Newsletter – Friday 13th October 2023 (Term 4, Week 2)

We have had a wonderful start to the final term of the year. There has been lots of incredible learning taking place, the building works are underway and we have begun our school review. We are looking forward to the term ahead.

• Monday 23^rd October – Prep 2024 Information Night 5.15pm, School Council Meeting 6.30pm
• Tuesday 24^th October – Prep 2024 Pre-prep screening sessions 9 -10am or 10-11am
• Wednesday 25^th October – GEELONG CUP PUBLIC HOLIDAY
• Friday 27^th October – World Teachers Day, Assembly 3pm
• Tuesday 31^st October – French Day
• Wednesday 1^st November – Prep 2024 1^st Transition Session, Debating
• Thursday 9^th November – Prep 2024 #2 Transition
• Friday 10^th November – Assembly 3pm
• Wednesday 15^th November – Prep – 2 Junior Sports Day
• Friday 17^th November – Prep 2024 #3 Transition Session
• Friday 24^th November – Assembly 3pm
• Friday 1^st December – STUDENT FREE DAY
• Monday 4^th December – Wednesday 6^th December – Year 5 Camp
• Friday 8^th December – BELLAIRE COLOUR EXPLOSION! School Captains 2025 Announced
• Tuesday 12^th December – Statewide Transition Day
• Wednesday 13^th December – Year 6 Graduation
• Thursday 14^th December – Year 3 Excursion
• Monday 18^th December – Reports released
• Tuesday 19^th December – LAST DAY OF TERM 4 for students NORMAL FINSIH TIME
• Wednesday 20^th December – Curriculum Day – please note NO OSHC will be running

We are extremely excited that our building works are beginning! It has been a long, long road but we are finally there, things are finally starting and I can’t wait to see how the school develops over the next few years.

Our School review began on Tuesday. This was the first of four days of the review. We have two more days on Monday and Tuesday, with the final day on Monday 30^th October. The School Review includes the panel observing classroom practise, speaking to groups of students, teachers and parents as well as examining our data from the last four years. With all this information we look forward to the next four years and set goals for the school. More information about the review will come over the next few weeks.

Just another reminder that the school yard is not supervised until 8.45am. We are having a lot of students arriving early, some before 8.30am. Please consider there is an amazing OSHC service that can be accessed if required.

We have had several concerned members of the community contact us about students not crossing the road using the School Crossing, instead crossing with no supervision and in areas that can be considered dangerous. Could you please consider reminding your children to use the school crossing if they need to cross the road.

Mr Canny has sent home information regarding the Colour Run. It has been a fantastic event in the past and we can’t wait for this one!

We have undertaken fundraising already this year that has resulted in sports equipment and play equipment (photos have been in previous newsletters) and we have ordered three new flag poles, two cubby houses and another Gaga pit – all which we hope will be undertaken before the end of 2023.

The funds we are hoping to raise for the Colour Run will go towards completing the works in the cricket pitch practise nets and take-home readers. We thank you all for your support with these fundraiser efforts for the school and students.

Last term Mr Raidme successfully won the GDFL Football Grand Final playing with Torquay Football and Netball Club.

Over the holidays there were two more Grand Final wins for our staff. Mr Morey was successful in winning the Ovens & Murray Football League Grand Final with the Yarrawonga Football Club. Miss Crompton was successful in winning the GFL C Grade Netball Grand Final.

Congratulations to our teachers!

A reminder to all families, that students are now required to wear their school hat during recess, lunch play, PE lessons and all outdoor activities in line with our commitment to SunSmart.

Within the next month the process of organising students into classes for next year will begin. Our school’s enrolments for 2024 we anticipate will be approximately620 students and it is anticipated that we will be operational with 29 classes.

If there are any issues or concerns, we need to be aware of when allocating your child to a class, please make sure you put this in writing, via letter dropped off at the office or email to the Bellaire email address, to me by no later than Thursday 19^th October (please note we cannot accept late requests).

It is not my intention to provide parents with the opportunity to select a teacher of choice.  We have a quality teaching team and parents can be confident the needs of their child will be met by any member of our team.

Developing well-balanced classes is best for everyone and that can be made difficult if there are large numbers of requests – as such, it is important that placement requests be founded on significant reasons and not related to specific teachers. I will endeavour to accommodate parent requests regarding student placements, but you will understand that this is not always possible. Students also get the opportunity to nominate friends they wish to be placed with. This happens in the classroom with the teachers leading this activity. They will be guaranteed to be placed with at least one of the students they have nominated.

It is also important when we come to organise classes that we know of students who will not be at our school next year. If your family is moving on for any reason, please let us know as soon as possible by contacting the front office.

Dear parents and carers,

Many in our school community are affected by the devastating events in the Middle East.

All of us are upset and disturbed by the awful events depicted in media footage and images.

This time is particularly distressing for staff, students, families and carers who have family and friends in Israel and Gaza.

We are also aware that students of diverse backgrounds, including Jewish and Muslim students, may be significantly affected by public events, mainstream media coverage and social media at this time.

Please be assured that all staff are aware of the extreme emotional toll on many in our community at this time. But please also feel free to get in contact with any of the staff at our school if you would like to ensure we are aware of what your child is going through at this time.

Our support staff will continue doing all they can to support all our students, and support is also available for our staff.

I also want to assure you that the department is monitoring the situation from a school security perspective, and have advised there is no further action we need to take at this stage.

It is possible that extremely distressing scenes from the conflict may be posted online in coming days. Please ensure your children are aware of where they can find support in the event they come across such images. At our school, this includes speaking to their teachers straight away.

You may find some aspects of this resource helpful:

• Helping my children after trauma: A guide for parents.

 Support is also available through external services including:

• headspace: 1800 650 890
• Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
• Lifeline: 13 11 14
• Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636.

My door is always open and I am sure we will all look to support one another in this very difficult time.

Principal

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Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment. It is the practice of thinking and focusing on what’s happening right now – moment by moment. You can be mindful anywhere! For example, you can be mindful while you are eating, walking, sitting, listening to music or solving a puzzle. There is growing research to suggest that practising mindfulness can help children to reduce stress and anxiety, foster a sense of calm, improve attention, boost empathy and self compassion, support emotional regulation and improve sleep.

There are many ways to help your child build and practice mindfulness, such as:

• colouring, jigsaws, wordsearch puzzles, mazes, sudoku etc;
• walking through nature and using the senses to notice things that you can see, hear, smell and feel;
• listening to music and focusing on the different instruments;
• guided meditation and mindfulness apps;
• breathing exercises (shape breathing, five finger breathing, wave breathing etc); and
• blowing bubbles or watching and noticing the shapes in clouds.

Mindfulness and focusing our attention can take lots of practise. Some people like to build it into their daily routine and others use everyday moments.

Wellbeing

Royal Geelong Show Scarecrow Competition

Hooray! Our 2023 Scarecrow Team have created a fabulous entry for the upcoming Royal Geelong Show. You can find Bluey on display at the Education Pavilion from Thursday 19^th (Geelong Showgrounds) – Sunday 22^nd October 2023. The following students helped with our Scarecrow construction: Chelsea M, Ruby K, Eva A, Sinbone R, Charlotte C, Isabella, C, Abigail H, Matilda L, Skye A, Claire S, Isla C, Rosie A, Hiba A, Hannah F, Hannah P, Samuel W, Grace M and Mikaylah H. I’m sure we can all agree their Bluey Scarecrow is, in the words of Bingo… “OUTRAGEOUS!”

Barwon Water Poster Competition

Bellaire PS once again had fabulous results for this year’s Barwon Water Poster Competition, with a number of our students having success at both locally and at a state level. We will be hosting a special celebration assembly this Tuesday 17^th October at 9.05am with Fernando Garcia from Barwon Water’s education team presenting winning students with their prize packs. We also look forward to seeing a strong showcase of other Bellaire entries in the upcoming Water Connects Us All exhibition at Geelong Gallery. A 190 student works will also be featured, which will be an amazing opportunity for students to see their works hung professionally. More details can be found here: https://www.geelonggallery.org.au/whats-on/events/water-connects-us-all-4178

Picasso Cow

Our Grade 6’s have worked very hard on designing, voting and painting our fabulous Picasso Cow. Their chosen design is inspired by the flora and fauna of the Barwon River and surrounds. We will be showcasing their beautiful finished cow at our celebration assembly this Tuesday 17^th October at 9.05am.

STEAM: Sierra S (6LM) & Mason B (1LS)

FRENCH: Nickan T (PMF) & Hiba A (2JB)

ART: Franki A (PMF) & Lowan C (4JG)

PE: Joseph P (PTM) & Hazel P (1TS)