Filter Content
Dear Bicheno Primary School Community
As we bring another inspiring term to a close, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the incredible growth and achievements of our students. This term has been a powerful reminder of what’s possible when learning is driven not just by content, but by connection, perspective, and purpose.
Across the school, students have been exploring the power of perspective, learning to see the world through different lenses, to listen deeply, and to speak up with respect and conviction. Whether unpacking characters in literature, navigating social situations, or discussing democracy and decision-making, our learners have shown maturity and empathy in considering multiple viewpoints.
They’ve discovered that standing up for what you believe in doesn’t mean standing alone, and that respectful dialogue is the foundation of strong communities. These are not just academic skills; they are life skills, and they are being nurtured every day in our classrooms.
External School Review results
This week, we were privileged to host Grant and Angela from the External School Review team. Over three days, they engaged deeply with our staff, students, and families, exploring our practices, culture, and the impact we’re making as a school community.
On Wednesday afternoon, Grant shared the review findings with staff, and we are proud to report that the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The report includes affirming quotes from across our community, such as:
“I couldn’t talk more highly of the school and the staff.” – Family
“We are so lucky to have such an amazing school in our community.” – Family
“Our teachers make learning engaging and fun.” – Student
“I always have an adult to go to if I need support.” – Student
“The school is always trying to improve and learn.” – Family
“We have a great leadership team and staff who are always willing to support each other.” – Teacher
The External School Review highlighted a wide range of affirmations that reflect the strength, unity, and forward momentum of our school. There is a deep sense of professional dedication among staff, underpinned by high morale and a collegial culture of trust and mutual respect. Staff consistently demonstrate a strong commitment to our School Improvement Plan, particularly in the areas of reading, engagement, and attendance. Positive, caring, and trusting relationships are central to our culture and are clearly contributing to student success. Students and families spoke highly of our staff, with comments reflecting the school’s welcoming environment and the strong connections built across the community. Our school is recognised as a true ‘hub’ of the community, with a collaborative and optimistic spirit that drives continuous improvement. The review affirmed our focus on student voice and agency, the depth of staff knowledge about their learners, and our commitment to professional learning that builds staff capability. Effective use of data to support reading intervention, a robust Learning Plan process, and clear curriculum documentation aligned with pedagogy were all noted as strengths. Practices such as inquiry planning, learning walls, and the development of learner assets and values show our commitment to making learning visible and meaningful. The review team commended our inquiry-based pedagogy and the way it supports both skill development and the growth of learner dispositions, affirming that Bicheno Primary School is not only thriving but leading the way. They also outlined strategic improvement priorities that will guide our next four-year planning cycle, strongly aligned with our school’s vision and future direction.
Grant commended our leadership in curriculum development, school culture and its alignment with high-impact pedagogy. This is clearly reflected in our student data across wellbeing, engagement, reading, and mathematics, where we are performing well above similar schools and, in most cases, above national averages.
We are proud to share that Bicheno Primary School is leading the way, and this review confirms what we already know: we have a truly exceptional school here in Bicheno. The Executive Summary of the External School Review Report is included in this newsletter for your reference. I will be unpacking the full report with the School Association team at our next meeting.
The Great Gatsby Ball
A heartfelt thank you to our Bicheno Primary School Association for your tireless work behind the scenes. Your efforts in organising our major fundraiser, The Great Gatsby Ball, have been extraordinary. A special shout-out to the Gatsby sub-committee for your creativity and dedication. I am happy to share that the event has raised approximately $10000! What an amazing effort and thank you to our community for their overwhelming support.
Farewell
As we close the term, we say goodbye to Willow Bowden and Jheriane Adriano and their families. You’ve been valued members of our school community, and while we’ll miss you, you’ll always be part of the Bicheno Primary family.
We’re excited to carry this momentum into next term with pride, purpose, and the courage to keep asking big questions.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership in learning.
Warm regards,
Thomas Spykers
Principal – Bicheno Primary School
Kinder recount- Sushi making
The following recount reflects student voice.
On September 11th, we were lucky enough to have Tanya from Building Blocks come into Kinder and do some special cooking.
We tasted some dried seaweed flakes, and we looked at some pictures of a type of food called sushi. We have a Sushi Station investigative play area in our class, where we play with the sushi and learn about different types of foods and cultures. We know that sushi was first made in Japan.
We were very excited to learn how to make sushi. Some of us like sushi, and some of us have never tried it before.
To start, we made fruit kebabs with a pear dipping sauce. The kebabs were very yummy and sweet. We practiced cutting up watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, and bananas. Then we put the fruit on some sticks and shared the fruit.
We then cut up some cucumber, capsicum, avocado, and lettuce for the sushi. There was some salmon and tuna to add to our sushi. We then laid out the seaweed, rice, and chose our fillings. We each had a go at rolling the sushi,
Thank you to Tanya for helping run the session. We had so much fun!
In Prep/Grade 1 we have been investigating the learning question: “How can we count collections of objects efficiently and accurately?”.
We have been learning all about place value, and how to write 2 and 3-digit numbers using our knowledge of hundreds, tens and ones.
The students have then applied this knowledge to counting large collections of objects, by first sorting the objects into groups of tens, then skip counting by tens, and adding the ones on at the end to find the total number.
Some students have taken this further and counted even larger collections by using groups of hundreds, tens and ones.
As a bridging activity between exploring character perspectives in texts and understanding the perspectives of people in our community, we engaged with The Day the Crayons Quit. Together, we unpacked the thoughts and feelings of each crayon, identifying how their different perspectives shaped the story. We then selected a crayon and wrote our own letters to Duncan from that crayon’s point of view. Next, we imagined we were Duncan and crafted a reply to our chosen crayon’s letter. Finally, we extended this learning by choosing our own favourite or least favourite colour (crayon, pencil, texta – the medium did not matter) and writing a reflective letter to ourselves, sharing the imagined thoughts and feelings of that colour.
This sequence of learning provided a meaningful bridge into our inquiry about the triangle project, helping us recognise that just as the crayons held different opinions, people in our community also bring diverse perspectives. By practising perspective-taking through text and imaginative writing, we were better prepared to listen to, understand, and reflect on the range of views within the community.
This term we have been learning about democracy, and we have formed our own parties. There are 4 different parties. The 4 different parties are: The Listening Learners, Project Pigeon, P.P.P and Speak to be Heard. On Friday the 26th of September we are having a class election. In the meantime, the Deputy Mayor of Bicheno came and shared about how you vote in a local election.
3-4 have debated their promises. The first debate was P.P.P and Speak to be Heard. The second debate was Speak to be Heard and The Listening Learners. The third debate was Project Pigeon and The Listening Learners.
The upcoming debate is Speak to be Heard and Project pigeon. Then it would be P.P.P and Project Pigeon. The final debate will be P.P.P and The Listening Learners.
We have made persuasive posters for you to have a look at. On the posters there are picture of the leaders.
The leaders are:
Tanner Kerr for Project Pigeon
Ellie Pennington for P.P.P (Power Political Party)
Abel Geraedts for The Listening Learners
Barnabas Jaeschke for Speak to be Heard
We have added our slogans and political promises.
Written by Ellie, Mia S and Barnabas
5/6 Perspective Inquiry Reflection.
The 5/6 class have been using thinking routines to support deeper thinking and meta-cognition. One of our favourite routines for the end of an Inquiry is the 4Cs. The 4Cs help us make connections with our learning, reflect on the challenges, clarify our key concepts, and consider changes we might make because of our learning. Here is some of our 4C thinking about perspectives:
Connections
“When I have arguments, it gives me experience in understanding different perspectives”
“When I have arguments about something at home or at school, it’s because we have different perspectives”
“I’ve earned that with perspectives, everybody has different opinions about who and what they like and that is ok”
Challenges
“It was really challenging for me to try and do perspectives that weren’t mine, because some of them had changed my own opinion and perspective about the topic” (Jheri)
“I found it challenging to understand why people would think something like that because their perspective was different”
“It was hard because different perspectives change my mind”
“Something that challenged me was trying to understand perspectives that didn’t really make sense or something I didn’t agree with”
Concepts
“Perspectives are important for hope and justice”
“Perspectives influence things people do”
“Perspectives can change over time”
“There are many different perspectives in the world. Different perspectives make the world the way it is.”
“Perspectives influence your beliefs and can influence other people”
“Perspectives influence our language and interactions like in our democracy, decision making and communication”
“Perspectives can help us solve problems by looking at it from different angles”
“Perspectives are crucial for a democracy to work well”
Changes
“I will see things from other people’s perspectives”
“I think from now on, I will notice when someone else’s perspective is different to mine”
“I will hop into other people’s shoes and see what it feels like”
“If I was in parliament, I would look and listen at every perspective”
“Respect everyone else’s perspectives”
“A change for me might be seeing different things in a different way. As a society, we could listen to others’ ideas and take on what they say”
What is the ECO Period Club?
Imagine never having to worry about running out of period products again while making a real difference for the environment. That's what Share the Dignity Eco Period Club is all about.
Instead of pads and tampons, which end up in landfill after one use, we're all about making periods environmentally and financially friendly, while giving you the power over your period.
To help you, we're giving away FREE menstrual cups, reusable period underwear and menstrual discks to teens (13-19 years) across Australia, all you need to do is stay enganged with us for the next 12 months!
Please reach out to School Helath Nurse, Anna if youhave any further questions or wonderings.
Hugo Brown attended the Tassie heat of the Australian Youth Poetry Slam and volunteered to perform his poem, Albatross from our Term 2 poetry unit. Hugo placed third and won a Petrach’s Voucher! Congratulations Hugo! What a fantastic effort and experience!
NOTICEBOARD