Boneo Buzz: 5th February
Dear Parents and Guardians,
It has been delightful welcoming families back to school in person and such a joy to see our community so happy to be back together. As you are aware, parents/carers may accompany their child/ren on site. However, if parents are on site for more than 15 mins, they must sign in at the Office for contact tracing purposes. Please remember that any adult on site must observe physical distancing regulations and now wear a mask indoors. That said, it is exciting to once again allow all students and staff to experience the full richness of school. Especially important are going to be those aspects that were so difficult to maintain throughout last year, including participation in performing arts, sport, practical activities in science and technology, school performances, and camps and excursions. We learnt a lot about what we are capable of last year, as Boneo staff, students and parents successfully innovated and adapted like never before. The lessons learned from 2020, will stand us in great stead for the year ahead.
I know parents and carers want to be involved onsite, so with that in mind, we will work tirelessly to ensure that most of our events including Friday assembly, will be outdoors weather permitting. We truly are looking forward to our new undercover area.
Upcoming School Council Elections
All government schools in Victoria have a School Council. They are legally constituted bodies that are given powers to set the key directions of a school within state-wide guidelines. In doing this, a School Council is able to directly influence the quality of education that the school provides for its students. Parents on School Council provide important viewpoints and have valuable skills that can help shape the direction of our school. Parents who become active on School Council find their involvement satisfying in itself and may also find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging and engagement. Each year, approximately half of the School Council retires to allow new members to become involved. To this end, we are now formally calling for nominations for the 2021/2022 Boneo Primary School Council. Membership on the council is for a period of two years and meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month. If you would like to know more about being a councillor, don’t hesitate to give me a call or contact Kym Curtis, our School Council President. In 2021, we have 5 parent vacancies and 2 DET vacancies on School Council for a full period of two years.
Nomination forms may be obtained from the school and must be lodged by 4pm 19th February

Values Driven Education
Our three BPS RED values – Respect, Empathy and Determination continue to drive our decisions, our behaviours, our approach to learning and our actions. With a deliberate focus on wellbeing and engagement this year, particularly through our Annual Implementation Plan we have decided to spend time further defining our values. Have a chat with your child/ren about their class discussions to define our values. As the year progresses, we will be asking for input from our entire community to help us develop a whole school understanding around each of our values.
Parent Events
- Gary Cooper’s retirement assembly is now scheduled for Friday 12th February at 2:30pm on the basketball court.
- A Parent Information Evening will be held on Tuesday 9th February at 6:30pm via Zoom. A link will be shared by year level teachers via Compass. At this event, teachers will be highlighting key foci for 2021, sharing our vision for the year and discussing some important logistics to support effective communication between home and school. Parents who have multiple sessions to attend will be relieved to know that all year levels will record the session and post the recording on Compass for your convenience.
Important Reminders
- As a SunSmart school, hats are required when the UV rating is 3 or above. Please ensure that your child has their hat and sunscreen at school so that they can enjoy working or playing outdoors.
- School starts at 8.45am. Anyone after the 8.45am bell needs a late pass from the Office.
- Lunches: to support our focus on sustainability, we ask that students bring food without wrappers or packaging (‘nude food’).
School procedures for the bushfire season
Fire danger ratings and warnings are used in Victoria to provide clear direction on the safest options for preserving life.
Schools and children’s services listed on the DET Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR) and those at risk of grassfire (Category 4) will be closed when a Code Red fire danger rating day is determined in their Bureau of Meteorology district. Our school has been identified as being one of those at high grassfire risk.

Where possible, we will provide parents with up to four days notice of a potential Code Red day closure by a letter via Compass. A Code Red day will be determined by the Emergency Management Commissioner no later than 1.00 pm the day before the potential closure. Once we are advised of the confirmation of the Code Red day we will provide you with advice before the end of the school day.
Once confirmed, the decision to close will not change, regardless of improvements in the weather forecast. This is to avoid confusion and help your family plan alternative care arrangements for your child. It is also important to note that:
- No staff will be on site on days where the school is closed due to a forecast Code Red day.
- Out-of-school-hours care will also be cancelled on these days
- School camps will be cancelled if a Code Red fire danger rating day is determined for the Bureau of Meteorology district in which the camp is located.
- The Cape Schanck bus route will be cancelled.
On these Code Red days families are encouraged to enact their Bushfire Survival Plan – on such days children should never be left at home alone or in the care of older children.
For those of us living in a bushfire prone area, the Country Fire Authority (CFA) advises that when Code Red days are forecast, the safest option is to leave the night before or early on the morning of the Code Red day.
As part of preparing our school for potential hazards such as fire, we have updated and completed our Emergency Management Plan, reprioritised maintenance works that may assist in preparing for the threat of fire and cleared our facility’s grounds and gutters.
What can parents do?
- Make sure your family’s bushfire survival plan is up-to-date and includes alternative care arrangements in the event that our school is closed.
- Ensure we have your current contact details, including your mobile phone numbers. Keep in touch with us by reading our newsletters and checking Compass.
- Most importantly at this time of year, if you’re planning a holiday or short stay in the bush or in a coastal area, you should check warnings in advance of travel and remain vigilant during your stay.
- If your child is old enough, talk to them about bushfires and your family’s bushfire survival plan.
- You can access more information about children’s services closures on the Department of Education and Training website – see http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/health/pages/closures.aspx
Multiple sources that offer information on emergencies are listed below:
- VicEmergency app – that can be downloaded on your android and iOS mobile devices
- VicEmergency Hotline (1800 226 226)
- Website
- https://emergency.vic.gov.auFacebook (https://www.facebook.com/vicemergency)
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/vicemergency)
- ABC local radio, Sky News and other emergency broadcasters


Snapshot of Learning
Our First School Assembly for 2021




Reminders
Parent Information Sessions-via Zoom
Tuesday 9th February
Further details to follow via Compass
Mr Cooper's Retirement Assembly
Friday 5th February
2.30pm All Welcome
Kinect 2 Dance - Prep to Year 4
Commencing Tuesday 16th February
Event will be posted on Compass for your consent/payment shortly
Boneo Swimming Carnival Years 3-6
Wednesday 17th February
Please see Compass for to register your child’s participation
School Photography Day
Monday 22nd February
School Pix will be issuing order details prior to the date
Free Dress Day - Lucky Jar Donation
Wednesday 24th February
School Pix will be issuing order details prior to the date
Community News






