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Keep up with what's happening @ Balmain Public School

https://www.instagram.com/balmainps/

IF YOU SEE A COLOURED CIRCLE AROUND OUR EMBLEM, DON'T FORGET TO TAP ON IT, FOR OUR LATEST STORY...you've got to get in quickly, as it disappears after 24 hours!

⬅️ SOME OF OUR STORIES ARE SAVED AS HIGHLIGHTS...

Visit our website for more information:

https://balmain-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/kindergarten-2021.html

Check here to see if you are in our catchment area:

https://schoolfinder.education.nsw.gov.au/

• be an Australian or New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
• live in the local enrolment area of this school

Apply online here

If you are not eligible to use the online form, or prefer not to, you can download an application to enrol.

Will your child/ren be leaving us at the end of the school year (apart from current Year 6 students)?

If so, please contact the school via balmainps@gmail.com or balmain-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au with Att: Leaving School end 2020, child/'s full name and class. Please also include the name of the new school for administration purposes.

This information will assist us with planning for next year's classes. 

Thank you.

‘Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish’ – John Quincy Adams

Who would have thought that, at the start of the 2020 school year, our little school on the peninsula would be affected by the world around us?

Who would have thought that our school of 381 students would be reduced to less than 30 on any given day?

Who would have thought that the advice from the NSW Department of Education would be to encourage learning from home, unless absolutely necessary?

What a year we have navigated ourselves through!

Students have, and always will, remain at the forefront of our priorities, as education is our core business.

Our students have been continued to be supported by their teachers and staff, despite the challenges we have faced.

Out of adversity, our connection with the community has further strengthened. Without hesitation, we saw our school community come together to support the teachers, staff and school; we, in turn, tried to pay that generosity forward, by supporting our local community, too.

Out of adversity, our students have developed such a variety of skills: resilience, patience, perseverance, independence, determination, problem-solving, time management, grit and, of course, using the Google Classroom platform.

Out of adversity, our students have learnt to get along with siblings, spend more quality family time at home, as well as to learn new skills such as cooking, gardening and learning new instruments.

As restrictions have eased, we’ve all learnt to adapt and improvise with the ‘new normal’ of life…hopefully, one day, in the not too distant future, life at Balmain Public School will be as we have always known it!

Thank you to our Balmain Public School family - students, staff, parents and carers, P&C and extended community - we are so grateful for your ongoing support of all our students and incredible school!

To our Year 6 students and families that are leaving us, we'll miss you all and wish you the very best for the future!

Wishing everybody a safe and relaxing Christmas and New Year, filled with love, joy and great memories!

Maria Lambos - Principal

We are so grateful to our fabulous community for your ongoing support of our students, staff and school!

We are reaching the time year where many of our students and families like to show a token of their appreciation, by giving teachers and staff an end-of-year ‘thank you’ gift. Please know that this kind gesture is neither necessary, nor expected.

The staff are very appreciative of your generosity, however, as per the Department of Education’s ‘Gifts, Benefits and Hospitality Procedures’, the token of appreciation must adhere to the following:

• Value – up to $50 ONLY per student
• NO cash or negotiable instruments such as cash vouchers, ‘pre-paid cash’ and ‘EFTPOS’ cards, Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), shares or money orders
• Gift cards are acceptable as a gift of gratitude, as they considered non-cash vouchers that must be used at specific retailers and cannot be converted to cash – a gift card cannot exceed $50 per student
• Alcohol – MUST NOT exceed a value of $50

SPECIAL 'CELEBRATION OF LEARNING' eNEWSLETTER to be published

ALL students in Years 1-6 return today.

2021 Kindergarten students - 'Best Start' Assessment sessions commence today, run over 3 days. Bookings required...information to follow.

We have just received a portable PA system to replace the current ones (we have 2), as they are barely getting over the finish line at this point. The second one is due to arrive soon. Thanks again to the P&C...we'll be able to have our upcoming end-of-year events heard clearly!

The school year may be winding up, however, our last P&C meeting saw the approval of the following for the start of the 2021 school year:

• Classroom resources - $500/class for Semester 1 (Terms 1 & 2)
• Visual Arts program - $3,000
• Reading specialist teacher - additional support - 1 day/week for Terms 1-4

THANKS SO MUCH!!!!

Our P&C have created a Facebook group for our new families...here's the link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/BPS2021/

Order uniform items here

For any size exchanges, please:

1. Email the uniform stall with the details of the exchange, at: balmainpsuniforms@gmail.com

2. Return the items to be exchanged to the school office, clearly marked with Student name, Class and EXCHANGE

3. Replacement items will be packed and re-delivered to your child's classroom

Orders will continue to be packed and delivered for collection each week, until we are able to reopen the stall.

Thank you!

Australian Youth Mentoring Foundation, Raise is currently recruiting volunteers from the local community to mentor young people at Balmain and Leichhardt Secondary Colleges. The program at Balmain SSC runs on a Tuesday between 9.20-11.20am and the program at Leichhardt SSC runs on a Thursday between 9.55-11.55am.

From vulnerable and at risk of disengagement to resilient and confident – our youth mentoring programs are proven to help young people thrive. Raise matches members from the local community with selected young people at Balmain and Leichhardt SSC for a supported one-to-one mentoring experience.

To become a Raise youth mentor, all you need is a desire to make a difference. Raise provides you with expert training and once matched with a student in your community, the program is structured, managed and supported by a qualified Raise counsellor. Could you, or someone you know volunteer your time to mentor at Balmain or Leichhardt SSC starting in April 2021?

To ensure the best outcomes for our young people, Raise requires mentors to be:

• 21+ years old

• Available for 2 hours each week during school hours on a Tuesday or Thursday

• Able to attend at the same time every week to mentor a young person between April and October (excluding school holidays)

• Able to complete 6 online training modules (approx 3-4 hours) and 5 hours of group training

• Provide a Working with Children Check and a Police Check

Head to www.raise.org.au/mentor to find out more and become a Raise mentor today.