Dear Families,

I hope you have had a great couple of weeks. This week is an exciting one for our Year 4 and 5 students as they embark on their much-anticipated school camps. The Year Fours have just returned from three days in Melbourne and our Year Fives are at Aireys Inlet for three days of awesome coastal activities. Having been on many of these camps before I have seen first hand how these experiences provide students with the opportunity to build independence, resilience, and teamwork while enjoying outdoor activities and making lifelong memories with their peers.

It is important to note that there has been a considerable increase in the costs of camps in recent years. The numbers of students attending these camps are a clear demonstration of how much the community values our camps as well . They are an important part of learning beyond the classroom, helping students develop confidence, problem-solving skills, and social connections in a fun and supportive environment.

We look forward to seeing their smiles and hearing all about their adventures when they return!

NAPLAN assessments have also been taking place over the last couple of weeks. NAPLAN provides a snapshot of students’ literacy and numeracy skills. While we encourage all students to do their best, we want to remind families that NAPLAN is just one measure of student learning. It doesn’t assess creativity, kindness, problem-solving, leadership, perseverance, or the many other qualities that make our students exceptional.

If you haven't already please book in for the end of term Student Learning conferences. Our goal is to see 100% of families, so please make sure you book in a time. If you have any trouble please give our office a call to sort it out for you.

Thank you for your ongoing support, and I hope you have a great week!

Kind Regards

Gary Darma | Principal

Bourchier St Primary School

The Year Fours have arrived home safely and had a wonderful time on their Melbourne camp. They walked around the city, visited the Aquarium and had ice cream under lights. They also enjoyed the MCG museum and tour. Everyone had the best time and clocked up lots of steps!

Here's just a snippet of their adventures!

Is your child starting school in 2026? Current families who do not require a tour can request a enrolment pack by phoning front office 58 213 488 and we will send a pack home.

New families can come and explore Bourchier Street Primary School on a guided tour with our Principal Team!

See our facilities, learn about our programs, and experience what makes our school special.

We love giving individual tours, book an individual tour here: https://outlook.office.com/.../2a2db583e3d242b488408106ad...

If you would prefer to walk around in a small group we have a couple of dates.

Phone the school to book in a group tour for: Wednesday, 26 March – 9:15 AM

We can't wait to meet you and show you around!

Our Easter raffle is underway! Tickets have been sent home, and we encourage families to sell as many as possible to support this community fundraiser.

If you need extra tickets, get your child to ask at the front office!

To make the raffle a success, we’re also asking for donations of Easter-themed treats—chocolates, eggs, and other goodies. We’ll be putting together lots of small baskets, so even the smallest donations are greatly appreciated.

A big thank you to those who have already contributed!

With chocolate prices on the rise, every little bit helps. Thank you for your generosity and support!

Celebrate diversity by sharing your traditional skills and stories! Bourchier Street Primary School is looking for community members to run small cultural workshops for students—a great opportunity to connect and inspire.

If interested please email: lisa.logue@education.vic.gov.au

leah.doyle@education.vic.gov.au

HAVE YOU BOOKED YOUR TIME?

Student Learning Conferences will be held on the following dates:

Thursday, 3rd April from 3:30pm to 8:00pm

Friday, 4th April from 8:00am to 1:30pm

It is crucial for every parent/carer to attend the conference with your child. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about your child’s academic, emotional, and social development, as well as to get to know your child’s teacher and discuss how you can collaborate to support your child’s growth.

Booking Details:

All bookings are to be made via Compass.

You will need your username and password to log in and book your appointment. If you need assistance with your login details, please contact the front office for a reset.

Depending on teacher availability, there may be some before or after-school times earlier in that same week. Compass will display all available times.

Additional Information:

Friday is a student-free day, and no school will be held on this day.

TheirCare will be available on Friday for any families who wish to use their service. You can contact TheirCare at info@theircare.com.au.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Enjoy delicious homemade baking with a different treat every week!

Check Newsletter and FB each week for our yummy specials.

It’s that time of year again when we invite parents to be part of our school council.

You can nominate yourself or another parent from our school community.

Being on the school council is a great way to contribute to the school’s direction and decision-making.

Nomination forms are available in front office and also attached below.

Nominations close on 26th March 2025.

TO RETIRE IN 2025

Annie Manning, Mark Borthwick, Patrick McMullan, Dani Williamson

TO RETIRE IN 2026

Gary D’Arma, Ariyana Gant-Bragge, Melissa Graham, Evelyn Grass, Tifany Harris

School Council Election Timetable
Notice of Election: 15th March 2025

Nominations Close: 26th March 2025

Nominations Published: 27th March 2025

Ballot (if required): 27th March 2025

We encourage all interested parents to get involved!

Get ready to put on your running shoes, and join us for an exhilarating event that promises fun, fitness, and community – the School Fun Run!

Mark your calendars because on Friday 2nd May, students will be bussed down to the Victoria Park Lake for our Fun Run.

The event aims to promote health, wellness, and community spirit while having an absolute blast!

Parents welcome down at Victoria Park Lake from 1pm to 2.30pm!

This will be our major fundraiser for the year, and we’re raising funds for (fundraising reason)! Sign up at funrun.com.au today to get involved!

PSA: The class with the most profiles by the end of the second week will win an icy pole party!

Get ready to make memories with your kids, while they run, laugh, and enjoy the day with their classmates!

If you wish to use any portion of the $400 SSB on Camps or Excursions, please note that you must go into the SSB Portal and allocate the money to “Activities”. You are not selecting a specific activity at this stage, rather an amount you wish to have available to use at the school.

Excursion Levy is $100 per child

CAMPS

Y 3 - $370

Y 6 - TBA

We cannot allocate SSB monies to Camps or Excursions unless you have reallocated the funds in the SSB Portal beforehand. The SSB Portal works in $50 increments.

This is a critical step in the process and must be done by each individual family using their secure SSB Portal login details.

The money is not tied to any one child - you can allocate it across multiple children in your family if needed.

The SSB Portal is integrated with the school’s administration system (CASES21) and this allocation is required to allow the school to use the funds on your behalf.

Steps:

1. Decide what portion of the original SSB ($400) you wish to use on Uniforms – if any.

2. In the SSB Portal, reallocate the remainder of the $400 to Activities.

3. Email the school bourchier.ps@education.vic.gov.au (or phone 58 213 488) advising how much allocated and if funds going to Excursion Levy or Camp.

4. This will then enable you to use the funds on any school activities, excursions or camps in the future.

Please note: Any unspent SSB funds at 1 July 2025 will sit in your Family account indefinitely, the funds rollover for use in future years.

ARE YOU HAVING TROUBLE LOGGIN INTO SSB?

When logging in and it comes up link expired, please use the below link.

Copy your password to paste into this link

https://www.schoolsavingbonus.vic.gov.au/s/

Please note: You can now go onto the portal and allocate the School Bonus payment to cover the 2025 camp. Then email the school bourchier.ps@education.vic.gov.au requesting us to allocate money to camp.

2025 YR 3 Billabong Ranch Camp 28th – 30th April 2025- $370

PLANNING IN PROGRESS FOR YR 6

2025 YR 6 Canberra Camp – 24th – 27th NOVEMBER 2025

If you have a NEW Health Care Card, please complete the attached CSEF form.

Families who have a HCC are eligible to claim $150 PER STUDENT for camps, excursions and swimming.

A well-balanced, nutritious lunch helps children stay focused, energized, and ready to learn throughout the day. We encourage families to pack lunches with a variety of fresh foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein. A good mix of nutrients supports brain function and keeps students feeling their best.

Every child is welcome to our Breakfast Program each morning from 8am to 8.45am.

Our Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Program allows devices to be brought into the school, and connected to our secure network

Our school has an online BYOD portal organised by JB-Hifi where you can access discounted rates on approved devices. The password is BSPS25

Direct Link: https://byod.jbhifi.education/auth?code=BSPS25 or scan the barcode below.

If you would like more information on the program, please visit the BYOD page on our website.

All kids are welcome to play soccer. Come and join our Bourchier Club. Kids can learn to play for the first time or improve their skills and have fun with their team.

Season starts on Saturday 26th April.

Registration to be completed by March 24th, 2025.

Registration link - https://form.jotform.com/250327175634860

Registration is completed in two parts - the Bourchier Street Soccer club and the PlayFootball website. Start the sign up by clicking or copying the link above and follow the prompts to complete registration with Play Football afterwards.

Soccer is $150 for the whole season. It’s paid in two parts ($43 to Bourchier St Soccer Club and $107 to PlayFootball who run the competition season via the Shepparton Junior Soccer Association).

New to soccer or have trouble with registration? Let us help…

If you didn't make the registration event, please email us at bourchierstsoccerclub@gmail.com and we’ll send you an information sheet or help as best we can. If you have an Active Kids vouchers to help with the cost of soccer then please email us so we can help you use this to pay for Soccer.

Arriving to school on time is crucial for both students and staff. It sets a positive tone for the day, ensures that you don’t miss important instructions or activities, and demonstrates respect for the school community’s time and schedule. Here are a few tips to help ensure timely arrival:

1. Prepare the night before: Lay out clothes, pack your bag, and prepare lunch the night before to avoid morning delays.

2. Set an alarm: This will help give you ample time to get ready and commute to school.

3. Stay organized: Keep track of your schedule and any special activities or events that might require you to arrive earlier than usual.

Being on time helps create a structured and efficient learning environment for everyone involved.

If a parent/guardian needs to pick up their student early from school for an appointment or any other significant reason, please notify your child’s teacher or the front office, with as much notice possible.

Often students are in a specialist program or out of the classroom, so if no notice is given it puts pressure on the office staff when trying to find students whilst answering phones and tending to sick bay.

Please be mindful as we have quite a few students leaving school early which interrupts the classroom as well as their learning time so please avoid this when possible.

Attached below is the costs of the 2025 Parent Payment Arrangements.

Excursion Levy has been increased to $100 which will include a “Major Excursion” so there will now be no extra payment requested. CSEF can be used to cover this – for those who don’t receive CSEF they can use their School Saving Bonus.

Parent payment can be made via QKR

Parent payment $220 per student

Excursion Levy $100 per student

If you have a Health Care Card and claimed CSEF, you will receive $150 credit which can be used for camps and excursions only.

The wearing of school uniform helps children develop a sense of identity with the school community.
The school uniform helps promote a positive image of both students and the school to the general community. The wearing of school uniform promotes equality.

The school uniform is to be worn during school hours, while traveling to and from school, and when the students are on school excursions.

All school uniform must be clearly named so that lost items can be identified.

Jackets and hats can be purchased from the school. Shepparton retail shops stock the entire uniform. The school endeavors to provide pre-loved items at the cheapest possible cost.

Please refer to our Student Dress Code Policy

Please ensure that your child’s, clothes, lunch box, drink bottle and property are CLEARLY named. All named property will be returned to the student in the classroom. Unnamed items will be sent to lost property in the hall foyer.

Please note that the Balaclava Road Child Care Carpark is a private carpark, please avoid parking there at all times.

When your child is absent from school, please log onto the parent portal, COMPASS and enter the absence along with the reason.

You need a username and password which has been distributed to families, but we can easily resend you the logon details by phoning or emailing the front office Bourchier.ps@education.vic.edu.au

Refer to the instructions below

Did you know Bourchier St. has an e-library?

Students are able to borrow books to read on their ipad.
You can access the e-library via the website below:

Search Bourchier St. Primary School
Visit our library
Sign in details will be your child’s cases code and the password is ebook01
Or download the App

Often Bourchier Street communicates to our families via the Compass app, important information of what is happening within the school. Sometimes you are prompted through your email to open important news items. Please make sure your email is up to date, so you do not miss valuable information. Please phone front office 58 213 488 if your email address needs updating. If your child is absent from School, please logon to Compass to document this.

Every family needs to download the Qkr! app which will enable you to pay school payments, purchase hats/jackets, order lunch through the canteen and purchase tickets for special productions etc.

Simply download on your phone and you will see how easy it is to manage!

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and the Schools "Privacy Collection Notice below.

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy below, describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn.

Bourchier Street Primary School has a zero tolerance of any form of child abuse. The school is committed to acting in children’s best interests. The safety and wellbeing of children at this school is our highest priority. We want children to be safe, happy and empowered.

Bourchier Street Policies

Email: bourchier.ps@education.vic.gov.au
Website: bourchierps.vic.edu.au
Location: 1-19 Bourchier Street, Shepparton VIC, Australia
Phone: (03) 5821 3488
Facebook: facebook.com/bourchierps
Twitter: @bourchierps