As we approach the mid-point of term three, we have several nation-wide events we will be taking part in. This week at BPS we are busy exploring the world of insects, minibeasts, and their survival. All classes are engaging in a range of activities throughout the week.  We have also encouraged families to become involved in National Science Week through engaging in activities at home and sending in a snap of a home created bug hotel. Next time you come into the school, take a moment to check out our awesome creations. I hope our week of all things science sparks some interesting conversations at home.  Next week, our years 5 and 6s are fortunate enough to have a visit from Tassie Young Scientists from the University of Tasmania. The students will have the opportunity to meet a Marine Scientist, Chemist and Geneticist. Each scientist will be giving a short presentation with the students having the opportunity to ask questions.   

Tomorrow, we encourage our students to wear Purple.  Purple is the new hero colour representing 'Bullying No Way!' The national week of action and our commitment to standing against bullying. The theme for 2024 is 'Everyone belongs'. 

When we all feel like we belong, bullying struggles to find a place. It's about embracing who we are, respecting everyone's differences and standing up together against unkindness. 

Belonging means we all have a role in preventing bullying. We're encouraged to speak up and create a safe place where everyone feels supported and respected, and our voices are heard and valued. 

Today may be a good day for you to have a conversation with your children about bullying at school and ask them if they feel safe and supported, or have experienced or observed bullying in anyway.   

As a school, we will continue to address themes of bullying and teaching students how to recognise risk to their own or someone else’s safety.   

This is more than a school issue.  It is an issue for our entire community and we all have an important role to play. We are stronger when we work together.  

To find out more about the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence, visit the Bullying No Way Website.  I have also attached a fact sheet with some helpful information. 

Factsheet here https://bullyingnoway.gov.au/resource/fact-sheets/studentstips/bnw-factsheet-what-to-do-if-you-are-being-bullied.pdf  

If this letter has raised any concerns for you or your child, I encourage you to seek advice and support from one of the following organisations:  

• Beyond Blue – call 1300 224 636 or visit the Beyond Blue website.  

• 1800 Respect – call 1800 737 732 or visit the 1800 Respect website.  

• Lifeline – call 13 11 14 or visit the Lifeline website.  

• Kids Helpline – call 1800 551 800 or visit the Kids Helpline website.  

• Headspace – call (03) 6231 2927 or visit the headspace website.  

I am always available to talk and if you would like to speak to me about this on an individual basis, please get in touch. 

Trivia Night Success 

A big shout out to our amazing P&F group who work tirelessly to support our children and young people. We are truly appreciative of all the work you have done over the past months to support our school community and raise funds for future events and improvements.  

Thank you!  

Welcome

Next week we welcome Joshua and his family to year 2.

The Term 3 focus of our Early Childhood Values Meetings has been Growth.

The Department recognises this as “Aspiring to Learn and Improving even when its tough”.

We have been exploring Growth through the use of a Growth Mindset. A Growth Mindset is the belief that you can improve your intelligence through hard work and persistence. It relies heavily on the power of the word “yet” to support the pathway to success.  Positive self-talk, and the belief that our intelligence is not fixed can assist the learner in staying motivated during challenging tasks.

 A Growth Mindset can be applied in all areas of a person’s life- home, school, sport etc.

Students have discovered that your brain is like a muscle and that attempting challenging tasks often allows your brain to “work out”.  These challenging tasks can often put the learner into an uncomfortable space as they work out the best path to move forward. However, a Growth Mindset means that the learner will be frequently looking for feedback and asking questions, to identify changes that might progress their learning.

We have used the Mojo resource to help us explore this in a child friendly way. Mojo is a character that experiences challenges at school and needs to apply a Growth Mindset to find his way forward and complete tasks. With the help of his friends, Mojo learns that making mistakes is a positive experience and he manages to harness the power of “yet” to aid his efforts.

 

Students in Year 3/4D and 5/6D shared their understanding of displaying the Value of Growth. We heard from the 3/4s that having a Growth Mindset is:

“Don’t think of the negativity, think of the Positivity”

“Having a Growth Mindset means to not say you can’t do something if you haven’t tried”

“If you get something wrong keep going until you get it right”

“A growth mindset is something when you don’t get it right the first time and keep trying”

5/6D then gave an interactive performance where they acted out some examples of things from everyday life and the audience had to work out if that person was using a Growth or Fixed Mindset. This really allowed students to see the difference between the mindsets and to identify when they may be using a ‘Fixed Mindset’ in order to change their ‘self-talk’ to a Growth Mindset.

We warmly invite you to join us on Wednesday for our Book Parade and read aloud in our JMC at 9am.  

With our 2024 Children's Book Week theme 'Reading is Magic', we're celebrating reading stories and their amazing power to transport minds. We are encouraging kids to be curious about the wonders in our world. It is a positive and affirming message for our young people. The magic of reading also lies in its power of enticement; a good story provokes conversations. Talking about the stories with others connects the reader with other readers. Wrapped around all of this are the "tricks" and skills of our amazing writers and illustrators, as they use all their powers of language and illustration to engage the reader in this world they are building. 

We have been very excited learning and researching all about the Olympics over the last few weeks. We have learnt about the different Olympic sports, the athletes and what the Olympics represent.

We have been busy watching highlights and celebrating the highs and lows of this international sporting event. We were lucky enough to have some items of clothing from the 2000 Olympics, including a torch relay outfit belonging to Lynn Templar (Nydin's Grandmother), together with the actual torch that she carried in the relay. Here are our pictures of the children dressed in the Olympic gear, together with some cover pages from our Olympic Athlete Profiles, and some sports reports. 

Tuesday 13th August saw Grades 5 and 6 student joining with students from other schools to take part in the annual Sports Expo organised by the North West Primary School Sports Association (NWPSSA)

Burnie Primary students participated in the following sports;

Netball

Basketball

Tennis

Football

25 students represented Burnie Primary School at the 5/6 Sports Day AFL.  There were 19 boys and 6 girls who participated. The games were played in good weather at Burnie High School. The format was a round robin with the boys playing teams from Somerset, Boat Harbour, Penguin and Riana.  The girls joined up with a couple of other schools to form a team.  A great day was had by all and a big thankyou to the organisers and the Burnie High School students who umpired and set up the fields. Goal of the day went to Jordan Connlley in grade 5 for a clean pick up in a pocket, a twist and turn around an opposition player and a straight shot on goal from the boundary while being tackled!

Already we are underway with some planning for next year. Please contact the office if the enrolment status of your child will change for next year.  We are keen to hear from all new families in our school zone, as well as children who are turning four years old this year.  Please encourage friends, neighbors and family members to contact our helpful admin team if further information is needed. 

Attention: Parents and Carers of students in Years 4 - 6

Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey

The wellbeing of our students is important to us - we want to hear how students feel, and think, about different things going on in their lives.

Students in Years 4 – 6 at Burnie Primary will be taking part in the Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey. The results from this survey will help us get a picture of the current wellbeing of our students, and what we can do to improve future wellbeing for learning. The more students who take part, the clearer our picture will be. 

The Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey is part of the Department’s Child and Student Wellbeing Strategy

The details for the survey are:

When: 26^th August – 20^th September
Who: Students in Grades 4 - 6

What do I need to do: You and your child don’t need to do anything. The survey will be done in class time and will not require your child to prepare in any way.

A letter with more information will be sent home with all Year  4 – 6 students, including Frequently Asked Questions and a form to sign and return to the school if you do not want your child to participate in the survey.   

If you would like further information, please contact Louise Rawlings, Assistant Principal.

Thank you for supporting us to ensure that all our learners are safe, feel supported and are able to flourish, so they can engage in learning.

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