Class Photos

We have been contacted by the school photographers. They have apologised for the delay in delivering the ordered photos.

All photos will be available to parents late next week.

Specialist Lessons

We are very fortunate to be able to offer classes by specialists in particular areas. We have 4 specialist areas:- Physical Education, Indonesian, Performing Arts and Visual Arts.

These are all essential components of the Victorian Curriculum. Each area is important for the overall development of your child and it is important that all students attend these classes.

Breeze St Parking

I realise that everyone is very busy or in a hurry these days but we all need to obey traffic rules and think of others.

We have had several complaints from neighbours about parents parking illegally or unsafely in Breeze Street when dropping off or picking up their children.

This is not only annoying for other motorists and neighbours but also puts our students at risk. Kingston Council has been notified and indicated they will send out By-laws Officers at these times on random days.

Please, for the safety of all our school community (and the sake of your bank account!), do the right thing and park legally.

Staff Car Park

A reminder that the car park off Breeze Street is for staff only. Unless permission has been granted, no parents should be driving in here or parking at drop off and pick up times. To ensure the safety of all students, parents are also reminded to please not walk through the car park and encourage children to use the paths when entering/exiting the school.

Prep Enrolments 2024

Prep Enrolments for 2024 are now open. Existing families can pick up the new Enrolment form from the office.

New families will have to complete the ‘Application to Enrol form’ which can now be found on our website, or alternatively a hard copy can also be collected from the office.

Enrolments should be returned by Friday 28^th July 2023.

Grades do not define our worth

Rebekah Delahoy

 I remember the first time I felt like my pre-schooler was falling behind. I had just met another 3-year-old who could read. Actually read, not just remembering the words to a favourite story like my pre-schooler did. In fact, my kid was only just mastering the alphabet song! Should I have been spending more time with phonics flashcards? Maybe we needed to start doing worksheets? Was I doing something wrong?

 Yes!

 But I didn’t need to pull out the flashcards. What I was doing wrong was focusing on observable outcomes. We want to see growth in the way our kids can count and read because those are the things we can easily measure. But the real work of pre-school and even primary school is much more important than A B C and 1 2 3. It’s the work of teaching our kids social skills, the not easily measured attributes of being able to wait for a turn, process uncomfortable feelings, and problem solve.

 Obviously, we do want our children to learn their A B Cs and 1 2 3s too. But we don’t need to rely on tests and homework to measure their learning. We should be able to see it in the way they talk about the problem at hand, the way they apply knowledge to new situations, and in the way they creatively build on what they know.

We also don’t need to compare them to their peers to see how they measure up. Childhood is a period of rapid growth and learning. But learning isn’t linear, and it isn’t consistent across every child. One child may be thriving academically – able to spell words even adults struggle with like ‘definitely’ and ‘facetious’… but they can’t do the monkey bars yet. Another child may be a competitive gymnast… but hasn’t learnt all their times tables yet. And yet another child may be a maths whizz…but still needs to work on making eye contact with people while they’re talking.

 But just as we need to remember not to compare our kid to their peers, we also need to teach our kids not to compare themselves to their peers. This is important for students who are struggling, but just as important for those who seem to be at the top of the class. Here’s how you can teach them, by teaching yourself first:

 Step 1. Remind yourself that grades aren’t everything

 You probably grew up believing that your life prospects depended on the outcome of each test and exam you did. But look around you. Can you pick the ATAR score of your co-worker? Which of the parents in the school pick-up line was the best speller in grade 1? Which of the people at your church or gym or pottery class failed their Geography exam in high school? Can’t tell? Of course not! Our grades are part of our story. But they do NOT define our story.

Step 2. Remind yourself that grades are much less important than social skills

 We can teach a computer to do just about anything these days… except have feelings. In an increasingly digitised and technological world, if you want your child to have skills that truly set them apart, focus on helping them grow their emotional IQ. Empathy, creative thinking, grit…these are all things that are much more important than being able to spell flawlessly. Step 3. Remind yourself that “comparison is the thief of joy”

Every child is on their own learning journey. Some kids may seem to be in the fast lane. Others may seem to be in the slow lane. But instead of comparing your child to another, compare them to where they were a year ago. Reflect on what they have learnt to do. Think about what they could work on further.

 Step 4. Cultivate a growth mindset

 If your child comes to you saying “I can’t do fractions”… or “I’m no good at colouring in the lines”… or “I don’t understand phonics”… just add the word “yet”. “I can’t do fractions…yet” reminds them that while they can’t do it now, they can learn them one day. “I’m no good at colouring in the lines…yet” encourages them that with practice, they can get better. “I don’t understand phonics… yet” reassures them that they might understand it tomorrow. Being able to accomplish great things doesn’t depend on high test scores. It doesn’t depend on being better than others. It just depends on an inner conviction that greatness can be accomplished. Believe in your child.

regards

Ken

Hello Bonbeach Community,

My name is Katie Hallowell, and I am the classroom teacher of JKH.

A big thank-you to everyone who has made me feel so welcomed into the Bonbeach community this year. I have really enjoyed my transition into the junior school and the kindness from students, parents and staff has made my first two terms at Bonbeach so positive.

The most rewarding part of being a teacher is seeing those “ah-ha” moments in students when they solve a challenging task and experience success in their learning. I love when students are excited to show you what they have learnt and when I hear they have been sharing their learning at home.

The students have quickly learnt that I love anything sport. I am very passionate about AFL, and I am a keen Collingwood supporter. Thanks to the Drive to Survive documentary, I have also recently gained interest in watching Formula 1 and went to my first Grand Prix this year.

My superpower is kindness and empathy, so if I was a superhero for a day, my superpowers would be to make others feel good about themselves.

I am looking forward to an exciting rest of the year. Hope to see you around the school or out and about at the Farmers Market.

 Thanks for being so welcoming.

 Katie Hallowell

With 90 days of the Premier's Reading Challenge completed, it is terrific to see all the different books that have been read. Students have been completing wonderful reviews, and as a school, we have finished 428 books! What a great achievement! There is still 101 days to go, so I am looking forward to seeing more books added. If your child is in Prep - Year 2, please remember that the library is open for you and your child to come in after school between 3:30-3:45 on Mondays to find and borrow books. 

Millie Goray – 3/4 Teaching Team

As a part of garden Club this term, our Grade 5/6 students have been investigating the traditional Bunerong ways and means of foraging for food in order for their survival. The students have also reflected on how their lifestyle and food choices differ from those of the Traditional Owners of the land. 

After investigating appropriate plants used for food and medicine, and costing them out, the students will now continue to build and plant our own native bush food garden next to the Junior Playground area. The produce from this garden will be used to enhance the schools existing garden produce for cooking classes across all year levels.

Adam from Kaptify officially opened our new Indigenous Gardens and the 5/6 students took part in a smoking ceremony, a tradition that has been observed for thousands of years to cleanse places and promote the wellbeing of people and guests on Country.

  

                    
  
                       

On Friday 19t May, the environment leaders went with Mrs Ballos to Carrum Primary School for the Big Green Schools Conference.

 First, we had a guest speaker from the Botanical Gardens who spoke to us about Biomimicry, which is about designing things based on the shape of things in nature.

Then, the Carrum Primary School environment leaders took us around the school to do some environmental rotations that included looking around their school at their garden, feeding their goats, and tried to catch yabbies in their wetlands.

After lunch, we got into our school groups to talk about and come up with ideas about we could do at our school. We thought of ideas like having a clean up day to collect rubbish inside and outside our school on Breeze St and Coast Bankisia Drive, rubbish competitions where students and classes can get tokens or a day with no homework. At the end of the day, we presented our ideas to the students and teachers from other schools.

We loved the day and had a blast!

By Charlie S and Judd H

                          

    

Dear Parents/Guardians, 

We are delighted to inform you that Bonbeach Primary School will be participating in the world-renowned ICAS competitions again this year. 

What is ICAS? 

ICAS is an online academic competition that is designed to assess students’ higher order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling Bee and Digital Technologies. 

Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition and development. Every student who participates will receive a printed certificate and an online results report. Top performers will be eligible for medals. 

The 2023 online ICAS assessments will be held in Term 3 at Bonbeach Primary School on:

 We encourage you to consider entering your child into ICAS this year.  

 Learn more about ICAS here. (https://www.icasassessments.com/products-icas) 

How to participate in ICAS 

Parents register for one or more assessments online.

Please note payment cannot be made through the school office.

 If you wish for your child to participate in ICAS this year, please: 

1. read about ICAS subjects and prices here:(https://www.icasassessments.com/products-icas) 
2. go to Parent Portal here: (https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps) 
3. enter our school’s access code –VCO692 
4. enter your child’s details, select the tests you would like to purchase, then proceed to payment (you will receive an order confirmation email, please keep this for your records)

IMPORTANT: Please enter your child’s name accurately into the system. The details you enter will appear on your child’s ICAS certificate.

Online payment closes on Monday, July 24^th 2023. LATE ENTRIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Kind regards, 

Jacqui Turner