Principal’s Report
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:
- School production is on this Wednesday and Thursday evenings at the Besen Centre, Mt Scopus Memorial College in Burwood. The kids and staff have been hard at work all week preparing for what’s certain to be a fantastic show.
- The Hooptime Basketball tournament is on this term for some of our senior students.
- Our Prep children will celebrate 100 days of school with a special dress up day and a multi-age activity with the grade Preps, 1s and 2s.
- The Year 2 students have an incursion from an education theatre company called “Proud to be me” which focuses on friendship, cooperation, tolerance, self-esteem and individuality.
- 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 towards the end of August, with the kids and staff going to Sovereign Hill to experience colonial life in the gold rush era of the 1800s.
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.
New footy jumpers
Last term you may recall I sent out a link to the school community inviting feedback about the school. We received some very worthwhile comments, and I appreciate everyone’s input which I have used to inform our school review. One of the comments I read was the school didn’t have a set of football jumpers, so together with Mrs Smith, I set about organising a sports clothing company to design and manufacture the school’s football jumpers. You’ll be pleased to know that the kids can now run out onto the ground sporting their new BHPS footy jumpers with pride the next time they play. Here’s an image of what they look like…
Upcoming changes to NAPLAN reporting
Ahead of NAPLAN results for students being released from Monday 17 July 2023, I’m informing you of some changes to this year’s reporting. These are changes being introduced nationally by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).
NAPLAN will continue to measure student achievement in numeracy, reading, writing, spelling, and grammar and punctuation but the results will now be presented in four proficiency levels:
These are:
- Exceeding
- Strong
- Developing
- Needs additional support.
This change will give schools, parents and carers clearer information that details your child’s achievement against new proficiency levels.
Students’ NAPLAN reports will continue to show how they are tracking against their peers and provide an indication of their skill levels against national averages and where we would expect them to be in order to get the most out of schooling. This provides valuable information to our teachers about how we can continue to support your child.
Each set of NAPLAN results is an important milestone but it’s also important that students know that one result does not define them – these results are about making sure every student gets the support they need so they can continue to get the best from their learning.
When we provide you with your results, you will also receive information about what the new proficiency levels mean.
As ever, you’re welcome to speak to me, or your child’s teacher with any questions about these changes.
Some news from the Department of Health: Stay well this winter
In Victoria, influenza (flu) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection numbers are high among children aged 5 to 11 years, particularly in those in their first few years of school. The Victorian Department of Health expects more respiratory infections over Term 3.
Most children with flu or RSV have a mild fever, runny nose or cough. Some children, particularly babies and children with underlying medical conditions, may have more severe illness.
Parents, carers and students are encouraged to:
- wash and sanitise their hands regularly
- avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
- cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing · stay at home if unwell and consult a general practitioner (GP) or NURSE-ON-CALL as needed
- stay up to date with flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.
Our school has masks for staff, students and visitors if they want to wear them.
Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and your family from getting the flu. Annual flu vaccination is recommended for everyone aged 6 months and older. As part of the National Immunisation Program, it is free for:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 6 months and older
- children aged 6 months to under 5 years
- people aged 6 months or older with underlying medical conditions.
Flu vaccinations can be booked through GPs, pharmacies or your local council immunisation service.
Mat Anderton
Acting Principal
Prep 2024 Enrolments
