From the Principal’s Desk Thursday 24th March 2016 Happy Holidays! Term 1 has certainly been a busy one! In Term 1, there is a major emphasis on creating a positive learning environment where all learners can do their personal best. The relationship between students and their teachers is a key component of the learning environment and it is vital to the success of the teaching and learning program throughout the year. In the beginning of Term 1, students across the school have been involved in the ‘Leaping Forth at Balwyn North’ program which gives all classes the opportunity to consider the attributes learners need to exhibit to engage effectively at school. Now that we are at the end of the term, it is worthwhile to reflect on how well this program has helped our students to feel so connected with their school. This approach is especially important in the Foundation class, where our new students have made a very successful transition from kindergarten. We would also like to thank our wonderful families for the support they have offered our school throughout the term. We wish you all a happy and safe holiday and look forward to working with you all again after the break. Congratulations one and all on a successful term! Student Free Days for Term 2, 2016 Please note also that the Thursday 14th and Friday 15th April will be student free days. On these days staff will participate in a two day workshop to further enhance understandings and application of the International Baccalaureate – Primary Years Program. Camp Australia are now taking expressions of interest for child care on these days. Please register your interest at www.campaustralia.com.au or phone 1300 105 343. Erika Bienert Tony Stokes Principal Assistant Principal IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER Monday 11th April Return to School Uniform 2:30—3:15pm Assembly 2:45pm Tuesday 12th April School banking Due Wednesday 13th April Uniform Shop 8:45—9:30am Chess Tournament at BNPS Thursday 14th April Student Free Day Friday 15th April Student Free Day Friday 22nd April BNPS Cross Country Uniform News With Autumn and Winter fast approaching , don’t forget to visit the uniform shop. If you can not make it to the uniform shop, you can complete an order form and send it to the office with payment. Order forms can be downloaded from the school website. GRANDPARENTS’ AND SPECIAL FRIENDS’ DAY THURSDAY MAY 19th 2016 Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day is coming up very soon and we hope to see all the grandfathers, grandmothers and special friends here again this year. It was a great day last year and we look forward to meeting more of you this year. The children absolutely loved showing you their classrooms and working with their special visitors. Put the date in your diaries and let your grandparents or special friends know. There will be more information and notes to follow. Stay tuned!!!!! If you have any queries about the day, please contact Alison Crawford by email. craw- [email protected] Program 10:30- Arrive at school. 10:40- Morning Tea in the hall with teachers and school staff. 11:10- Performances by school children in the hall. 11:40 to 1:00- Visit children in the classrooms and take part in classroom activities. Recognising Our Junior Sports Stars News bulletin: 15 March 2016 An emerging AFL star who completed VCE while playing finals footy and a young synchronised swimmer on her way to Rio were among those recognised at this year’s Victorian School Sports Awards. Three Olympians, a world-class athlete and a Paralympian working towards the Rio Olympics, as well as basketball legend Lindsay Gaze were at the MCG to recognise outstanding Victorian students, teachers, volunteers and schools. This year sees the introduction of the Lindsay Gaze Award, in honour of the seven-time Olympian and Basketball Hall of Fame legend. Lindsay Gaze was on hand to give out the inaugural award to Cooper Goodman who demonstrated the most outstanding dedication to both school and community sport. A total of 47 junior athletes were recognised at this year’s awards ceremony with Sporting Blue medals, as well as trophy presentations to three schools, two teachers, two volunteers and two outstanding student athletes. Now in their 22nd year, the Victorian School Sports Awards are the highest sporting accolade presented by the Victorian government school system. This year: Maribyrnong College synchronised swimmer Jemma Singleton won the Outstanding Sporting Achievement Award, recog- nising her success juggling VCE studies while working hard to qualify for the Rio Olympics. Balwyn North Primary School badminton player Otto Zhao won the Outstanding Sporting Achievement Award for his out- standing success at state championships. The 11-year-old is ranked number 1 in Victoria in under-13s and number 3 in under-15s. Maribyrnong College student and North Melbourne Football Club player Kayne Turner was recognised for balancing his VCE studies with playing AFL, including making two finals appearances. Lindsay Gaze and six other Australian sporting heroes joined the students at the awards: Commonwealth Games runner Alex Rowe; Olympic Taekwondo hopeful Carmen Marton; Olympic water polo player Rowena Webster; Paralympic javelin medallist Madeleine Hogan; retired swimming star Nicole Livingstone; and former AFL player Patrick Karnezis. B.N.P.S. Stars of the Week Term 1, Week 9 Class Name Achievement For being a Communicator by always joining in during circle time and shar- Aazmay Gillani FA ing her ideas. Tommy Camp- For being an Inquirer by investigating the properties of a range of materials FL bell and asking interesting questions on our Messy Day. For being a Communicator by confidently communicating in Mandarin and Arvin Huang FS trying really hard to improve his English communication. For being an Inquirer by asking questions and being curious about the Zavar Shah 1F amazing animals at the zoo. For being a Risk-Taker by having a go at new things and asking good ques- Zoe Deng 2A tions about her new learning. For being Principled by trying her very best across all areas of our learning 2K Isabelle Potger and being a kind, honest, fair and helpful classmate who looks out for oth- ers. 2S Madeline Chiu For being Caring by thinking of others and displaying inclusive behaviour. For being a Thinker by applying critical thinking skills during Mathematics Chelsea Nguyen 3B sessions. For being Reflective by giving thoughtful consideration to her own learning Sherry La 3C and reflecting on our Unit of Inquiry. Calum Wil- For being Caring by showing more respect and care for his peers and their 4J kinson learning. Rosemaria For being Caring by enthusiastically and independently helping in her class- 4M Subash room and showing great care to her peers. For being Knowledgeable by showing commitment to develop skills and Han-Wen Khaw 5C confidence when playing chess. For being a Thinker by engaging in thoughtful conversations about big un- Catherine Jeong 5L derstandings during inquiry discussions. Sandaru Wijeth- For being a Communicator by expressing his thoughts and opinions in a 6D ilake confident and creative manner. For being a Communicator and expressing her thoughts confidently and Hannah Louey 6M creatively, particularly in her oral presentation of writing work. For being Balanced by enthusiastically applying herself in all areas of Elena Nguyen 6R school. Well done! Daniel Noura For being an Inquirer by discovering a very interesting musical sound in the MUSIC (3C) playground! For being a Risk-Taker by following He Laoshi’s gestures and speaking Chi- Sara Salem (3B) LOTE nese with her. Senior Gavin Xu (5T) For being Caring by helping others with their learning in LOTE. LOTE Cyber Safety - BNPS is an eSmart School At Balwyn North Primary School we are committed to educating our students about appropriate and safe online behaviours, so they are better equipped to protect their own wellbeing. In class, children engage in regular cyber safety discussions and also have the chance to experience the many educational opportunities that the Internet has to offer in a safe and supported manner. At Balwyn North Primary School we col- lect and review data on Cybersafety concerns on a regular basis, in order to support our students to safely navigate the online world. Internet Safety Tip for Parents Explore government resources for parents so you can educate yourself and protect your children on the e-safety website. http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/bullystoppers/Pages/parentcyber.aspx http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/bullystoppers/Pages/parentmodules.aspx https://esafety.gov.au/education-resources/parent-resources Stephanie Sevastas is heading up our eSmart Committee in 2016. She would welcome parent contribution to this committee. Please email Stephanie at [email protected] if you are interested. Hello everyone! We’ve had a busy last week at OSHC!! In craft we made Easter egg decorations out of dough; we cooked them and then we painted them, string balls and cardboard creations. Outside we’ve been playing soccer, tiggy and cricket. For Term Teams we had a paper plane design and race, a running race, a cardboard creation competition and a drawing competition. Everyone have a great holiday and we’ll see you next term! Important Reminders Please make sure you are booking your child to the service (especially in the mornings) as our staffing ratio is based on number of bookings. To make a casual booking you can easily book online the parent portal or call customer service on 1300 105 343 Make sure you are signing your children in and out on the roll completely (Time in or out, name and signa- ture).