Dear Families,

It’s the last week of Term—halfway through the year. I know it's very cliché, but time certainly does fly! At the end of each semester, the leadership staff at Bourchier Street Primary School conduct a review of the year so far, identifying highlights, challenges, and our progress toward our goals. While this task is traditionally conducted in July, we have started our reflections this week and I thought I would share some of the things we have been reflecting on.

This year, we have implemented several innovations that seem to be working well. The school has both a learning and a wellbeing goal for 2024. Each of these goals is supported by a Key Improvement Strategy that describes how the school will advance in each area. This year's key improvement strategy was about consolidating the planning we do in relation to small differentiated teaching groups. Small groups or individualised instruction is central to our improvement agenda at Bourchier Street, and we have implemented a number of initiatives that have helped us toward this goal.

We have engaged with a Literacy and Numeracy Expert teacher, Andrea Hillbrick, who has worked with us for a total of four days in 2024, with another four days booked for next semester. All classroom-based staff have observed Andrea and have been able to learn from her practice with the intention of applying it to our daily classroom activities.

We are also fortunate to have a number of learning coaches throughout the school. Jon Treanor and Matthew Mollison have worked with individual teachers and teacher teams to help us deliver on our whole school goals. Additionally, we are privileged to have Denise Howley working alongside some of our junior school teachers in a Literacy coaching role. Having someone of Denise’s experience working with teachers at the start of their career is a valuable resource we do not take for granted!

Another important key improvement strategy was enhancing the level of student voice and agency across the school. Despite being very busy, Kirsty Simm, a Year Six Teacher, has worked with our Student Voice team to not just bring student voice to the team but also extend the sense of student voice across the school. The team has done a wonderful job planning and running our assemblies, and one idea they have implemented this year is the introduction of the Student Voice awards. Each area of the school has boxes where students can nominate peers who have been doing a great job spreading kindness around the school. We have also launched the first episodes of 'Let's Talk Bourchier' on Spotify. This is our student-led podcast, which we hope grows into something special as the year progresses.

So far this year, we have already made many memories! The calendar has been full of camps, excursions, incursions, and fun days. We have shared many photos and videos of these events, which have played a pivotal role in building relationships within our community. We have already celebrated Harmony Day and a Winter Day.

We are looking forward to consolidating our work next semester, improving learning, and making more memories! On Thursday the 18th of July, we are going to run a series of Parent Focus Groups, with four sessions scheduled. Please click the link in this newsletter to book in!

Thanks for your support over the first half of the year, have a great couple of week's and we look forward to seeing you next term!

Take care,

GARY D'ARMA

Dear Families,

We are excited to announce that we will be conducting focus group sessions in week one of Term Three, and we'd love for you to participate! This is a great opportunity for you to share your valuable insights and ideas directly with our school leadership team.

What are we discussing? We'll talk about what's currently working well at our school and explore opportunities for further improvements. Your feedback is crucial in helping us shape a better school environment for all our students.

Session Details:

• Date: Thursday, 18th of July
• Timeslots: 8:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 2:45 PM, and 5:30 PM
• Format: Small groups (maximum of 6 participants per session)
• Location: School premises for all sessions except for the 5:30 PM session, which may be held via Zoom.

How to Register:

Please click here and select the 18th of July on the calendar and select your preferred timeslot.

Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, so we encourage you to secure your spot early!

Your participation is important to us, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions.

Warm regards,

Gary Darma

Principal

On Friday the 21st of June our school celebrated the Winter solstice by coming dressed in warm, comfy clothes.

The whole school enjoyed a warm hot chocolate and then participated in some fun rotations such as: making skiers out of Alfoil, designing their own mugs and making fake snow.

The day concluded with the ‘big’ event! Some of our teachers braved the cold and slid down a slide into a pool of icy cold water! This was enjoyed by all of the students and staff.

A big thanks to all who contributed to raising funds for ‘People Supporting People’. These funds will go towards helping those in need in our community.

Our Semester One Reports have been published and are available to download on the Compass Portal. These Semester Reports are used alongside SeeSaw to give you a comprehensive idea of your child’s progress for the first half of the year.

If you require your Compass username and password, please phone front office. 58 213 488

It has been a great Semester, and we are very proud of the effort and progress our learners have made.

As the cold weather arrives, so do coughs, colds, stomach bugs and other respiratory illnesses.
It is important that we practice good hygiene, such as washing our hands, hand sanitiser, and using tissues when we cough or sneeze.
If your child is away due to sickness, please update their absence via our Compass App.

Please make it a priority to arrive at school on time.

8.45am - music starts & students make their way to class.

8.55am - Class begins.

If your child/ren arrive to school after 9am they MUST come into the front office to get signed in otherwise our records could show them as absent.

It is extremely important for our school to keep strict attendance records.

When students are punctual, they are more likely to enter the classroom with a clear and open mind, ready to absorb information and engage actively in the day's curriculum.

If a parent/guardian needs to pick up their student early from school for an appointment or any other significant reason, please notify your child’s teacher or the front office, with as much notice possible.

Often students are in a specialist program or out of the classroom, so if no notice is given it puts pressure on the office staff when trying to find students whilst answering phones and tending to sick bay.

Please be mindful as we have quite a few students leaving school early which interrupts the classroom as well as their learning time so please avoid this when possible.

Parent payment can be made via QKR

Parent payment $220 per student

Excursion Levy $80 per student

If you have a Health Care Card and claimed CSEF, you will receive $150 credit which can be used for camps and excursions only.

If you have a NEW Health Care Card, please complete CSEF application form attached below.

Families who have a Health Care Card are eligible to claim $150 PER STUDENT for Camps, Excursions and swimming, and money is paid directly to the school.

The wearing of school uniform helps children develop a sense of identity with the school community.
The school uniform helps promote a positive image of both students and the school to the general community. The wearing of school uniform promotes equality.

The school uniform is to be worn during school hours, while traveling to and from school, and when the students are on school excursions.

All school uniform must be clearly named so that lost items can be identified.

Jackets and hats can be purchased from the school. Shepparton retail shops stock the entire uniform. The school endeavors to provide pre-loved items at the cheapest possible cost.

Please refer to our Student Dress Code Policy

Please ensure that your child’s, clothes, lunch box, drink bottle and property are CLEARLY named. All named property will be returned to the student in the classroom. Unnamed items will be sent to lost property in the hall foyer.

Please note that the Balaclava Road Child Care Carpark is a private carpark, please avoid parking there at all times.

When your child is absent from school, please log onto the parent portal, COMPASS and enter the absence along with the reason.

You need a username and password which has been distributed to families, but we can easily resend you the logon details by phoning or emailing the front office Bourchier.ps@education.vic.edu.au

Refer to the instructions below

Did you know Bourchier St. has an e-library?

Students are able to borrow books to read on their ipad.
You can access the e-library via the website below:

Search Bourchier St. Primary School
Visit our library
Sign in details will be your child’s cases code and the password is ebook01
Or download the App

Our Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Program allows devices to be brought into the school, and connected to our secure network

Our school has an online BYOD portal organised by JB-Hifi where you can access discounted rates on approved devices. THE PASSWORD IS BSPS24

If you would like more information on the program, please visit the BYOD page on our website or open the attached BYOD toolkit for parents.

Often Bourchier Street communicates to our families via the Compass app, important information of what is happening within the school. Sometimes you are prompted through your email to open important news items. Please make sure your email is up to date, so you do not miss valuable information. Please phone front office 58 213 488 if your email address needs updating. If your child is absent from School, please logon to Compass to document this.

Every family needs to download the Qkr! app which will enable you to pay school payments, purchase hats/jackets, order lunch through the canteen and purchase tickets for special productions etc.

Simply download on your phone and you will see how easy it is to manage!

Registrations are now OPEN!!

GSBA Domestic Summer Comp 2024/25 (19/08/2024 - 30/03/2025)

Register here : https://www.playhq.com/basketball-victoria/register/1b1bf6

Rego's close 14th July 2024.

The season has changed to be longer than previous.

This has increased the price. Please look into Paypal Pay in 4 as a payment option.

We will be holding Grading Trials the week of 15th to 19th July.

A reminder the Tigers club consists of Bouchier Street, Grahamvale and Gowrie Primary Schools only.

Any queries please email us:

tigers@gsba.com.au

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and the Schools "Privacy Collection Notice below.

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy below, describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn.

Bourchier Street Primary School has a zero tolerance of any form of child abuse. The school is committed to acting in children’s best interests. The safety and wellbeing of children at this school is our highest priority. We want children to be safe, happy and empowered.

Bourchier Street Policies

Email: bourchier.ps@education.vic.gov.au
Website: bourchierps.vic.edu.au
Location: 1-19 Bourchier Street, Shepparton VIC, Australia
Phone: (03) 5821 3488
Facebook: facebook.com/bourchierps
Twitter: @bourchierps