Byron Bay Public School Newsletter TERM 3 | WEEK 2 | 2025

4R have been busy creating some amazing artwork pieces on forest fires. We used both oil pastels and charcoal to produce these vibrant and creative artworks and at the same time had lots of fun.

In Term 2, Year 4 students explored the wonders of our Solar System through their exciting Planet Projects. Students created their own planets and presented a multimodal text on their chosen planet to showcase their learning. Students uncovered and shared key features, using technical vocabulary, details on the discovery of their planet, space missions and a variety of cool facts. The projects were presented with creativity and enthusiasm, using a combination of writing, images and diagrams

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

Welcome back! We’re off to a fantastic start this term! Last Monday, our dedicated staff had a wonderful Staff Development Day, diving into the rich history of Indigenous culture, including some local knowledge. Aunty Delta Kay guided us on an informative tour at Broken Head Nature Reserve, and we were treated to a scrumptious lunch prepared by the world-renowned chef, Mindy Woods, using fresh, locally sourced native ingredients. It was a day filled with learning and planning, and we are all looking forward to celebrating NAIDOC week at Byron Bay Public School this week.

Safety Around Our School

Keeping our students safe is a top priority for all of us. I’d like to remind everyone that the single Kingsley Street gate is for bus riders only in the afternoons. Last week we had a close call when a student dashed out from between two buses—thankfully, no one was hurt! Please use the double Kingsley Street gate to exit the school after the bell. Our staff will be there to help remind parents and students not catching buses to use that gate. When picking up your child, let’s keep safety in mind: please have them enter the car from the curb side, and park legally around the school. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated as we all work together to keep our students safe!

Senior Choir Shines

Wow, what a night! Our Senior Choir wowed the audience at the Byron Bay Services Club with their incredible singing talent. They showcased an amazing variety of songs, and the crowd was entertained from start to finish! A huge shoutout to Mrs Greenlaw for her dedication in developing our choir on Tuesday afternoons, and to Mrs Miller for organising everything from notes to excursions. With just a week until their performance at the Opera House, I’m so proud of our students—not just for their beautiful singing but also for their commitment to rehearsals and representing Byron Bay PS. A big thank you to our hardworking parents for raising funds to support all of our students attending!

What a glorious day for our Athletics Carnival at the Cavanbah Centre last Friday! The sun was shining and students were thrilled to earn points for their houses every time they raced. A huge congratulations to all our fantastic athletes, especially those who’ve qualified for the Headlands District Carnival. A special thank you to Mrs Irvine for her amazing organisation, especially with the wet weather we’ve been having. Thanks also to the staff who showed up early and stayed around to help set up and pack up. This week, we’ll be hosting the field events right here at school. A big cheer for our P&C for running the barbecue and snow cone stand—our students, parents, and staff truly appreciated it!

NAIDOC Week Assembly

A big thank you to the years 4, 5 and 6 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who presented at our NAIDOC Week Assembly on Monday, sharing with us information about our local indigenous culture.

We’re excited to welcome to our school tomorrow, visiting performer Sean Choolburra, who brings a dynamic blend of energy and humour to his performances. Sean weaves together historical insights, spiritual wisdom, dance, storytelling, singing, and didgeridoo playing for a truly unforgettable experience.

K-2 Race Day

We were lucky to have beautiful weather for our K - 2 Race Day yesterday! It was wonderful to see all our K - 2 students beaming in their house colours while competing. A big thank you to the Stage 1 and Early Stage 1 teams for organising and supporting this fun event!

2026 Leadership News

This semester, Year 5 students can self-nominate for 2026 leadership roles—including School Captains, Vice Captains, Student Executive, and House Captains/Vice Captains via their class teacher by Friday, 12 September (pending executive endorsement and behaviour criteria). Application forms will be issued Monday, 13 October and due Tuesday, 28 October, with writing workshops available to all applicants. A shortlist of eight will deliver speeches mid-Term 4, with Years 3–5 voting via a preferential system to elect School Captains/Vice Captains. House roles will be decided in house meetings before the end of the term. A letter with full details will be sent home to Year 5 parents by the end of Week 2.

In addition to this, the Student Representative Council (SRC) at Byron Bay Public School is excited to announce a new initiative aimed at fostering inclusion, diversity, and accessibility in our leadership structure. We are introducing an inclusive pathway for Year 5 students to apply for leadership positions, specifically designed for those who may face barriers with traditional application methods.

This initiative is open to students with Individual Learning Plans (ILPs), Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs), those who identify as EALD (English as an Additional Language or Dialect), or students with diagnosed disabilities, whether visible or non-visible. To enhance accessibility, applicants can choose from various formats to respond to the application questions.

We believe that every student deserves a voice in leadership and look forward to seeing a diverse range of applications! Parents will be informed of this process if they have a child who is wanting to self-nominate for a leadership role in 2026.

Permission Notes and Payments

This term is packed with exciting activities! Please keep an eye out for permission notes and deadlines through School Bytes and emails. You can help your child by promptly completing any forms and making payments. Parents/carers can view any outstanding permissions via the School Bytes app under the 'activities' tab.

Our Sydney Choir travelled to Ballina on Wednesday, 23 July to join in a Cluster Rehearsal with other schools in the area who are joining us in Sydney. The choir was led by visiting conductor from Sydney, who successfully directed us through 4 hours of rehearsal to make sure we were ready to perform on the stage of the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday, 5 August. All choir students worked incredibly hard and sounded amazing. Thank you Sydney Choir students, for representing BBPS so beautifully.

Rebecca Miller | Senior Choir Co Ordinator

Film By Workshop

Last Friday, students from 15 schools including three from Byron Bay Public School, descended on Bexhill Public School to learn all things film making. They were taught about scriptwriting, filming techniques and editing films. John Walters who is a well known Australian author showed them how to write a script, getting started on dialogue and showed some interesting filming techniques as well. Local videographer and teacher Rod Evans taught the students how to position the camera/s to get the desired effect for the audience. He took them through editing techniques including hilarious sound effects. The students then took their new skills and created some short films to share with the group.

The students said "they learnt a lot" and "it was fun". These students are now working on their own short films in the hope of submitting them to the Film By The Northern Rivers Festival. More information on this to come later in the year.

Mrs Carly Hogan | Teacher

🎧 Silent Disco Vibes! 🎉

Students celebrated the last day of term in style with a silent disco – headphones on, energy high, and smiles all around. Thank you to everyone who made it such a fun and unforgettable send-off! 💃🕺 Thank you to the BBPS SRC for organising this great event!