The Buzz
Term 1 Week 2 2024

News and updates from 

Botany Public School

We hope everybody had a relaxing break and made the most of the beautiful weather we had over the holidays. It has been wonderful to catch up with students and their families since school reopened last week. Staff have been working hard over the holidays to support a smooth transition into new classes and will be helping students build new relationships in the classrooms and refocusing on our school expectations.  

This year we welcome some old and new faces to our school. Ms Kaiesha Gable officially returns from her Maternity leave and will be teaching our specialist Visual Arts program in 2024. This replaces last year's STEM program as Mr Kemp is teaching Stage 3 this year. We are glad to have her back and know her expertise and passion for visual arts will ensure a high-quality specialist program. Mr O'Connor will also continue his role at Botany PS, taking over our library program. 

On behalf of the school community, I would like to welcome some new staff to Botany this year. Ms Casey Trivas and Ms Alexandria Loizou will be teaching two of our Stage 1 classes. They have been working closely with Ms Moore over the holidays and I know they are excited to be joining our wonderful team. 

At last year's Presentation Day assembly, we proudly announced our Student Leaders for 2024 and I would like to introduce them to our school community. Congratulations Isabelle, Will, Georgia, Alberta, Sonali, Ariella, Sam and Lois. These students have already demonstrated great leadership skills to be elected to the positions and I look forward to working closely with them throughout the school year.  

Our BPS Window of Certainty sets out the vision, beliefs, values and outcomes that inform our future directions at Botany Public School. I would like to take this opportunity to share this important document with our community again as it provides staff and the wider community with an agreed-upon shared purpose to help us build an effective and collaborative school culture. Prior to welcoming students back to school last week, staff took time to engage with our school vision and discuss our goals for 2024 as we begin to write our new Strategic Improvement Plan for 2024 - 2027. 

Please see below for our school times. Please remember that teachers do not start supervision until 8:30am. Students arriving prior to 8:30am should be booked in to TeamKids to ensure all children are safe and under the supervision of an adult at all times when on school grounds. 

As students move into the older years of school, we understand that mobile phones are often used to enhance the safety of students as they travel to and from school without adult supervision. In line with NSW Goverment Policy, introduced in 2023, all students wishing to bring devices into school are required to sign a school agreement and sign their device in at the school office immediately upon arriving at school. I have attached a copy of the agreement for your information. Students in Years 5 and 6 who need to bring a mobile device to school can collect a copy of the agreement from the school office.  

Mobile Phone and Communication Devices.pdf

Monday 5 February (9.30am - 11.30am): First day of school for Kindergarten

Monday 19 February: Swimming Carnival 

Tuesday 27 February: Meet the Teacher evening

Thursday 29 February: School Photos

Monday 4 March: National Young Leaders Excursion for our Year 6 Leaders

Wednesday 13 March - Friday 22 March - NAPLAN (Years 3 and 5)

Thursday 21 March: Harmony Day 

Thursday 28 March: Easter Hat Parade

Friday 29 March: Good Friday Public Holiday

Monday 1 April: Easter Monday Public Holiday

Tuesday 2 - Thursday 4 April: Learning Conferences

Thursday 4 April: Cross Country Carnival

Friday 12 April: Last day of Term 1

Tuesday 25 April: ANZAC Day

Monday 29 April: Staff Development Day

Tuesday 30 April: Students return (Term 2)

We extend our thanks to the parents and students, who generously dedicated their time during the summer break to care for Ruby, Sooty and Ebony.

A special shout-out goes to Ivy Underwood, Iona, Holly, Will and Lucy, Fred, June and Lois, Henry and Arther. Thank you for ensuring that our feathery friends were well-looked during the extended break.

If you would like to become a chicken carer during the school holidays in 2024, please contact the school. 

Book into a parent webinars this February!

The eSafety Commissioner and Cybermarvel program invite parents to celebrate Safer Internet Day on 6 February with a range of resources and events.

This year’s Safer Internet Day takes on one of the biggest challenges in the virtual world – online gaming. The aim is to teach children and parents how to support safe play with young people to buil better gaming communities.

Help children learn how to choose quality games, reduce risks, and create better gaming habits:

• How to support your child with online gaming webinar
• Wednesday 7 February 2024, 12:30 – 1:15 pm
• Wednesday 13 March 2024, 4 – 4:45 pm.

Families can also find Cybermarvel videos, courses and podcasts and get involved at home.

Mrs Laura Dowsetthill

A/Assistant Principal Curriculum & Intruction

Learning Support Coordinator

Welcome to our new Kindergarten students and their families. Our school community is very supportive and understanding, so please do not hesitate to ask questions if you need to know something. We look forward to you and your family becoming part of our school community this year and for many years to come…

Our first P&C meeting will be held in the library on Tuesday 27th February at 7pm. It will start with an annual general meeting and the continue with the normal meeting.

Each year the executive positions on the P&C are open for people to volunteer for. The executive committee from 2023 will be moving on and we are looking for a new committee to take over the reigns.

The committee will need a President, Secretary and Treasurer, and no prior experience is needed to hold any of these positions.

If you are interested in holding a job on the committee and would like more information prior to the meeting, please speak with Katie Philips.

This year we will also be looking for people to take responsibility for some of the regular events we hold throughout the year. If you are interested in any of the roles below, please speak with Katie Philips.

• 2nd hand uniform coordinator: sort donations received every few weeks
• Canteen coordinator: run once a term on a Thursday afternoon
• BBQ coordinator: mother and Father’s Day BBQ and any elections called 

A big thank you to Katie Philips for taking on the Bookclub Coordinator role and Di Fernades for taking over our quarterly Working Bees.

The P&C are excited to be organising our first school camping trip! Held on 8th - 10th March at Glenworth Valley, it’s an opportunity for the community to get together and the kids to learn some great outdoor skills.  

Last year’s Colour Run was a huge success with all the kids, parents and volunteers having a blast. We also raised over $20,000 with a portion of this going to charities to support coral and bush regeneration throughout Australia.

This year we will be holding the Colour Run on 11th April so please mark this date in your diary. We will be calling on volunteers for the day and as always parent spectators are also welcome.