Newsletter – Friday 4th August 2023

We are already at the end of week 4 of this term! Time is flying and lots has been happening all through the school.

• Monday 7^th August– Wednesday 9^th August – Year 6 Camp
• Friday 11^th August – Prep Excursion
• Friday 18^th August – Assembly 3pm (outside), 3.15pm (if the weather is too cold or wet)
• Friday 25^th August – BOOK WEEK DRESS UP
• Friday 1^st September – Assembly 3pm (outside), 3.15pm (if the weather is too cold or wet)
• Monday 4^th September – School Council Meeting 6.30pm
• Thursday 7^th September – BELLAIRE SCHOOL CONCERT
• Friday 8^th September – Curriculum Day
• Friday 15^th September – LAST DAY OF TERM 3, Footy Colours Day, 2.30pm FINISH Assembly 2pm (or 2.15pm)

Last week we had our Year 1 and Year 2 swimming program. This was a great experience for our students to get on and off the buses, get changed independently and enjoy a 45-minute swimming lesson.

On Thursday and Friday last week we had our Year 3 Camp. Our Year 3 teachers, students, student teachers and parent helpers headed down to Queenscliff to enjoy their one-night camp. Lots of adventures were had. I was lucky enough to travel down Thursday night to join the students after dinner. There were lots of exciting stories to hear and enjoyment being had. Thank you to our wonderful teaching staff, student teachers and parent helpers for giving our students this fantastic experience. Our Year 6 students head to Melbourne on Monday for their camp experience. We can’t wait to hear about their adventures.

We also had a number of our Year 3-6 students compete in the District Athletics. We congratulate all the students on giving their best effort on the day. A number of these students have progressed to the next level, and we look forward to wishing them the best and hearing about how they go at the next level.

Jack J from 3BL competed in the Sailing Cadet World Championships in Belgium from 25th – 28th July.  He was one of 92 competitors selected to compete from all over the World.  Jack came 3rd for his age division and his skipper won 1st place.  Congratulations Jack.  What an amazing achievement!

Our wonderful Preps also celebrated their 100 days of school. There was a lot of excitement during the day!

Over the weekend we had some sand delivered to the school to top up our sand pits. This sand was provided by our Bellaire Parents group and the fundraising efforts from the Trivia night. We had three parent helpers Ryan Basu, Lauren Bell and Lindsey Lehmann, Jesse (ES staff member) and a number of our Year 6 students assisted to move the sand into our sandpits. It was very well received by the students in our Prep – 2 area.

Mr Raidme, Mrs Rau and I met with the Bellaire Parents leaders last week to discuss spending the Trivia night funds as well as exciting events for our school. It was wonderful to have a chat to the parents and continue to make plans to improve our school. Discussions around the spending of the money included, a new Buddy Bench, cubby houses, three new flag poles, sponsoring our lunchtime clubs and a few other ideas we hope to implement quickly. We will continue to advertise to our community how we are spending the funds for our students in consultation with the Bellaire Parents group.

Our school is conducting a survey to find out what parents / caregivers / guardians think of our school. The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage all families to participate. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies.

A random sample of approximately 30 per cent of parents / caregivers / guardians has been selected to participate in this year’s survey.

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open from Monday 7 August to Friday 8 September 2023.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the survey period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese.

Families who have been selected will receive and email from the school on Monday. Thank you.

Just a reminder of how busy it can get on Larcombe Street at pick up time. Our neighbours have asked us to remind our community to not stop in front of driveways or block to street so cars can’t go down the other way. Thank you.

We are nearly there with the asphalt area of the terrace works. We are just waiting for the fencing, and we will be able to use the new area. They are now moving on to the grass area and inserting a cricket pitch into the space.

As a school we are always looking to support our families. We know that at times parents / carers are hesitant to seek support, however if you require some support with school uniforms, please contact the office.

A massive thank you to BUNNINGS, organized by Mrs Rau, who has upgraded our Prep deck. THANK YOU!

Today is a celebration of Principal Day throughout Victoria. Personally, I would like to acknowledge the amazing work undertaken by Mr Raidme and Mrs Loney as our two Assistant Principals. The role of the Assistant Principal is integral to the smooth running of the school. They wear many different ‘hats’ and are always there to assist students, teachers and families with care and consideration. The support they provide me, personally, is simply amazing. They are certainly the quiet achievers of the school; the community may not always see the hard work that they do but without them the school could not run. THANK YOU on Principal Day I would like to thank you and acknowledge all that you do.

Extension groups have been running throughout the year in the middle and senior learning units in literacy and mathematics.  These groups aim to provide students with intensive, ongoing small-group work for children to extend regular classroom learning.

From the beginning of the year, students from Year 3 and 4 have been working with Miss Gilroy in a Maths Explorer program.  Students work collaboratively with their peers to make decisions about the way they explore a problem to further develop their skills and expand their knowledge of problem solving.

Throughout each term, students from Year 6 have been working with Miss Gilroy in Writing extension groups.   Students explore a variety of grammar and language features to include in their writing toolbox.

Principal

View the Whole-School Calendar to subscribe

STEAM: Matilda L (6LM) & Liam S (5ED)

FRENCH: Oscar J (2CN) & Grace D (1CB)

ART: Ronja W (PHM) & Bonnie A (1TS)

PE: Emma VB (4TC) & Sara E (6LM)