A Message From The Principal
We have one week left of Term 1! It has gone quickly but so much has happened this term. Along with the wonderful work that has been happening within the classroom we have been able to complete many of the items that have been paid for by the amazing fundraising efforts of our community led by the Bellaire Parents Group. This includes the newly completed flag posts at the front of the school. It is also exciting to see all of the building works that are taking place.
Reminder – last day of Term 1 is THURSDAY at 2.30pm. We will be holding an assembly at 2pm.
DATES FOR THE DIARY
TERM 1 2024
Tuesday 26th March – Girls Footy (Senior Students)
Wednesday 27th March – Lightning Premiership – Senior Students
Thursday 28th March – Last day of Term 1, 2.30pm
Friday 29th March – GOOD FRIDAY – School holidays
TERM 2 2024
Monday 15th April – First day of Term 2 – WELCOME BACK
Tuesday 16th April – Cheer Toastie Truck and Classroom Open Morning
Thursday 25th April – ANZAC Day Public Holiday
Wednesday 8th May – Year 3 – 6 Athletics at Landy Field
Friday 17th May – Curriculum Day – no students
Monday 10th June – King’s Birthday Public Holiday
Friday 28th June – Last day of Term 2, 2.30pm finish time
Please note – our Sentral Calendar will keep you updated with events as well as information posted in the newsletter.
NAPLAN
I am pleased to inform all families that we have had another fabulous NAPLAN assessment period with a high participation rate from students. In addition, the effort, stamina and focus of our students in both Grade 3 and 5 is to be admired. The teachers and I are all very proud of them, with all students giving this their very best effort. Results for the NAPLAN will be released by ACARA in the coming months.
SCHOOL COUNCIL
Last week, Bellaire Primary School convened for our Annual General Meeting and first meeting of our 2024 School Council. We welcomed aboard our new School Councillors, Kent Moores and Kerri Coomber, representing our parent community, along with Zoe Parlamentas, a member of our staff.
We extend our gratitude to our outgoing School Council members for their dedication and efforts over the past two years. Their contributions, particularly in steering the school through the intricacies of the new school design project, have left a mark on our community. A heartfelt thank you goes out to Matilda Fitzgerald, Cameron Knell, and Angela Sormaz, whose commitment to School Council over a number of years is greatly appreciated.
In particular, we would like to express our appreciation to Angela Sormaz for her leadership and steadfast service, both as a School Council member and, most recently, as our School Council President.
MEET OUR CURRICULUM LEARNING SPECIALISTS – Mrs Heather Ellis and Mrs Amanda Galluccio
At Bellaire Primary School, we are dedicated to fostering excellence in both our staff and students. Central to this commitment is our belief in providing continuous opportunities for professional growth, ensuring that our educators remain at the forefront of best practices in education.
Integral to our approach are our two dedicated Learning Specialists, Mrs. Amanda Galluccio (Year 3 – 6) and Mrs. Heather Ellis (Prep – 2). These exceptional professionals devote their time exclusively to supporting, mentoring, and coaching our teachers. Their role extends far beyond the confines of the classroom as they collaborate with educators, offering invaluable guidance, conducting observations, and modelling exemplary teaching strategies.
Mrs. Galluccio and Mrs. Ellis are not only mentors and coaches but also avid learners themselves, constantly engaging in their own professional development endeavours. They bring their wealth of knowledge and expertise to bear in every facet of our school community, from leading staff meetings to sharing the latest research and insights.
At Bellaire Primary School, we consider ourselves fortunate to have such dedicated Learning Specialists who epitomise our commitment to providing the very best education for our students. Their tireless efforts contribute immeasurably to the ongoing success and excellence of our school community.
STUDENT & STAFF SPORTING ACHIEVEMENTS
We take immense pride in acknowledging and celebrating the achievements of our exceptional students. This week, our spotlight shines brightly on the recent sporting triumphs of our talented athletes!
We invite our school community to join us in applauding these achievements. If your child has achieved something noteworthy in the realm of sports or any other Endeavour, we encourage you to share their successes with us. Together, let’s continue to celebrate the diverse talents and accomplishments of our students.
Division Swimming
On Tuesday 12th March, 12 students represented Bellaire at the Bellarine Division Swimming Championships held at Kardinia Pool. All students had a great day, with some sensational swims and 7 students making it through to the Western Metro Regional Championships that will be held back at Kardinia pool on Tuesday 26th March.
Congratulations to Jordan C, Zihan (Lucas) W and Zihao (Louis) W who won their individual events as well the freestyle and medley relay events. Congratulations to Arlo M for making it in the relays, Max T who came second in his Backstroke event, Charlotte M and Lily D who came first and second, respectively in their Breastroke event. Well done to Harrison M, Skyla J, Lillian L, Clara D and Isabel E who all swum great races against students from the other schools in our division.
Thank you to the parents that were able to assist with the marshalling on the day, days really can’t happen without your assistance, so thank you.
Essence and Tatum Wishart
Congratulations to Essence Wishart for taking home 1st place with her team in the U11s Plate section of the Bendigo Cup Inline Hockey Tournament held last week in Bendigo. With teams entering from all over Australia Essences young team came up against some of the finest talent in the country and got better and better each game throughout the tournament.
Congratulations to both Taitum and Essence Wishart for being selected in U11s Melbourne Ducks who participate in Ice Hockey Victoria Winter league. Only four Victoria teams participate, and teams are selected on skill base. Essence is the only girl in her team and possibly the league and Taitum is the youngest player in the team. Well done and good luck!
Cricket Finals
We had LOTS of students who participated in cricket finals last weekend.
Winners in their respective teams – Archie H, Paddy G, Morgan K, Gus T, Jack T, Reg B, Maive M
Runners up in their respective teams – Liam S, Jack P, George M, Gilbert P, Charlie A, Isobel G
Mr Scott Canny
Mr Canny played his 200th Game last weekend and it was also a final. Well done Mr Canny!
HARMONY WEEK and CROSS COUNTRY
This past week, we have been celebrating Harmony Week. Our Junior School Council led the charge, crafting a heartwarming video that captured the spirit of unity and diversity within our school community. Throughout the week, students engaged in meaningful discussions about the values of Harmony Week, fostering understanding, empathy, and respect among peers.
Thursday marked an exciting highlight with the Year 3-6 Cross Country event. It was a day filled with exciting races and lots of support to all students as our they gave their all on the track. We extend our gratitude to Mr. Canny for his organisation of the event, ensuring a smooth and memorable experience for all participants. Special thanks also go to Ms. Kymantas and Mr. Thomas for their invaluable assistance in setting up the event bright and early in the morning.
We wish the best to those students who will be advancing to the District Cross Country next term.
Let us continue to embrace harmony and celebrate the diverse talents and achievements that enrich our Bellaire community.
BELLAIRE PARENTS GROUP – TOASTIE TRUCK and OPEN CLASSROOM
TEAM KIDS
Please be aware that Team Kids will not be hosted at Bellaire this holiday due to building works.
Suzanne Prendergast
Principal
Whole School News
A LETTER FROM SCHOOL COUNCIL TO THE BELLAIRE COMMUNITY
Congratulations to all students, teachers and families for the successful start to the 2024 school year.
As we near the end of Term 1, we hope that everyone has the opportunity to have a break and spend time with your families over the Easter holiday period.
School council held its AGM and the first meeting with the new council on 19 March.
This year our School council members are as follows:
- President: Ben Craven (Sadie)
- Vice President: Kristy Lazic (Abby, Piper)
- Treasurer: Tim Debenham (Gus)
- Secretary: Ben Raidme
- School Members: Suz Prendergast, Eleanor Down, Zoe Parlamentas
- Parent Members: Erin McHugh (Arlo, Raff), Emily Dalton (Max, Layla), Kristen Archer (Wyatt), Kerri Coomber (Harvey), Kent Moores (Mackenzie, Sonny)
- Community Members: Angela Sormaz (Bella), Steve Knuckey
We would like to thank our outgoing School Council members – Cameron Knell and Matilda Fitzgerald, for their significant contributions over the past two years – it is greatly appreciated.
Welcome to Zoe, Kerri and Kent as new members on council.
Its pleasing to see the progress being made on the construction work for our new facilities, with the slab and steel framework possibly being up prior to the start of term 2. Again, however, this will unfortunately mean that the school will be unable to host Team Kids on Bellaire school premises. However, the school will provide details around nearby school holiday services in the local area to reduce any inconvenience that this causes to families.
We are also very pleased that the flagpoles have finally arrived and now positioned out the front of the school. Thanks again to the Bellaire Parents Group for their fundraising efforts in making this possible.
Finally, thanks to all families who have made voluntary contributions for the 2024 school year. These go a long way to helping ensure that our kids have access to a rich and fulfilling learning environment. If you would like to make a voluntary contribution, this can be done by via QKR or in person at the school office.
If you would like to discuss anything with school council, please leave a message with the front desk and we will quickly be in touch.
Bellaire School Council
Year 4 Camp
Student Reflection
Duncan
On Wednesday the 13th of March, 90 grade 4 students caught a bus to Log Cabin Camp in Creswick. When we first arrived, we were introduced to the staff members who ran the camp and all of the activities we were involved in. We then found our cabins that we would be staying in for the next two nights. There were six different groups that we were spilt into for the camp to do all of our activities in. Throughout the camp we rotated through eight activities, such as giant swing, gaga, trampoline, canoeing, milk crates, zipline, orienteering and archery. On the first day each group rotated through 3 of the activities. My favourite activity for the whole camp was the giant swing.
Elsie
After we did three activities on the first day, we had chicken schnitzels with salad and chips as well as chocolate cake for dessert. After each meal we had a duty group that helped with the cleaning up and setting up of the tables. After dinner we got changed and went on a night walk around the mountains that was about two kilometres. When we got back, we got ready for bed and tried to go to sleep and that concluded day one. In the morning, we woke up and the duty group had to go get set up for breakfast. We got to choose out of toast and cereal. After breakfast we had a bit of free time before we got into our activities for the day. We got to do four activities. My favourite activity that I got to do that day was the trampolines and the giant swing. In between activities we had a break to have our lunch, which was sausage rolls, chips and salad.
Vivienne
After we finished activities for the day, we got to have some free time to have showers, get changed and have some down time. It was then time for the duty groups to get ready for dinner. Night two dinner was spaghetti bolognaise with garlic bread and we were even lucky enough to get sticky date pudding for dessert. Once the duty group had cleaned up, we got in our pjs to watch the ‘School of Rock’. We watched it in the main hall. The movie finished at 9pm so it was straight to bedtime. In the morning it was an early rise at 7am to get into the day. We had breakfast and come back into the cabin to pack up all of our belongings. We then got into our last activities which was hut building and damper before we then did our last group activity. My last activity and favourite for the camp was the giant swing.
Evan
After this we had a quick toilet stop before we had to get back on the bus and come home. Everyone at this stage was very tired. Lastly, we would like to give a big thank you to our parent helpers, who included Bec, Marcus, Dale, Bron, Liz and John. We couldn’t have had such a brilliant time at this camp without the help of you guys. Also, a big thank you to our amazing teachers Mr Thomas, Ms Crole, Ms McNeill, Mrs Schultz and Mrs McDonald, we appreciate all of the work you put into this camp and allowing it to happen. Thank you.
Students of the Week – Term 1, Week 7
PLU
JLU
MLU
SLU
Students of the Week – Term 1, Week 8
PLU
JLU
MLU
SLU
Students of the Week – Specialist
PE: Arlo W (3BL)& Zara B (4GM) French: Lacey T (1AL) & Joe W (PMF) ART: Van L (6ZP) & Roxie J (4AT) STEAM: Archie F (1AL) & Harvey C-H (1CN)