Our Motto: Friendly Respectful Courageous Learning

Our Commitment: With courage we learn, connecting to people and place. Striving for excellence by being curious, creative, and resilient.

This week and next week, we have the wonderful opportunity to come together for our teacher, parent, and student interviews. These conversations are a powerful reminder of the growth our students are making every day, both in their learning and in their personal development. A key focus during interviews has been student goal setting, especially around the learning asset of being a Thinker. Students are exploring how to ask thoughtful questions, make connections, and reflect deeply on their learning. We’ve also celebrated progress in reading fluency, with many students setting clear goals to improve their pace, accuracy, and expression. It’s inspiring to see students take ownership of their learning, supported by the dedication of our teachers and the encouragement of our families. Together, we are building a strong foundation for lifelong learning.

Our school was aglow with warmth and joy as families and the school community came together to celebrate the Winter Solstice. The afternoon/evening was filled with laughter and excitement as children enjoyed a variety of fun games, and the handmade lanterns, crafted with by families were beautiful. It was a wonderful opportunity for connection and celebration, showcasing the spirit of our community. A heartfelt thank you goes out to the School Association, our amazing parent volunteers, and dedicated staff for organising and running such a special event.

At our school, we are deeply committed to every student’s success and wellbeing. One of the most significant factors influencing both is regular attendance. Research and our own data show that missing as little as one day a fortnight can lead to noticeable declines in academic achievement and student wellbeing. Currently, only 52% of our students are attending school at least 9 out of every 10 days. This means that nearly half of our students are missing more than four weeks of learning each year. For the second half of the school year, we need to collectively place school attendance at the centre of the decisions we make that impact whether children are at school. Everyday counts, and together we can ensure our students have the best opportunity to have bright lives and positive futures.

It is with deep sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Jay, a cherished and devoted father in our school community. Jay contributed greatly to our wider community through his dedicated service with the Bicheno Volunteer Fire Brigade, and his commitment and kindness will be remembered by many. We collectively grieve this profound loss and extend our sincere condolences to Belinda, Mia, Rory, Adam, Hieu and Bo during this incredibly difficult time. As a school, we stand together in love and support, and we will continue to surround Belinda, Mia, and Rory with care, compassion, and strength.

Kind regards,

Tom Spykers

Principal

In Kinder, we have been focusing on the letter A. We have been looking at how to write a capital and lower-case A. We have identified names that have the letter a in them, and what sound the letter a makes.

Here are some of our findings.

Learning Question: I wonder which names have the letter a in them?

Students discovered that the following names have an a in them:

-Sara,

-Jack

- Jackson

-Oskar

-Isla

-Arlo.

Learning Question: which words start with the letter A?

Students identified that the following words start with an a:

- ant

-apple

-astronaut

-anchor.

Here are some wonderful pictures of things that start with the letter A.

As part of the “Going Further” phase of our Patterns Inquiry, students in 1/2 were asked what they still wondered about and wanted to learn more about. Many shared an interest in weather patterns, which led to a rich discussion about the water cycle.

Guided by our learning question, “How do cycles help us understand and predict patterns in nature and time?”, they explored how the water cycle is a cyclical pattern that helps us predict weather. Students watched a video demonstration showing the steps of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection. Inspired by this, they decided they wanted to try the experiment themselves.

With adult support, they used hot water in a glass jar (evaporation), cling wrap and a rubber band (to trap water vapour for condensation), and watched droplets form and fall back down (precipitation and collection). This hands-on activity helped them see how water keeps moving in a cycle, changing form but repeating over and over—a perfect example of a natural pattern that we can observe, explain, and predict.

Prep/Grade 1

This term we have been learning about addition and subtraction and working on using different strategies to solve number problems, such as counting on and back using a number line. We have also been learning about growing patterns and worked in pairs to have a go at making our own growing patterns. The students then shared their patterns with the class and worked together to come up with a rule for each pattern.

Going Further with Patterns in Architecture!
As part of our Going Further inquiry phase, our class had a special online Q&A session with architect Charlie Ellis. Students worked in groups to create thoughtful questions about how patterns are used in architecture and confidently asked them during the TEAMS call. Each group practiced being curious and confident communicators—speaking clearly, listening carefully, and taking notes to summarise Charlie’s answers. It was a fantastic opportunity to deepen our understanding and learn from a real expert!

Art Excursion to Bay of Fires

On Thursday, June 5th, our Grade 5-6 students were lucky enough to go on an exciting art excursion to the Bay of Fires Art Exhibitions in St Helens.

After a long bus ride, we arrived at the foreshore playground in St Helens and enjoyed some playtime on the equipment and recess. We then walked to the Major Prize exhibition at the Panorama Hotel. We viewed some fascinating artworks entered into the competition by local, other Tasmanian, and even interstate artists. Students were able to vote for their favourite Major Art and local art piece.

After that, we enjoyed lunch at the Foreshore Playground before walking to the Youth Art exhibition at the Portland Hall. It was exciting to see the artworks displayed that were created in Miss Pearce’s art lessons, as well as how students from other schools interpreted this year’s theme: ‘The Bush’. Guided by local artist Melanie Hoult, students were able to decorate their own leaves and add them to a collaborative bush tipi. We all received a ticket to vote for a People’s Choice Award. Well done to the students who received acknowledgements!

On Wednesday the 25^th of June, Miss Hilliard and Mrs Spykers took the Grade 3-4 class on a walk up to Whaler’s Lookout. We used this opportunity to make some observations on the incredible rock formation and made some informed predictions about how it came to be.

KINDERGARTEN HEALTH CHECKS by Nurse Anna

Kindergarten health checks are offered to all kinder students at Bicheno Primary School and are undertaken for all who provide written consent.  They have been taking place throughout Term 1 and 2.  The kindergarten health checks sit within the Tasmanian Child and Youth Wellbeing Framework, which include these domains: Being loved and safe, Having material basics, Being healthy, Learning, Participating and Having a positive sense of culture and identity.

These health checks include vision, hearing and oral health screening to ensure students are best able to access and participate in early learning.  They facilitate access and onward referral when necessary and with consent, to appropriate and accessible health care.  It also enables school health nurses to initiate and support activities to improve health literacy within families and the broader community.