Boneo Buzz 12th December
Dear Parents and Carers,
As we prepare for 2026, I would like to share an update on our staffing for the year ahead. We are delighted to be welcoming several new staff members to our Boneo community. Liz Demaj, Antonia Scandizzo and Stacey Brown will be taking a year of leave in 2026. Although we will miss them, we wish them a wonderful, fulfilling and well-deserved break, and we look forward to welcoming them back in 2027.
We extend a warm farewell to Mandi Thomas, who has been a highly valued member of the Boneo staff for many years. Mandi’s dedication, professionalism and genuine care for our students and community have been deeply appreciated, and her contributions have made a lasting impact. We wish her every success and happiness as she begins her next chapter. We also extend our heartfelt thank you to Agatha Lugowski for all of her support and hard work at Boneo this year, and we wish her all the very best.
We are excited to welcome Ashleigh Dorio, Melinda Jones, Sarah Eldridge and Zara Simpson to our Boneo PS in 2026.
| Classroom Teachers | |
| Prep | Susie McGregor |
| Prep | Julia Barnett |
| Year 1 | Brogan Rae |
| Year 1 | Rowena Sykes 4 days / Fiona Campanella 1 day |
| Year 2 | Beth Wharton 4 days / Yikhol Webber 1 day |
| Year 2 | Lauren Smolcic |
| Year 3 | Chloe Dawson |
| Year 3 | Sarah Eldridge |
| Year 3 | Kate McNamara |
| Year 4 | Olivia Raven |
| Year 4 | Pat Sumner |
| Year 4 | Grace Dobson |
| Year 5 | Nicky Schwabegger |
| Year 5 | Melinda Jones |
| Year 6 | Megan Young |
| Year 6 | Taylah Richardson |
| Learning Enhancement | Liz Dewar |
| Specialist Teachers | |
| Art | Pat Dalton |
| Music | Libby Sison |
| P.E. | David Greening |
| Spark Teacher | Katie Gunn |
| ES Team |
Paula Charles – Speech and Literacy Jamie Daniel Chloe Fahey Kate Falkenberg Hollee Gray Sue Kraus – Admin, First Aid Kieran Nolan – Spark Centre Pauline O’Brien Kellie Preyer – Office Manager Tim Robertson – Grounds and Maintenance Zara Simpson Amanda Swayn – Business Manager |
| Department Technician | Nida Hussain |
| Mental Health in Primary Schools Leader | Ashleigh Dorio |
| Learning Specialist | Anita Presti |
| Assistant Principal | Tom Pollett |
Meet our new Boneo PS
Ashleigh Dorio
Hello Boneo Primary!
I am so excited to be joining BPS in 2026 and I’m really looking forward to stepping into the role of Mental Health & Wellbeing Leader.
Growing up I always loved school and this passion for learning is what led me to pursue a career in education. My teaching background lies in Health & PE, but I also bring with me valuable experience from working in student services positions as Year Level Coordinator and Leading Teacher, where I led school-wide initiatives focussed strongly on student engagement and wellbeing. I’m passionate about supporting staff, students and their families whilst promoting a positive school culture.
When I’m not at school I’m a busy mum looking after our 18-month-old son and our Kelpie, Pippa. As a family we love exploring the outdoors, camping, enjoying the beach and spending quality time at home and in our local community.
I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone and being a part of the wonderful community at Boneo.
Zara Simpson
Hi, my name is Zara, and I am beyond thrilled to be joining Boneo Primary School in 2026!
I have been lucky enough to have grown up on the Mornington Peninsula, and I love getting to call this special place home.
I recently graduated from my VCE VM studies at SEDA College Victoria in November. Whilst at SEDA I gained a passion for working with primary students throughout work placements and community netball clinics. I love encouraging them to try their best and supporting them through fundamental times of their lives. I’m looking forward to not only getting to help the students achieve but also assisting their hard-working teachers.
In my spare time, I enjoy playing netball, running, walking with my two dogs, reading, spending quality time with my loved ones and travelling.
I can’t wait to join the amazing community at Boneo!
Melinda Jones
Hello everyone!
My name is Mrs Jones, and I am very excited to be the new Grade 5 teacher this year! I have three children – one daughter named Grace and two sons named Stuart and Sebastian.
I’ve travelled all around Australia and have lived in both the Northern Territory and North Queensland. I actually grew up on the Mornington Peninsula, and I’m happy to be moving back to be closer to my family.
I love playing sports, especially tennis and pickleball, and you might even spot me trying my best at Parkrun on Saturday mornings! I also enjoy science, maths, STEM and reading, and I can’t wait to share my excitement and passion for learning with my students.
I’m really looking forward to getting to know the 5B class and meeting all the wonderful students at Boneo Primary School. I’m so happy to be joining this community, and I can’t wait for a fantastic year together!
Sarah Eldridge
I am excited to begin my journey with Boneo Primary School in 2026. I have been teaching in primary schools for 9 years now and I have recently completed my Master of Special and Inclusive Education. I love going for walks and going to the beach with my two children.
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End of Year Picnic
On behalf of our school, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you once again to our wonderful school community for making our end-of-year picnic such a special occasion. Your support, presence and enthusiasm helped create a joyful and memorable celebration for our students and families.
It was wonderful to see everyone come together, share in the fun and celebrate our students. Events like this highlight the strength, warmth and spirit of our community, and we are so grateful for each and every one of you.
Thank you for helping us end the year on such a positive and uplifting note.
Human Powered Vehicle – Thank you!!
I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Monique Corcoran, Principal of Lyndhurst Primary School, for the incredibly generous donation made toward our Human Powered Vehicle program. Monique has kindly provided a vehicle for our students, a trailer to transport our vehicles, and a range of much-needed materials and resources to support the ongoing development of our program.
This support is truly invaluable. The cost of these items would have made them difficult for us to obtain, and we are deeply grateful for this contribution, which will make a significant difference for our students and the continuation of the HPV Program.
Snapshot of Learning
SAKG Garden
What an amazing achievement for our Year 4s!
After a bumper olive harvest this year, the students rolled up their sleeves and got to work. They carefully picked every single olive from our trees, soaked them, changed the water every two days, and then patiently waited while the olives rested in brine for six whole months!
Last week, the big moment finally arrived. The Year 4s revealed their olives, flavoured them with oil and fresh herbs from the school garden, and the results were incredible – they looked and tasted delicious!
A huge well done to our talented young olive makers! 🌿🫒✨
End Of Year Celebrations!
Year 3 Rostered Day Off
All term the year 3’s have been learning about money. To help us understand we all made an eftpos card and the teachers came up with ways to earn and lose money each week. At the end of each week, we added our total earnings and subtracted our fines to find out total bank balance. The best part of our money adding days was lining up to see if we got out total right and putting our card in the eftpos machine. Whoever earned the most money over the term in each grade won a ‘Rostered Day Off’.
We got to wear free dress and choose a hat of our choice. Then we got to be Mrs Pandza’s assistant, but I will tell you something, it was not fun being the assistant for a session, we had to work VERY hard! The best part was going around and handing out stickers to the great workers in each grade.
Next, we got to go in whatever class we wanted. Tahnee and Zoe joined Prep B and helped with the craft and Zena went into STEM with 2A and helped them on the computers. Lastly, we got to have McDonald’s for lunch and an icy pole. We all got a 6-nugget happy meal. After we finished the happy meal we ate the icy pole, it was lemonade flavour. We also got a drink of our choice: Zena got a water, Zoe got orange juice and Tahnee apple juice.
We all got better at adding money and using the vertical addition algorithm! It was the best day ever!
Zoe B (3A), Tahnee R (3B) and Zena S (3C)
Reminders
Kinect 2 Dance- Year 6
Monday 15th December
Year 6 Graduation
Monday 15th December
Icy-Pole Day
Thursday 18th December
Gold coin donation
Last Day of Term 4
Friday 19th December
12.45 pm Farewell assembly
1.15 pm Finish
Term 1
Tuesday 27th January
No students required
Curriculum Day
Wednesday 28th January-
No students required
All Students Commence
Thursday 29th January
Whole School Photos
Tuesday 10th February
Boneo Swimming Carnival
Thursday 12th February
Community News
