BFPS Newsletter

One year ago last week, I was finishing a day of teaching at Tomaree Public School and received an unexpected phone call. It was Mrs Bowen, the Port Stephens network's Director of Educational Leadership. She was calling to inform me that poor Mrs Elliott had had a nasty little accident resulting in a broken ankle and to ask me if I would mind heading out to Bobs Farm PS the next morning to fill in for her while she recovered. The following day, I arrived at Bobs Farm, and having parked my car out the front, immediately noticed the delicious fragrance of gardenias and jasmine as I made my way through the front gates. I remember thinking to myself what a delightful little school this was and being so enamoured by the quaint size and gorgeous homely gardens. 

Every person I met that day was warm and welcoming. Coincidentally, it happened to be the day we all went to Soldiers Point Bowling Club to participate in the official book launch of John 'Stinker' Clarke's "Marsh Road" book. I was immediately teary watching young Braxton, a year 3 boy, stand up in front of the hundreds of people in that room and confidently deliver the Acknowledgement of Country, and felt instantly proud of this little school, the children and the families. 

I farewelled Mr Springfield and Miss Newey as they transported the children back to school to be dismissed and made my way to KMart to grab myself a Halloween costume. That was because that evening I needed to head back to Bobs Farm to join the community for the fabulous Halloween disco and BBQ event. 

I was immediately in love! I felt like I'd found 'home'. 

Fast forward a year and I found myself wandering the playground whilst on duty, spotting all the flowers that were popping into bloom, wondering when the gardenias were going to sprout, despite the dozens of buds sitting in waiting. A year to the day from me taking those first steps through the school gates, I was drawn along the office path by the delicious scent of the white blossoms as I got out of my car. It was then that it hit me that I've called this place home for a whole year now. 

A lot has happened in that time. Children have grown, some have come, some have moved on. However, I certainly feel like my family has grown. I now have 27 new little Bobs Farm humans who've become 'Baxter kids' forever, their siblings, parents, grandparents and neighbours even, all part of what feels like my family now. I feel even more like I'm 'home' than I did that first week of coming to the school.

We have so much to be proud of and we've achieved so much individually and collectively. But that's just the start of it. We have so many exciting plans and ambitions for the school. As we draw towards the end of the year, it is an opportunity for us to reflect on what's working well and what areas we can improve in. It's a chance to make strategic decisions to focus our priorities and set ambitious goals for ourselves. 

We welcome your input, too. Soon you will receive a link to a survey. This will be an opportunity for you to have your say on what you see as the areas that are working well and what suggestions you have for improvement. Please help us make informed decisions that represent the interests of our entire school community by contributing to the discussion. We'd love to hear your thoughts; positive, negative and everywhere in between. 

Don't forget the P&C is another fantastic way to contribute to the direction of the school and the activities we choose to engage in. Join us this Wednesday afternoon for a discussion about the school's reading program and upcoming meetings to discuss a wide range of topics and events. We always have a lot of fun at the meetings and they're a great way to share ideas and make plans for the school. 

Finally, please make sure you read through the upcoming events page. We have a lot happening this term. In particular, we're looking forward to our Book Week activities this Thursday. Join us for the parade, share some stories and eat a sausage sanga or two! It'll be a lot of fun. 

Mrs Baxter