Principal's Page

Attitude to School

One of the DET annual surveys that we implement at HEPS is the Student Attitudes to School Survey. The questions, while not directly stated, relate to many aspects of school. Some of these include effective teaching time, stimulated learning, learner confidence and student voice and agency. The survey is conducted with students in Years 4,5 & 6.

We use this data to plan for whole school improvement and to improve our individual practice. This year, we are happy to share with you that every area of the AToSS has shown improvement in student attitude. 

Below is a snapshot of the improvement in our data between 2022 and 2023, with the percentages indicating positive responses. 

Looking toward 2024

We are excited that we are at the beginning stages of planning for our 2024 Foundation cohort. It is important at this stage that we have an accurate understanding of the number of students that we will be expecting in this level. Please encourage anyone you know who is intending for their child to be a HEPS Foundation student next year to submit their enrolment form. We will be sending enrolment acceptances by Friday 11th August.

School Uniform

At HEPS we have a distinctive navy and light blue uniform. Our uniform supports our students to develop pride in our school, allows for ease of choice of clothing each morning, is cost saving for parents and importantly develops a child’s sense of belonging and confidence. Lately, we have noticed that some children are wearing items of clothing that are not inline with our school policy. This may be for a variety of reasons, however, it is important and part of our school policy that the uniform is worn. Please see the link below to our Uniform Policy. Spartans is our uniform provider should you need to purchase further school uniform for your child/ren.

https://heathmonteastps.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/Uniform-Policy-Nov-2019.pdf

Lost Property

Our lost property is overflowing at the moment! This is disappointing and I am sure frustrating for you when your child has lost an article of clothing or their lunch box. Can you please discuss, with your children, the importance of being responsible for their own items and respectful of what you have provided for them. And just as a reminder, please ensure that all items that are brought to school are clearly named so they can be returned.

We would love to have a parent volunteer/s who could manage lost property and return labelled items to children each week. If you would like to undertake this can you please let us know.

Parent Opinion Survey

Our school is conducting the annual Parent Opinion survey over the next couple of weeks. The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement. The survey is optional but we encourage families to participate. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies. At HEPS a random sample of approximately 30 per cent of parents / caregivers / guardians has been selected to participate in this year’s survey.

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open from Monday 7 August to Friday 8 September 2023.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the survey period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese. Last year we used the survey results to plan ways in which we can improve connection to our school community. 

We look forward to reading this years survey results and using these to inform our future practice.