Ibis Flyer

Well, here we are, the last newsletter of 2023. I’d like to take this time to thank our whole school community for their ongoing support and the trust that they place in us as educational professionals each and every day.

We are very blessed here at Balnarring Primary School, and it is not until you have been to other schools that you realise just how blessed we are. We have an incredibly kind and dedicated staff who go above and beyond to cater for all of our students, each of them uniquely individual. I would like to publicly thank them for being the wonderful people that they are and for the amazing work that they do in supporting the needs of our students and families.

Our well attended helper morning tea last week, was testament to the number of parents and carers who assist us in all manner of ways. Whether it’s helping with camps, sporting events, excursions, helping out in classrooms, attending working bees, being part of School Council or the Parents and Friends, our school community has risen to the challenge of supporting us when they are required. We thank you again for this support.

Graduation 2023

Last Wednesday was a magical night for our grade 6 students and their parents as they took part in their grade 6 graduation ceremony. They did us proud and had lots of fun.

This is a sneak peak of how our gym was transformed into a graduation wonderland thanks to some of our hard-working parents.

The ceremony could not have gone ahead without the dedication and hard work of our grade 6 teachers and our incredible staff that supported them.

We would like to give a huge thanks and shout out to POHSS STUDIO https://www.pohssstudio.com/. Our silent disco was brilliantly orchestrated and enjoyed by young and old alike as we danced across the playgrounds to some awesome tunes.

We wish our 2023 graduates the very best in their secondary education journeys.

Leadership Roles

How exciting it was to announce our 2024 Leadership Roles. Having been part of the process of deciding our leaders, I can say without hesitation that we had some very difficult decisions to make given the high-quality speeches and the passion of our students. Congratulations to all of our young leaders. We know that you will be a positive influence on all of our students in 2024.

School Captains

Reid      Mackenzie       Ruby                Daisy F

House Captains

Warrawee  – Captains Eleana and Eddie, Vice-Captain Olive

Hurley        – Captains Sonny and Elsie, Vice-Captain Olivia

Coolart       – Bella and Cruz, Vice-Captain – Flo

Larnoo       – Koby and Kiran– Vice-Captain Jackson

Staffing Changes for 2024

Farewells

Meagan Resuggan

It is with sadness that we are saying farewell to Meagan Resuggan. Meagan arrived at Balnarring PS in 2021 as a tutor in the Tutor Learning Initiative and has been key in improving the literacy skills of many of our students.

This year, without hesitation, Meagan took on the role of year three teacher when Suzanne Litchfield was given a leadership opportunity. With her positive, bubbly demeanour, Meagan has supported the students in her grade and provided many fun and enjoyable educational experiences.  

We wish Meagan well for 2024 as she embarks on a new chapter in her educational journey teaching grade 4/5 at Wallaroo Primary School.

Suzanne Litchfield

As previously mentioned, Suzanne Litchfield left us earlier this year to pursue a leadership role at Wallaroo Primary School. In 2024, Suzanne will continue with her role as Acting Assistant Principal. She has been such a positive and passionate teacher at Balnarring Primary School, and we wish her all the very best for 2024 as she continues her leadership journey.

Hillary Findlay

It is always exciting to hear that a staff member is preparing to have a baby and Hillary Findlay who has worked in year 3 this year will be leaving us at the very beginning of next year. We are all looking forward to hearing about, and hopefully seeing Hillary’s new bundle of joy. Congratulations Hillary.

Welcome

We would like to welcome a new teacher to our school next year. Chloe Rathjen will be joining us to work in year 4. Chloe has spent a good part of this year traveling around Australia and has had experience working in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. We are sure that Chloe will receive a warm welcome from our Balnarring school Community.

School Council

I would like to thank all School Council members for giving up their time and being valuable members of our School Council ensuring we are continuing to make Balnarring Primary School a great learning space that we can all be proud of. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with our School Council and look forward to all we can achieve next year.

Parents and Friends Committee

Thank-you also to our Parents and Friends Committee who have raised monies for artworks across the school and provided community events and lunch orders for our students. We appreciate their support.

I have enjoyed my time as Acting Principal at Balnarring Primary School this term and look forward to welcoming Nicky Walker back to her substantive role.

I wish you all a safe and Happy Christmas and a fun filled holiday with your family. I look forward to seeing you all back next year looking healthy, happy and recharged, ready to take on all that 2024 has to offer.

Kind regards

Anne McDonald
Acting Principal

School Preparations for the Bushfire Season

Each year, to prepare for bushfires and grassfires, schools and early childhood services complete a range of activities.

The Department of Education runs an annual fire risk assessment of schools and early childhood services. They are allocated a category of risk (categories 0 to 4) and are published on the Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR).

All schools and early childhood services listed on the BARR and Category 4 list will also close when a Catastrophic fire danger rating day is forecast in their fire weather district.

When the Bureau of Meteorology provides public fire danger rating forecasts or fire weather warnings, they use fire weather district areas. In Victoria, there are 9 fire weather districts, which are based on Local Government Area boundaries. Our school is in Central fire weather district.

As part of preparing our school for the fire season, we have updated and completed our Emergency Management Plan and ensured that regular mowing, clearing of gutters and trimming of trees are part of our maintenance schedule.

What does this mean for our school?

Our school has been identified as being at risk of bushfire or grassfire and is a Category 3 school.

Our school will close on a day forecasted as Catastrophic fire danger rating in Central fire district. 

What is the department’s policy?

The department’s Bushfire and Grassfire Preparedness Policy requires all schools and early childhood services on the BARR and the Category 4 list to close when a Catastrophic fire danger rating day is forecast in their fire weather district. All school bus routes which travel in or through a district with Catastrophic fire danger must also be cancelled.

When will our school be closed due to Catastrophic fire danger?

Our school will close on a day forecasted as Catastrophic fire danger rating in Central fire district.

Closure of the school due to a forecast Catastrophic day will be confirmed on the day prior and we will provide you with advice before the end of the school day. Any information regarding potential or confirmed Catastrophic fire danger days will be communicated to you by Compass.

Once confirmed, the decision to close will not change, even if the weather forecast changes.  This is to avoid confusion and help your family plan alternative care arrangements for your child.  It is also important to be aware that:

• No one will be on site on days where the school is closed due to a forecast Catastrophic day.
• Out-of-school-hours care will also be cancelled on these days.
• All bus routes that travel through the Catastrophic area will be cancelled.
• School camps will be cancelled if a Catastrophic fire danger rating day is forecast for fire weather district in which the camp is located, or if the travel involves passing through areas that have Catastrophic fire danger.

Families are encouraged to action their Bushfire Survival Plan on Catastrophic fire danger rating days.  On such days, children should never be left at home alone or in the care of older children.

For those of us living in a bushfire prone area, the Country Fire Authority (CFA) advises that when Catastrophic days are forecast, the safest option is to leave the night before or early on the morning of the Catastrophic day.

What can families and the school community do to help us prepare?

• Ensure we have your current contact details, including your mobile phone numbers.
• Keep in touch with us by reading our newsletters, checking our website, by talking to your child’s teacher or any other member of the teaching staff about our emergency management plan.
• Make sure your family’s bushfire survival plan is up-to-date and includes alternative care arrangements in the event that our school is closed due to elevated fire danger or closed due to a Catastrophic fire danger. Further information can be found on the CFA’s website.
• Action your family’s bushfire survival plan if your own triggers are met. Our school community may be spread out across many areas and some families may be at higher risk than others. Your family’s safety is critical, so please let us know if you are actioning your bushfire survival plan and if your children will be absent on these days.
• If your child is old enough, talk to them about bushfires and your family’s bushfire survival plan.

You can find more information on emergencies, warnings and preparedness actions here:

VicEmergency app – that can be downloaded on your android and iOS mobile devices

VicEmergency Hotline (1800 226 226)

Website https://emergency.vic.gov.au

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/vicemergency)

Twitter (https://twitter.com/vicemergency)

ABC local radio, Sky News and other emergency broadcasters