Principal's Report 

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day in Australia commemorates the noble sacrifices of armed forces and civilians during times of war.  At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, one minute’s silence is observed to mark the cessation of hostilities on the Western front during World War 1. Today, 

our School Captains, Rose and Cooper, read the poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ and led the school in one minute’s silence as a sign of respect and remembrance for those who have served and have made sacrifices so that the things we hold dear as Australians endure for future generations. Once again, we have supported the Lilydale RSL’s Remembrance Day Poppy Appeal through the sale of poppy merchandise through the office in the weeks leading up to Remembrance Day. 

Thank you to our community members who supported this important cause.

Improving Writing Outcomes for our Students

On Friday 28 October, our staff participated in the final of our four professional learning sessions with renowned academic, Misty Adoniou, alongside staff from Montrose PS and Mooroolbark East PS. The professional learning involved the continuation of our exploration around best practice and evidence-based approaches to teaching and improving writing outcomes for the students across our network. The three schools have also been involved in learning walks throughout this year, where they have visited each school to share our work, learn from each other and plan together to continue to improve our students’ writing. 

Planning for Next Year

We are well into planning our school and classes for next year and need to have a clear idea of exactly who will be here. This information is very important for us as we form classes so we can ensure that they are balanced in all aspects including friendships. One child moving away can leave another child without a friend in the new class. If you know that your child will be moving away next year, please send us an email to bimbadeen.heights.ps@education.vic.gov.au letting us know where your child will be attending school next year. 

Bimbadeen Pre-School Visits!

On Tuesday this week, Mr Gill and Mrs Gregson had the pleasure of visiting the Bimbadeen Pre-School with students from 5MG and their teacher, Mrs Maniscalchi, as part of our Student Leadership Program. This activity is an important part of our annual calendar, and helps our Year 5 students develop their confidence, interpersonal and personal skills that are an important part of preparing them for the role of Buddy to a Foundation student, and to lead a STARS groups when they are in Year 6.

After Mrs Gregson shared her favourite picture story book, The Little Yellow Digger, our students read a picture story book to a pre-school buddy, and they then used chalk to illustrate their favourite page from the book. As you can see from the pictures of the activity, it was an experience thoroughly enjoyed by all involved. This morning Mr Gill, together with 5SE and their teacher Ms Egan visited Bimbadeen Preschool where Year 5 students worked with the preschool children to conduct a science experiment.

The visits also support the transition experience for many of the Bimbadeen Pre-School children who are joining our community in Foundation in 2023. 

2023 Foundation Transition

We are now over half-way through our transition program for our cohort of 2023 Foundation students. There was much excitement as our 2023 Founders attended their second transition session on Friday 4 November. 

This was the second of 4 Transition sessions that are designed to support our incoming Foundation students to familiarise them with our school community and help them to prepare for a smooth transition into primary school. 

It was wonderful to hear the excitement and joy in their voices and see their beaming smiles and pride as they visited their new school and enjoyed their first session as a ‘school kid’. We look forward to welcoming our new families to our community at a 2023 Foundation BBQ later in the term and continuing with our onsite sessions for our 2023 Founders in coming weeks. 

Information about the program has been sent directly to families of enrolled children about the remaining sessions to be held on:

• Monday 5 December – Information Night
• Tuesday 13 December – Foundation Orientation Session
• Tuesday 13 December – Welcome to Bimbadeen BBQ.

The following information has been taken from the Department of Education’s parent and carer information about how to support your child start school. These tips are helpful for all families of children beginning school or moving on to a new year level.

During the summer holidays

• Show your child where the school is and talk about how you will get there.
• Arrange play times with other families whose children will be going to the same school. It helps if your child knows another child at their school at the start of prep.
• Practise the things your child will need to do to get ready for school (e.g. putting things in their bag, remembering to take a hat).
• Confirm your before or after school care arrangements and explain these to your child.
• Be positive about starting school and enjoy your child’s excitement.
• Visit your local library and read books with your child about starting school.

The first day of school

• Make sure your child knows who will take them to school and pick them up on the first day.
• Help your child to organise their clothes, hat, shoes and socks the night before.
• Help your child to pack their school bag with a snack, drink, lunch, and a hat.
• Place a spare pair of underpants and a change of clothes in a plastic bag. Let your child know these clothes are in their bag in case of any accidents at school.
• Put sunscreen on your child in the morning if it's needed.
• Show your child where you will meet them at the end of the school day.
• At the end of the day talk to your child about what happened at school. A great way is to ask them what their highlight of the day was.

Early childhood services and schools will organise programs to help your child settle into school. Talk to your child’s early childhood educator or the school.

Further information about starting school for students beginning Primary School as well as Secondary School can be located at https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/going-to-school/Pages/tips-starting-school.aspx 

School Term Dates for 2026

There have been changes to Victorian school term dates for 2026. This will provide an opportunity for Victorian communities to participate more broadly in the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games will take place across regional Victoria from Tuesday 17 March to Sunday 29 March 2026, with Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Gippsland, and Shepparton hosting a range of activities and events for 20 different sports and 9 para-sports. 

The 2026 Victorian school term dates are:

• Term 1: Tuesday 27 January to Friday 13 March 2026 
• Term 2: Monday 30 March to Friday 19 June 2026
• Term 3: Monday 6 July to Friday 18 September 2026
• Term 4: Monday 5 October to Friday 18 December 2026.

For the list of school term dates until the end of 2030, refer to School term dates and holidays in Victoria.

Year 6 Teaching Day

On Wednesday 9 November, we held our annual Year 6 Teaching Day. This day involves our Year 6 students taking on the role of our staff and leading the work and learning across the school. Some of our students take on the role of teacher and lead the learning in our classrooms and specialist programs and others take on the role of Principal and Assistant Principal. We were fortunate to have Maisie and Teal working with us in the Principal Team for the day. The students did a wonderful job in their roles across the school, and it was a fantastic learning experience for each of them. As part of their work on the day, Maisie and Teal were asked to prepare an item for this newsletter’s Principal’s Report: 

When I got to school at 8:45am, I grabbed my bag and headed up to the office to start my day. First, I stood at the front gate welcoming every student as they entered Bimbadeen. As the bell started dinging, we locked up all the gates to enter school and walked back to the office. We got our rainbow capes on and headed to the lucky kids who had their birthdays; we gave them cards and a lolly pop of their choice. Next, we headed back to the office and we got every class to send up their lunch order tubs and filled them to the brim with rapid tests for Covid. We then had to deliver them back to every class. The last thing that I did for the day was sorting paper. I loved being principal for the day.

When I joined Bimbadeen, everyone was amazing. I loved all the teachers, and I am sad to have to leave the school, but I am excited for my future. The school has changed so much for the better in my time at Bimbadeen, all the students are kind and generous people. Whenever I find some part of school hard, someone is always there to help me, whether it is a student or a teacher you can always trust them. I can’t believe that next year I will be a high schooler, but for now every day at Bimbadeen keeps getting better. Over all, Bimbadeen has been amazing, and I am so glad to have been a student here.

We hope you all enjoy a wonderful weekend with your families and we look forward to another fantastic week of learning at Bimbadeen.

Adele Gregson and Sabrina George