Welcome to Term 3
I hope everyone had a wonderful winter holiday break, with the kids recharged and ready to get into another term of learning and enjoyment.
As always, there’s quite a bit planned for the term so here’s a quick preview of what’s to come:
- Smile Squad will be back next week to do check ups for some students.
- The Year 5s will work with a local artist named Andrea Mclaughlin to learn about a range of artistic techniques that will inspire them to create their own art work.
- The Year 5 camp is coming up in week 8 (September 8-10), with the kids and staff going to Adekate Camp in Dean, not far from Ballarat. This is the first time our school has gone to this camp but looking at the photos and reading the info on the website, the kids are going to have a great experience. They will visit Sovereign Hill on Day 2 to experience colonial life in the gold rush era of the 1800s.
- Our multi-age activities will focus on friendship, respect, anti-bullying, and positive mental health this term, with special themed days such as Wear it Purple Day and R U OK Day.
- A highlight of Term 3 is Book Week, especially the book character dress-up day on August 18. There will also be a Book Fair and a musical production called Treasure Hunt happening during that week.
- Excursions to look forward to are the Year 1 visit to Melbourne Museum, Preps going to Puffing Billy and Year 6s visiting the National Gallery of Victoria.
- We have two student-free days later in the term for you to add to your calendars. The first day is Wednesday 3rd September which is a Professional Practice Day for teachers, and the next is Tuesday 16th September for Three-way conferences. More information about booking your child in for onsite supervision for Three-Way Conferences will be sent out in a few weeks.
- The School Disco is happening after school on Friday 8th August, so that’s something special for the kids to look forward to. The disco is run and organised by a committed group of parents, and I’m very thankful for all the work they’ve done to make this event happen.
- Finally, we will finish off the term on Friday 19th September with a Footy Dress Up Day.
All of these events are additional to the educational experiences our kids receive every day in their classroom, which are just as significant as the extra-curricula activities that happen throughout the year.
What a Show!
Over the last two nights, our students put on a performance of Rock Bottom that was colourful, funny and completely unforgettable. From the moment the curtains opened, the kids had the whole audience laughing and cheering their way through the show. Who knew that a show about an inventive cave girl and her adventures with hilarious stone‑salesmen called the Juans, a sabre-tooth tiger named Tiddles, a vacuum‑cleaning mammoth, prehistoric birds, and a baby dinosaur Rex hatched from a mysterious egg would work so seamlessly?
Over 500 students performed across two nights, with every one of them stepping up and giving it their all. The main cast were simply brilliant. The chorus kept the song and dance energy high, and the backstage crew worked like absolute pros, making sure every bone, axe, tree and rock was where it needed to be.
These productions require a huge team of staff and volunteers working behind the scenes to keep everything running. A massive thank you to everyone who helped bring Rock Bottom to life. There are too many people to mention in this message, so if you’ve got the production program please take some time to read the names of people who have helped us out. They are all amazing
Mr Simon Fox continues to set the bar very high, continuing the strong tradition at Boronia Heights of having outstanding school productions. His direction gave every student a chance to shine. No school that I’ve previously worked at, and I’m tipping not many schools in Australia, does a production quite like the way BHPS does it, so we’re very lucky to have Mr Fox leading Performing Arts at our school.
I can’t wait for the next show in 2027. If Rock Bottom was anything to go by, it’ll be something special once again.
100 Days of School for Preps
Congratulations to all of our Prep students for reaching the milestone of 100 Days of School. The kids and teachers had a celebration day on Wednesday, with a fun day of dressing up, parade, playing games, learning about everything to do with “100”, and enjoying a yummy lunch with cake and party food. I loved seeing the kids dressed in their senior citizens clothing – they looked amazing. They’ve had a wonderful start to school life and have learned so much in such a short time.
Have a great weekend!
Mat Anderton
Principal