Filter Content
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.
Dear Bicheno Primary School Community,
As we step into spring, it’s wonderful to see our students continuing to grow and thrive in their learning. We continue to focus on reading fluency, and I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all families for the support you’re providing at home. Whether it’s listening to your child read, providing feedback, discussing stories together, or encouraging regular reading routines, your involvement is making a real difference.
Our inquiry learning this term has been shaped by the conceptual lens of ‘perspective’, and it’s been fantastic to see how deeply students are engaging with this concept. From exploring different viewpoints in literature and community projects to examining historical events through multiple lenses, our learners are developing rich understandings and critical thinking skills that will serve them well beyond the classroom.
This newsletter, we shine a spotlight on Art and the creativity nurtured by Ms Pierce. Her passion and dedication continue to inspire our students to express themselves through a wide range of artistic mediums. The art room is certainly a space where imagination flourishes and every child’s unique perspective is celebrated.
It’s also Teacher Assistant Appreciation Week, and we want to take this opportunity to thank our incredible team of Teacher Assistants for the vital role they play in our school. Working at the elbow with students is not easy work but it is deeply impactful. Supporting those with disabilities or those who simply need a little extra help. We appreciate their dedication, patience, and motivation to support our students’ growth and success every single day.
Last week, our Grade 4–6 students participated in the Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey. This important tool gives us valuable insights into how our students are feeling about their learning, relationships, and overall wellbeing at school. We look forward to analysing the results and using them to guide our future planning to ensure we continue to provide a safe, supportive, and inspiring environment for every child.
Each year, we invite families to share their thoughts through the School Satisfaction Survey. Last year, we had a fantastic response, with many families taking part and providing valuable feedback on what we’re doing well and where we can improve. A link to this year’s survey will be sent out by the end of the week. We would greatly appreciate you taking a few moments to complete it. Your insights help us continue to grow and provide the best possible learning environment for our students.
Finally, I’m thrilled to promote our School Association’s major fundraiser – The Great Gatsby Ball, happening on Saturday 20th September. This promises to be a spectacular evening of glamour, community spirit, and celebration. A huge thank you to our School Association and the dedicated Ball Subcommittee for their enthusiasm and passion in bringing this event to life. Every dollar raised will help us continue to strive for excellence in learning and provide enriching opportunities for our students.
Kind regards,
Thomas Spykers
Principal
Every school day matters.
We love seeing your children at school, every day. Going to school every day gives your child every chance to learn, grow and connect with their friends and teachers. It gives our staff and students a chance to engage with your child.
We all play a part in helping our kids get to school every day. Please know that if you’re struggling to get your kids to school, help and support is available. Talk to us at school or visit Anything can happen - Department for Education, Children and Young People.
During TERM 3 Visual Art classes, students have been inspired by the CBCA Shortlisted books, connecting Art to Literature.
Prep/One
How to Move a Zoo is a tale influenced by true events. Inspired by Jessie the elephant, Prep One used paper sculpture techniques to assemble their own standing elephant.
Art Elements & Principles explored:
Form, shape, colour, balance.
Learning questions:
- How can a 2D drawing become a 3D model?
- What colours can I use to express Jessie’s emotions in the story
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Tooth Fairy (And Some Things You Didn’t) was a Prep One favourite that sparked magic and imagination! Inspired by the Tooth Fairy village in the story, students designed and created their own magical Tooth Fairy house.
Art Elements & Principles explored:
Form, colour, shape and balance.
Learning Questions:
- How can a 2D drawing become a 3D model?
- How can I use my imagination to create a tooth fairy house? What elements will I add to make my house interesting or unique?
Grade One/Two
One Little Dung Beetle is a counting book that introduces readers to the world of beetles. It acknowledges the role of beetles in our ecosystem and appreciates their individual and unique appearance. Students worked on several art projects inspired by beetles.
They painted a swarm of beetles, using colour and pattern to bring them to life.
Art Elements & Principles explored:
Line, shape, colour, pattern and space.
Learning questions:
- How can we use the space on our page effectively (where will I place my beetles?)
- How can we use colour and pattern to make each beetle unique and interesting?
Grade One Two also created a folded paper beetle. Students cut and collaged symmetrical shapes to create unique patterns and designs. Patterns and art can be found in nature too!
Art Elements & Principles explored:
Colour, shape, pattern and symmetry.
Learning question:
- How can we use shapes and symmetry to create a paper beetle that looks the same on both sides?
Grade Three/Four
Don’t Worry Felix addresses childhood worries and offers practical strategies for children to cope with nervousness. Students designed and created a Felt Breathing Buddy, inspired by the breathing strategies shared throughout the story. They explored symbols, shapes and forms that bring them a sense of calm to guide their design.
Art Elements & Principles explored:
Form, shape, balance, emphasis.
Learning questions:
- What form will my Felt Breathing Buddy take and how will I create this?
- What sewing techniques will I use to ensure my work is functional?
Grade Three Four have mastered some impressive sewing skills. They can thread a needle, tie a knot and use a basic sewing stitch such as a running or whip stitch. Some students even mastered a blanket stitch. Sewing is also a wonderful mindful activity that can take our minds off our worries and help to create calm.
Inspired by the story of friendship, students created a Comfort Charm Artwork using embossing techniques.
Art Elements & Principles explored:
Texture, shape, symbolism, balance, repetition
Learning question:
- What patterns, words or symbols can you create to represent emotions or memories in the form of a tactile artwork (that might be wearable)?
Grade Five/Six
Afloat is a powerful story of climate change, resilience and First Nations wisdom. In the story, weaving becomes a symbol of strength, survival and a hopeful future where people come together to care for the land. Students drew inspiration from the weaving in the story to create a textural wool painting that is meaningful to them.
Art Elements & Principles explored:
Texture, movement, line, colour, composition
Learning question:
- How can we use line, colour and texture to create a sense of movement and/or a balanced composition?
The Garden of Broken Things
This story explores how beauty can emerge from grief. Students sculpted a mini plasticine garden on a cardboard base, incorporating a broken or misplaced object, symbolising resilience and renewal.
Art Elements & Principles explored:
Form, texture, balance, composition, symbolism
Learning questions:
- How do we use form and what kinds of textures can we create or show using plasticine?
- How can we achieve a strong composition in our sculpture?
- How can we use symbolism to show ideas like resilience and renewal?
Students garden piece artwork was connected to form a collaborative Garden of Broken Things.
It is a joy creating art with our students and exciting to share their wonderful work.
I hope you enjoyed it!
Bron Pierce
On Tuesday, Grade 5 walked to the Gulch to meet with Landcare to plant some varieties of native plants to develop some protective vegetation for our precious penguins. The penguins will be able to navigate their way from the water to their burrows under the protection of the new plantings.
On the way we revisited our plantings from last year to see how much they’d grown and are already providing cover for the penguins.
Thankyou to Nisha, Stew, Nigel and Mark from Landcare for teaching us how to plant the plants to give them the best chance of survival.
Thank you Landcare! by Izack
And to Nisha,Stew, Nigel and Mark for helping us with planting the types of plants were:
Pig Faces, Native Kangaroo Apple, Poa Grass (native grass)
This was an amazing expereince, we enjoyed it so much.
NOTICEBOARD