WELCOME BACK
A warm welcome to all of our returning or new families for 2024. I do hope you have all had a fantastic break over the summer. A special welcome to our new families, including our prep families to have joined the Belle Vue community this year. We look ahead to an exciting year as the staff have been working hard to prepare a dynamic and engaging curriculum. All staff were involved in meetings and planning sessions prior to the students commencing school, with a specific focus on developing our “Belle Vue Best Start Program.” This framework is part our Tier 1 whole-school universal approach to supporting positive mental health, creating a positive, inclusive and supportive school climate, building the preconditions for optimal student learning, development and wellbeing. Our Best Start Program focuses on 3 key pillars, which reflect evidence-based strategies that have demonstrated a significant positive effect on student wellbeing, based on research from Monash University.
- Building Positive Relationships
- Safe and Inclusive Environment
- Building Student capability
This year we will be slowly implementing the Zones of Regulation Framework. This framework internationally renowned intervention which helps children to manage difficult emotions, known as ‘self-regulation’. From time to time, all of us (including adults) find it hard to manage strong feelings such as worry, anger, restlessness, fear or tiredness, and this stops us from getting on with our day effectively. Children who feel these emotions often find it hard to learn and concentrate in school. The Zones of Regulation aims to teach children strategies to help them cope with these feelings so they can get back to feeling calm and ready to learn. These coping strategies are called ‘self-regulation’.
We are very excited to learn about this new framework to support our students’ wellbeing and mental health, by equipping them with tools and strategies to support their emotional regulation and manage their feelings. Our staff will be engaged in a number of professional learning and development in this area, so we are better equipped to support our students. We hope to have a parent/carer information evening later in the year, but please reach out to me if you would like to know more.
Our Prep students have had a very successful start to school. It has been delightful to see how excited and enthusiastic they are about going to Belle Vue and, how quickly they have adapted to the classroom environment, as well as playing happily out in the playground. Thank you to Ms Clare Woodhouse for ensuring our newest, and littlest, people have had a smooth transition into school. Such a big step and they have shown such independence and confidence – a really positive start to their year.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU INTERVIEWS
March 6 and 7 will be for our Getting to Know You Interview times, providing you and your child a one-on one session with their teacher, as part of our commitment to building a strong relationship with every child in class and for us to best know your child, their needs and strengths, so we can provide them with a successful year of learning and ensuing they feel part of their classroom and school community. Times and how to book these via COMPASS will be communicated in the coming days.
COMMUNITY/WELCOME BBQ & OPEN-AIR CONCERT
We are very excited to host our upcoming Community/Welcome BBQ on Thursday March the 14th from 5pm to 7pm. There will be a free sausage sizzle, Mini Farmyard Incursion and a gelato cart available. The gelato cart will require pre-orders and information about this will come out shortly. As an added event to this evening, we have been provided with a special one-off offer from the STOMP Dance company, for an Open-Air Concert, between 4pm and 5pm. Each class will be taught a dance during school hours to perform by professional dance choreographers in the weeks leading up to the 14th. We are very excited to be able to provide the experience of performance and dance for our students and will complement our school production later this year in Term 3. Due to the one off offer from STOMP, there will be no cost for families for your child to participate in this event.
EVERY DAY COUNTS
In the Victorian education system it is compulsory for all students to attend school each day of the school year. At times, an absence may be unavoidable, however every effort must be made to ensure students attend school on time each day. Evidence tells us that students who regularly miss days of school are at risk of missing out on learning the basic building block in subjects, and may experience long term difficulties with their learning. School attendance helps children develop social skills, such as friendship building, teamwork, communications skills and develops a healthy self-esteem. Please try to ensure that any appointments and holidays are made outside of school hours. To maximize learning opportunities we need all students here all day. If this presents a problem for you and your child please make a time to see me. All late arrivals and early departures need to be signed in/out at the school office by a parent/guardian. It is not acceptable for a student to sign themselves in or out of the school.
SCHOOL LEADERS
Congratulations again to our 2024 Student leaders. At Belle Vue we promote every student to be a leader and take control and responsibility of their learning journey and also to lead the way in every opportunity that presents itself. I congratulate the 2024 leaders and look forward to working alongside them to make Belle Vue the best place to be, grow and learn!
JUNIOR SCHOOL COUNCIL (JSC)
We will soon be establishing our 2024 Junior School Council team as we look to extend the profile of our student leadership and representation across the school. Ms Woodhouse will be supporting our JSC this year.
2024 STAFF
| Prep | Clare Woodhouse |
| 12P | Stacey Paterson |
| 23P | Stephanie Pomponio |
| 34W | Carl Ward |
| 56S | Sarah Sambell |
| 56G | Bryce Griesheimer |
| Visual Arts | Leanne Anstee |
| Italian | Alyce Ficco |
| Physical Education and Health | Carney Kucharski |
| Coding/Robotics | Ric Zalewski |
| Learning Support | Sami Masoudi |
| Business Manager | Annette Bruce |
| Office Administration | Emma Pringle |
| Facilities/Grounds | Gus and Eric Kroyherr |
| Principal | Andrew Wood |
Andrew Wood
Principal