Pigeon Post

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, or directly at the uniform stall. If sent to the office, please ensure the bag is clearly marked with Student name, Class and EXCHANGE

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

Thank you!

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Our uniform stall is a P&C initiative, run entirely by parent volunteers, to benefit our school community!

Ordering: Orders are being packed and delivered to classrooms weekly.

• Please include your child's name and class for delivery

Orders can be placed online at the following link:

https://bps-uniform-stall.square.site

If you have any queries, please email the stall volunteers: balmainpsuniforms@gmail.com 

If you would like to volunteer to help at the stall, please email us!

Hi,

It was great to host our first P&C meeting for Term 2 last week at the Cricketer’s. As usual, we had lots of lively discussions and made some exciting decisions including voting to fund new decodable readers for Stage One students.

After the news that the Mother’s Day BBQ was unlikely to go ahead, we were thrilled when Chandra (dad to Panya in Yr 3) volunteered his own BBQ so that we could host the event. Huge thanks to Cliff and the other parents who made that happen on Monday – I hope everyone who identifies as a mother at our school had a lovely weekend.

We heard from our school Prime Minister, Lexie Bradbury, about the unacceptable state of the children’s outdoor toilets. Lexie’s presentation is included in this email and I encourage you to have a look – it was very moving to hear Lexie so passionately argue for urgent repairs on behalf of all our children. We agreed that we would make the upgrade our focus for fundraising in 2021. Gabi (mum to Cormac & Eamon in Yr 4 and K) is also working on a grant application on the same cause.

In some exciting event news, we agreed that this year we’d host another Trivia Night, two school discos and the Balmain Fun Run! All will be subject to the relevant Covid restrictions at the time, but more information including dates will be shared shortly. Thanks to Cliff, Gabi, Tara (mum to Harrison & Charlie in Yr 2 & K) and Micky (dad to Luca and Sunny in Yr 6 and Yr 1) for agreeing to pull these events together, along with all the other parents who have already volunteered to help.

If you are keen to join them, please email us. We need all the volunteers that we can get - the success of these events (and our fundraising) is really dependent on your participation and support.

Finally, there was also discussion about school uniforms and whether more needs to be done to ensure children are wearing the right uniform. There were parents on both sides of the fence and in the end, Maria reminded everyone that we are a public school and uniforms are encouraged but can’t be mandated. Maria said that she would use the school's Positive Pete reward system to encourage more children to wear the whole uniform.

If you’d like any more information about any of these items, please email us at balmainpspc@gmail.com

Cheers, 

Shehana (Luca in Yr 6 & Sunny in Yr 1) 

Gemma (George in K and Joshua in Yr 3) 

Cliff (Logan in Yr 6) 

Paul (Jasper in Yr 1) 

Victoria (Harry in Yr 6) 

Culture, a word often misunderstood

It’s not the dance, the language or the food

It’s the people, an identity, a brotherhood

It’s not a lion weaving its way through streets

Or a couple dancing a jig

Or a group of men clapping soulful beats

It’s the people not bound by borders

An acceptance, a love, a way of life

Their stories like a never ending chain

Culture, a word often misunderstood

That’s what culture means to me

What does it mean to you?

Culture is how we live,

together, apart, wherever we are.

I live in Australia,

but it is much more than that in my heart.

Culture isn’t only where I’m from,

it isn’t only where I was born,

it is where I feel like I belong.

It is who I live with,

what we celebrate,

why we love each other,what we appreciate.

Our stories,

our traditions,

our beliefs

We can celebrate many things,

Christmas, Easter and Halloween.

We always enjoy having relatives come,

the fun times we have let us come together as one.

We eat all together,

enjoying cod fish bake and pasta,

so many yummy foods,

including meat, cheese and other.

Culture is all in our hearts,

it doesn’t matter who you are,

family, friends, all coming together,

bring happy and loved is special.

We share our love between each other,

Appreciating our mother and father.

We have everything together,

And will have each other’s backs forever.

The music flowed through our large ears,

Frightening away our traditional fears.

The joyful rhythms dance around,

Making a loud, happy sound.

The historic stories we pass on,

Are for other generations to come.

The monster that creeps inside,

Will no longer remain by our side.

The lobster on the bright, colourful plate left us drooling,

While watching the others munching.

The purple rice kept us full,

As well as the yummy, meaty bull.

Every day, you can see we differ from others.

Some are teachers, and others are farmers,

But something is the same and it makes us gleam with pleasure,

We all share the same culture.

Culture for me

is about who you are

and who you want to be

no one should feel shame

for not being the same

and everyone is different

that’s what culture is for me.

Culture for me

is about different traditions

religious celebrations

and what you think is reality.

Culture for me

means equality

no matter what skin colour

we must stick together

for friendship is important

and never lost forever.

Culture for me

is about what you feel

beliefs

and what you think is real.

Culture for me

is about what you see

when you look at the sky

and your explanation why.

Culture for me

is about who you are

and who you want to be

no one should feel shame

for not being the same

and everyone is different

that’s what culture is for me.