Newsletter – Friday 27th October 2023 (Term 4, Week 4)

There has been a lot happening over the past few weeks. We are so proud of our students and teachers and their achievements.

• 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

Today, in Australia, we celebrate World Teachers Day. We are so lucky to have such wonderful teachers in our school, their personability, knowledge and amazing care for every student in the school is evident in everything they do. THANK YOU to all of our TEACHERS!

We are extremely excited to announce the arrival of Mrs Herman’s baby – baby Evie Herman. We can’t wait to meet Evie!

The Prep – Year 2 Sports Day will be held on Wednesday 15^th November at Bellaire Primary School, from 9.30am – 1pm.

Your child is asked to wear a T-shirt in their house colour and shorts / leggings / track pants that are comfortable to compete in. (if you are unsure of your child’s house colour, please ask your teacher)

Hats will be compulsory, so please check with your child and make sure they have one.

Parents/guardians are very welcome to attend on the day of the sports. A picnic lunch will be held at 1.20pm, that parents are welcome to attend. (the space will be determined by weather on the day)

Student lunch orders will operate as normal on this day.

Please note that in the event of inclement weather the sports day will be postponed.

We look forward to a fantastic day.

This week, on Seesaw, and in hardcopy, booklists for next year were sent out. Please follow the instructions on the cover page to order the booklists for 2024.

Next week we begin our Prep 2024 transition sessions begin. We are excited to welcome our 2024 Preps over the next few weeks in preparation for next year.

We still have a number of places available in our 2024 Prep co-hort. If you have not enrolled your child in Prep for 2024 please contact the office.

At the start of the week we were excited to have the Melbourne Cup visit the school. The student learnt about how the Melbourne Cup was made and got to see the cup in person.

On Friday 27^th October it is Day for Daniel honours the memory of Daniel Morcombe. Now in its 19^th year, the 2023 Day for Daniel educational topic is consent. Day for Daniel presents the perfect opportunity to have conversations with children around seeking, giving or denying consent and how children can communicate their intentions effectively and respectfully.

It is a day where we can all reflect and speak to our children about the importance of being safe and communicating with trusted adults. Below is a website for any parents that are interested in finding out more.

https://danielmorcombe.com.au/

School council held its most recent meeting on 23 October.

Council received an update on the current school review, which is a significant piece of work being led by the Department of Education working with the school leadership and in consultation with teachers, students and the school community. The review will inform future directions, goals and priorities for the school over the next four years, commencing in 2024. A focus group was held by the review panel with parents on 18 October. There will be further communication around outcomes arising from the review over coming weeks.

Council also discussed the building works which are about to commence. This is an exciting time for the school and although there may be some disruption and inconvenience over the coming period, everyone will benefit in the long term from new and modernised facilities that this process will deliver. The construction work required over the summer period will unfortunately mean that the school will be unable to host Team Kids on Bellaire Schhool premises as the builders will need to shut off essential services. However, Team Kids will provide details around nearby school holiday services in the local area to reduce any inconvenience that this causes to families.

Remediation works for the school oval will take place over the summer period. An item at our November meeting will be the implementation of a regular program of scheduled works to maintain condition of the oval.

Council acknowledges the work of Danniel Smith and the team from High Voltage Rock School alongside the support from Bellaire staff in facilitating this program. The purpose of this council-led initiative is to offer students access to opportunities to explore and develop a passion for music within the education environment. Thanks to everyone for supporting this program and if you are interested in learning more or if you have feedback please contact Danniel Smith at dan@hvschoolofrock.com.au

Finally, at the meeting it was acknowledged that the past few weeks have been difficult for many members of the school community. Information regarding support available for anyone who is struggling with the devastating events unfolding in the Middle East is available in last week’s newsletter, which can be accessed here (link). I encourage anyone who is impacted by this to access this support. Additionally, we acknowledge that the recent referendum has been challenging for members of our community, and that many will be experiencing a range of emotions in its aftermath. Irrespective of views on either side of the referendum debate, we wish to acknowledge and show respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of our community, and that support is available for anyone that is struggling. You can also access support here:

13YARN – 13 92 76 / 13yarn.org.au / enquiries@13yarn.org.au
WellMob – www.wellmob.org.au
Headspace – www.headspace.org.au / (03) 9027 0100

Please feel free to reach out to us if you wish to discuss any of the above or raise a topic for consideration. I can be contacted via email at ben_craven02@hotmail.com or feel free to leave a message with the office and I can get in touch.

Ben Craven
On behalf of Bellaire School Council

Principal

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Gratitude  

Gratitude is the practice of noticing things and moments that we are thankful for right now. When we practise gratitude, we are acknowledging the positives in the world and being thankful for the people, places and events in our lives. Actively practicing gratitude can have mental health and wellbeing benefits such as boosting mood, cultivating awareness of the good things in life and promoting positive coping strategies.

There are many ways to help your child view situations from a point of view of appreciation, such as:

• Finding a special time to routinely share three things that went well in the day. This might be a discussion around the dinner table or in the five minutes before bedtime.
• Acknowledging inspiring moments. If you see a beautiful sunset, comment on it. If the sound of birds in the garden makes you feel calm, share your thoughts. Encourage your child to notice the small beautiful moments in their day.
• Encouraging your child to express their gratitude by sharing things they appreciate about others through compliments, letters or thank you cards.
• Helping your child to keep a gratitude journal, a gratitude jar or a family gratitude list on the fridge.

Gratitude doesn’t have to be saved for the big things in life! Noticing the food we eat, a soft pillow or enjoying a board game with a sibling are wonderful ways to develop an attitude of gratitude.

Assistant Principal

PE: Lilly E (5GM) & Brooklyn K (PMF), French: Finn K (PMF) & Atenea V (2DP) , ART: Oneli D (3BL) & Zahara O (4TC), STEAM: Jasper R (PHM) & Violet M (PTM)