the kids were put into multi-age groups where they did an activity about healthy eating and staying active. One child had their body traced on a large piece of paper and the students had to write words, draw pictures and cut and paste images of the things that our body needs to be healthy. The kids had to think about the kinds of foods that keep us healthy, as well as external factors such as exercise, sun safety and having friends. These multi-age activities are great ways for the kids to interact with children of different ages and with teachers who they may not always get to see in their classroom.
The Open Night was another opportunity for the school community to see what’s happening in our classrooms. While it was a chilly night, it was wonderful to say hello to so many parents and some new prospective families who were keen to check out the school. The concert to end the night was first-class. Congratulations to all the kids involved in the performances, including those who were busking around the school.
A special thank you needs to go to our team of specialist teachers – Mrs Smith, Mr Fox, Mr Milan, Ms Henstock and Mrs Cook/Ms Sutterby – for all their work in organising the day, from the activities to the concert performances. We are very lucky to have an amazing team of teachers here at BHPS.
Education Support Personnel Day
Last Tuesday we celebrated the work of our extraordinary team of Education Support personnel. Our school would not run without the dedication and commitment of this team of people. From the moment our students step into the school until they leave at the end of the day, our dedicated support staff members are there to lend a helping hand, provide guidance, and create a safe and nurturing space for all. Our office staff are the friendly faces that greet students, parents and community members each and every day, and ensure the smooth operations of the administrative side of the school. They definitely keep the wheels turning!
Our team of teacher aides provide valuable support to students with any additional needs they may have by assisting them to succeed at school. Their commitment, compassion and hard work does not go unnoticed, and the impact they have on the lives of the students is immeasurable.
Our librarian, Leanne Bentley, inspires kids to foster a love of reading and learning. I’m sure everyone agrees with me that the library space looks so good because of the pride Leanne has in the school and our students.
I also want to acknowledge our maintenance man, Peter, who keeps our school looking spick and span. He’s always busy re-mulching our gardens, planting, weeding, painting and fixing any issues with our buildings and grounds.
Well done to you all!
Mat Anderton
Acting Principal