Boneo Buzz: 31st March
Dear Parents and Carers,
It is difficult to believe that we are heading into the final week of Term 1. Staff welcome the opportunity to meet and share student progress at Parent Teacher Interviews next week. Interviews are at school on Monday and Tuesday.
Parent-teacher interviews give you a great opportunity to:
- learn more about your child’s academic, emotional and social development
- meet and get to know your child’s teachers
- help your child’s teachers understand more about your child
- make plans with the teacher about how you can both support your child/ren.
If you don’t have any particular concerns, you might wonder whether it’s worth going to parent-teacher interviews. But going along is one way to show your child that you’re interested in their learning and what’s happening for them at school.
If you are unable to attend please contact your child/ren’s teacher and schedule an alternate time.
We held our Annual General School Council Meeting last week and I would like to thank our members for their commitment, dedication and passion for our school. I can confirm the following composition of Council for 2023/2024:
President: Owen Goodwin
Vice President: Davey Smith
Treasurer: Vanessa Smedley
Secretary: Marija Pandza
Parent Representatives: Owen Goodwin, Davey Smith, Vanessa Smedley, Jessica Hennessey, Jo Twentyman, Melissa Ham, Brielle O’Neil, Trudi Wooley, Martina Franjic, Alex Presutti.
DET Representatives: Mandy Whitworth, Marija Pandza, Tom Pollett, Liz Demaj and Tim Robertson (Buildings and Grounds employee).
We want to acknowledge and thank our retiring Council members:
Andrew Frost
Rhys Edmund
Please join me in thanking these parents for their outstanding contribution to support the decision making at Boneo Primary School.
ANZAC Day and Grandparents and Special Persons Day
On Friday 28 April, we invite all of our grandparents to attend our assembly to acknowledge both ANZAC Day and our wonderful grandparents. Grandparents and Special Friends will then join the students in class where they will be interviewed to find out more about their lives and connection to Boneo.
ANZAC Day March and Service – Tuesday 25th April
Students are invited to join Mrs Whitworth, Mrs Pandza and our School Captains for the Rosebud RSL ANZAC Day Service.
Please meet at the corner of Point Nepean Road and Ninth Avenue, Rosebud at 9.30am. Our school group will march to the Cenotaph for the official service and wreath laying.
Students should be in full school uniform.
Intention to Enrol – Prep 2024
If you have a child due to commence Prep in 2024, please complete an ‘Intention to Enrol’ form, available from the office.
Dental Packs
All students received a free water bottle, toothbrush and tube of toothpaste from Smile Squad this week. Smile Squad is a Victorian Government program that offers free dental care to all Victorian government school students. This is a wonderful initiative to help us all practise great dental hygiene.
Introducing our new STEM Wizard – Kieran Nolan
My partner Natasha and I moved to Mornington in 2020 and have loved it ever since! We run a free monthly program with a group of growing local technologists called Peninsula Bitcoin.
Based on my experience, I’ve found that financial literacy is an essential skill that is often overlooked in traditional education. As the Director of the Digital Playhouse Foundation Ltd, my focus is on creating didactic programs that teach financial and digital literacy, as well as coding and networks. In 2018, I co-founded RocketShoes, an educational platform that uses blockchain and IPFS technology to help students keep track of their learning materials and digital assets.
Previously, I served as the Chief Technology Officer at Hendersons, where I helped young students prepare for entrance exams at various schools. I was also an Educational Technologist at Wooranna Park Primary School, Australia’s first “School on the Blockchain,” where I spearheaded innovative initiatives such as a 24/7 International Virtual Learning Environment in Minecraft, Victoria’s first CoderDojo, and Australia’s first Immersive Education Club.
In addition to my professional work, I am also passionate about Bitcoin and its potential to disrupt traditional financial systems. I host two Bitcoin podcasts, BitcoinAggregated and #getoffzero, and have spoken at a number of prominent conferences around the world, including Immersive Education in Paris, Wall Street in NYC, and EduTech in Sydney.
My qualifications include a Computer Science Degree from Swinburne University, as well as certifications in Higher-Ed Teaching, Google Apps for Education (GAFE), Advanced Diploma in Cyber Security, and a Google 360º photography certification. My work has been featured in various media outlets, including The George Lucas Foundation, Bitcoin.com, The Age, and Australian Teacher Magazine. I was also named on the educator hotlist in both 2019 and 2020.
I am thrilled to be working with Boneo Primary, and hope to bring some great initiatives to the learning community!
Family, Food & Fun Night
Thank you Boneo Community for your tremendous support of our Family Food & Fun night. This event is a celebration of our very special school community.
To all who attended the event, our wonderful volunteers and generous business community, we are so incredibly grateful.
We are thrilled to announce that we achieved our goal, raising $13,000 to assist with the development of our new ‘Ninja’ Obstacle Playground. Construction is due to commence in May…very exciting!
Keep checking the Buzz for updates on upcoming events we have planned for our school community.
Snapshot of Learning
Prep – Enchanted Adventure Garden
This week, Prep students extended their sense of curiosity by exploring different activities within the Enchanted Adventure Garden in Arthur’s Seat.
“I felt lost in the maze” – Margo
“I had so much fun in the mazes” – Miller
“It was fun finding the Buddha statues” – Cohen
STEM
Welcome to Kieran our engineer and ‘STEM Wizard’. The classroom was buzzing with excitement today as Kieran shared his wealth of experience and the possibilities of technology we can build at school. The students began by creating and customising a Web3 Avatar of which they have digital ownership to use on Virtual Reality platforms such as Mozilla Hubs. Thank you Kieran!
Reminders
Parent Teacher Interviews
Monday 3rd & Tuesday 4th April
Bookings will open via Compass on Tuesday 14th March
Boneo House Athletics Event
Wednesday 5th – Thursday 6th April
Last Day of Term
Thursday 6th April
Early dismissal at 2.15pm
Boneo Community Market
Saturday 15th April
School Returns for Term 2
Monday 24th April
ANZAC Day Public Holiday
Tuesday 25th April
Grandparents & Special Person Day & ANZAC Assembly
Friday 28th April
Boneo House Cross Country
Monday 15th May
School Council Meeting
Tuesday 16th May
Boneo Community Market
Saturday 20th May