Welcome back!

Welcome to our first newsletter for 2025.

It has been wonderful to see our students return into their new classes after the break, with all classes very settled, engaged and demonstrating our school PBL values -Respectful Safe Learners in both the classroom and playground.

We have also welcomed our largest Kindergarten cohort ever this year, with 74 new Kindies settling well into school life, with teachers already reporting they are going so well they are ready for Year 1!!

As of today we have 350 kids enrolled at Bellbird Public School which is a substantial increase since last year. We have increased to 16 classes this year, with the school funding two additional classes to start the year to maintain our stage based approach, reduce class sizes and allow for any further growth throughout the year.

A special welcome to all of our new families who have joined us at Bellbird this year. Whether you have your first child attending school in Kindergarten, or have moved from other parts of our  country, we are excited to be working with you during your child’s time at Bellbird.

It is shaping up to be another exciting year ahead with lots of great initiatives and activities to keep learning fun, while building friendships and our skills in and out of the classroom.

School Excellence Plan

This year sees us enter a new school planning cycle. Although our new School Excellence Plan is not due for finalisation until the end of this term, we have started on many of these focuses already.  The priorities for this plan were developed on the back of a deep evaluation process as part of external validation during 2024 and feedback from staff, students and parents.

Our key initiatives align closely with those of NSW DoE such as:

• Equity and Excellence
• Explicit teaching
• High Potential and Gifted Education
• Student Wellbeing and Engagement

These include:

SD 1- Student Growth and Attainment

• Explicit teaching with a focus on Numeracy, including differentiation and targeted intervention
• Formative and Summative assessment
• Student and teacher feedback to drive improvement

SD2 – Wellbeing and Engagement

• Social Emotional Learning to help develop resilience and social skills
• Wellbeing supports to address any barriers to learning (e.g.Breakfast Club)
• Student Voice
• Strengthening home school pPartnerships
• Student attendance
• Aboriginal cultural understanding and belonging

New staff join the team

We have quite a few new teachers/staff joining us this year or filling more permanent roles. These include:

• Mrs Cheltzie Hall (AP Stage 1- Relieving).
• Mr Blake Pinkerton returns after a few years in Sydney (S3B).
• Mr Michael Walters (S1M) and Miss Claire O’Connor (KV) – Both ex-Bellbird students who are on their own class for the first time.
• Mrs Outram (returning from maternity leave), Mrs Pearce (long time casual) and Mrs Taplin who were all filling casual or part time roles last year.
• We also have Sophie Williams, Renae Fernance and Ralph Binge joining our SLSO team.

New Behaviour Support Management Plan

Our new Behaviour Support Management Plan is now live on our website. Along with other NSW schools this now aligns with the latest department behaviour policy. Most of the changes in this document relate more to the language and format of this document as we as a school aligned with many of the ideals and best practice that is included in the new policy already which focuses on ensuring we have prevention, early intervention, targeted intervention and individual intervention in place to meet the needs of all students to maintain a positive learning environment.

It can also be viewed here: https://bellbird-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/doe/sws/schools/b/bellbird-p/BellbirdPS_-_Behaviour_Support_Management_Plan_2025.pdf

Communicating with school

Parents and carers play an important role in the school community. Bellbird Public School is a school that strives to support all parents / caregivers in the education of their child.

Communication with our community

Our school uses a range of communication channels to share information with parents and the wider school community. Although the range of apps the school uses can at times be confusing, unfortunately each channel serves a different purpose and there is no app or system that does all of these well. 

It is important that parents are aware of and have access to the following apps/sites to ensure they are getting the information they need to support the learning and opportunities provided by the school. 

• Schoolzine/SZ App (important news and messages) - This is our school's main communication channel to share important school news and updates. Once subscribed you will recieve email updates, including our school newsletter directly to your inbox. It is also recommended that you download the accompanying app szapp. This will send notifications directly to your phone with any important messages. Subscribe via our school website or here:https://www.schoolzineplus.com/installing-szapp

• School Bytes (payments and permission) – School Bytes is our new online finance system that allows permission notes and payments to be made easily and securely. All permission notes are sent through this channel, directly to parents of students involved in any given activity and ensures notes don't get lost on the way home. You can also keep track of all your notes and payments. Register here: https://portal.schoolbytes.education/auth/login?return_to=https%253A%252F%252Fportal.schoolbytes.education%252F&error=unauthenticated

• Seesaw (sharing student work and teacher communication) - Seesaw is all about the student and allows an insight into what is happening in your child's classroom. Students and teachers can post worksamples and photos of learning activities to keep you updated and help with having those tricky to extract "What happened at school today?" conversations once they get home. Seesaw can also be used for teachers and parents to communicate directly when needed. Keep in mind however that these messages are not monitored in real time, and teachers will get back to you when they have time (within 48 hours).  

If you need support with accessing or using these at any time, please do not hesitate to contact the school for support in person or over the phone. 

Other places to check out. 

• School Facebook - Our school also has a Facebook page which we use to share good news stories to our wider school community. No important information is shared through this channel so it is important that parents do not rely on this as the only source of information. 
• P&C Facebook - Our school P&C also has a Facebook page which they use to share canteen and P&C news. It is well worth a follow if you are not already to keep up to date with everything P&C. 
• School website - The school website holds a range of information about school policies and procedures and is a great place to check out if you want to know something specific about school practice. Note that this page is only updated when required. Check it out here : www.bellbird-p.schools.nsw.edu

Communicating respectfully with our school staff     

All staff, parents and community members are role models for our children and we expect that positive behaviour is displayed at all times to create a positive environment where everyone is valued and feels safe.

There may be occasions when parents have questions or worries about student progress or have concerns about incidents or interactions involving their child at school. At such times, it is important to organise a mutually agreeable time to talk to school staff; whether this be through the making of an appointment at the office or a time otherwise advised by the staff member. Our staff will find a time to talk to you when they can give you their full attention. Please remember that while our staff are in class or dealing with other matters, they may not be available to answer your questions immediately.

 Who should I contact about my question or concern?

In most cases, your child's classroom teacher will have the most information to share and are the best point of contact. Should you continue to have concerns following this, you may ask to speak to a member of executive staff.

• Kindergarten Assistant Principals – Mrs Shultz and Mrs Thompson
• Stage 1 Assistant Principal – Mrs Hall
• Stage 2 Assistant Principal - Mrs Deal
• Stage 3 Assistant Principal - Mrs Hayes

 All complaints and concerns will be handled in accordance with the DEC School Community and Consumer Complaint Procedure (2017)

 Respectful communication is a right

In all workplaces, people have the right to feel respected. Unacceptable and offensive behaviour has no place in our school communities. To ensure the safety and wellbeing of students, staff and the community in our schools, steps will be taken to address unacceptable behaviour. This may include restricting contact with the school community or, in more serious cases, referral to NSW Police.

 Unacceptable behaviour in our schools

Unacceptable behaviour may include but is not limited to:

•  Aggressive or intimidating actions, such as violence, threatening gestures or physical proximity.
• Aggressive or intimidating language, including the use of obscenities, making sexist, racist or derogatory comments or using a rude tone.
• Treating members of the school community differently due to aspects such as their religion or disability.
• Inappropriate and time wasting communication.

 For more information on the School Community Charter which outlines the responsibilities of parents, carers, educators and school staff in NSW public schools to ensure our learning environments are collaborative, supportive and cohesive visit https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/going-to-a-public-school/school-community-charter

Attendance – Make every day count

The evidence is clear that consistent attendance is the essential first step for your child to have a positive experience at school.

Every day matters for your child’s learning. In recent years we’ve seen too many students miss a day of school here and there. Missing school for students means missing assignments, time with friends, an important maths lesson or getting picked for a sports team. With days missed, years are lost.

Students are required to attend school every day, whether it’s the first or last day of the term, Mondays, Fridays or days dedicated to sports carnivals, school excursions and incursions.

Help us make sure your child is achieving their best and stays ahead in their learning with regular school attendance. The more time your child attends school, the greater their opportunity to learn, make new friends and improve their wellbeing. Together, let’s build positive attendance habits for a lifetime.

If your child is absent from school, please let us know why as soon as possible, even if it’s just a few minutes at the start or end of the school day. Of course, there will be times when your child is unable to be at school (like when they are unwell). Medical appointments should take place outside school hours where possible and family holidays should be taken in term breaks.

If your child is feeling anxious about coming to school and you need support, please reach out to your child’s teacher or me directly. Our staff are here to work with you and your child to help them attend school each and every day. There are also helpful resources for parents and carers on the Every Day Matters website.

Thank you again for working with our teachers and support staff to make sure your child is at school, on time, every day. We all want to see our students learn, grow and belong in our equitable and outstanding education system.