Principal’s Report
I hope you’ve had a wonderful week.
It’s been a special week for us as we’ve celebrated Education Week. This year the theme is “Spotlight on STEM”, celebrating the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. At BHPS, we add Art to the mix and call it STEAM. The highlight for our week was Open Morning on Wednesday. We were so lucky to have beautiful weather too. I was overwhelmed by the turnout by parents, grandparents, friends and family. Every classroom was full of visitors. It’s clear that the community takes great pride in the work the school is doing to enrich the lives and educational experiences for our kids.
In the middle session, the kids were put into multi-age groups where they did a STEAM activity. These multi-age activities are great ways for the kids to interact with children of different ages and with teachers who they may not always get to see in their classroom.
A special thank you needs to go to our team of specialist teachers – Mr Warren, Mr Fox, Mr Milan, Ms Henstock, Mrs Cook and Mrs Sutterby – for all their work in organising the day. We are very lucky to have an amazing team of teachers here at BHPS.
Our Open Night is happening next Tuesday 21st May starting at 5pm and finishing at 6:30pm. This is a great opportunity for you to see the amazing work done by the kids throughout the year. Classrooms will be open between 5 and 6pm, then we invite you to join us in the gym for a performance by our instrumental band.
School Saving Bonus
You may have seen the recent announcement of the School Saving Bonus, as part of the Victorian Budget 2024/25. We are sharing more information about how families will be able to access and use this support.
This one-off support will include $400 for each eligible student to help families cover the costs of school uniforms and activities in 2025.
It will be available to parents and carers of every child enrolled in a Victorian government school in 2025.
Cash will not be paid directly to individuals or families. Instead, families will receive the bonus as credits on their school accounts that will help meet the costs of your children’s activities and uniforms.
The School Saving Bonus support will be in addition to existing and continuing means-tested supports for camps, sports, excursions and uniforms.
The application-based Affordable School Uniform program, through State Schools’ Relief, will continue to be available to families experiencing financial hardship or other forms of vulnerability and short-term crisis. This program allows schools to make multiple applications for support on parents’ behalf throughout the year if needed.
There will be more information and guidance about the School Saving Bonus in Term 3, 2024, ahead of its implementation in 2025.
Education Support Personnel Day
On Thursday we celebrated the work of our extraordinary team of Education Support personnel. Our school would not run without the dedication and commitment of this team of people. From the moment our students step into the school until they leave at the end of the day, our dedicated support staff members are there to lend a helping hand, provide guidance, and create a safe and nurturing space for all. Our office staff are the friendly faces that greet students, parents and community members each and every day, and ensure the smooth operations of the administrative side of the school. They definitely keep the wheels turning!
Our team of teacher aides provide valuable support to students by assisting them with any additional needs they may have to help them succeed at school. Their commitment, compassion and hard work does not go unnoticed, and the impact they have on the lives of the students is immeasurable.
Our librarian, Leanne Bentley, inspires kids to foster a love of reading and learning. I’m sure everyone agrees with me that the library space looks so good because of the pride Leanne has in the school and our students.
I also want to acknowledge our maintenance man, Peter, who keeps our school looking spick and span. He’s always busy re-mulching our gardens, planting, weeding, painting and fixing any issues with our buildings and grounds.
Enjoy your weekend!
Kind regards,
Mat Anderton
Principal
