Dear HPS Community,

I hope everyone enjoyed the King's Birthday long weekend and made the most of the mini break despite all the, much needed, rain that was around. I know that some families simply enjoyed the fact that they could break from regular Monday morning routine!

Thank you to the Year 4 teachers for providing a successful Melbourne Zoo experience to our students this week. We also send a very big thanks to the parent volunteers who helped out on the day, your assistance is very much appreciated.

Students used the excursion to research habitats, characteristics, and threats of different animals. Students will apply this knowledge in a collaborative design challenge to create a zoo habitat suitable for two different endangered species, considering the animals' needs and designing enriching environments. We cannot wait to see their learning come to life!

***BUILDING WORKS UPDATE***

Firstly, thank you to our ever supportive community for the response in donations of moving boxes. They have been gratefully accepted and will be put to good use immediately!

The need for moving boxes is due to this week learning that a building company, Fairbrother, has been awarded the construction job and and they're planning to get started on-site within the next two weeks.

In order for the new classrooms to be built upon the current building know as the 'infant building', the portables need to be relocated to their new permanent site over the other side of the COLA and the hall and canteen demolished. This stage of the works is known as Phase 1 and is anticipated to take approx three months to complete. The whole build is scheduled to be completed in approx 18 months or so.

Next week, our Year 5 classes and Science specialist will move into the classrooms currently empty in the Infant Building. This building entrance is right near Gate 3 on Darebin St.

Fences will be erected around the designated building site and safety for all will be a main focus and priority, along with providing a focus on consistency and continuity of learning in our classrooms.

Whilst outdoor playground space will be impacted during the building works, staff have been discussing and planning for the reduced space, including the following strategies that will support students to utilise breaks and available spaces effectively;

Year 6 students utilising and accessing the front garden area during break times
the playground area roster being updated and reassigned
additional enrichment clubs held in classrooms at break times

SAC will be relocated to the library space during Phase 1 until it is also positioned into its new location. Details are still being finalised regarding this move and we will provide further details as soon as we can.

We have a kick off meeting on Monday with Fairbrother- construction company, Tectura- architects and the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) and it is at this time that we will be provided with further information and clarity around the sequencing of events, so we will share more with you when it comes to hand next week. We hope to be able to share plans and designs to the community once given approval by the VSBA.

We understand that the changes and impacts from the building works will no doubt cause a level of disruption and change, but HPS are very lucky to have been allocated the funding for these building upgrades, which will be a very welcomed addition to our facilities once completed.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this time and encourage you to please come and speak to us with any queries or concerns that arise for you or your child/ren.

Pupil Free Day - Monday 23rd June

Monday 23rd June is a school council approved pupil free day. On this day, staff will complete the 4th and final day of the Berry Street Education Model Training. There is no school for students on this day. School Age Care (SAC) will be offering a full day program, where a minimum number of bookings needs to be reached before the program can go ahead. Further information and booking details was sent out via Compass earlier today. Bookings are essential as arrivals on the day cannot be accommodated.

2026 Foundation Student Enrolment

Do you have, or know, a child starting school next year?

The enrolment process is now open and application forms can be submitted to the school office. Please find more details on our website at https://www.heidelbergps.vic.edu.au/

Youth myki card design competition for students

Students aged 5 to 17 are invited to enter a competition to design a new youth myki card. The competition is open now but it does close this Sunday 15 June 2025, so get moving swiftly on those designs.

The winning original artwork will feature on hundreds of thousands of youth myki cards for the launch of free public transport in Victoria for young people aged 17 and under, from Thursday 1 January 2026.

The winning student will also receive a $1000 prize.

More details found at https://engage.vic.gov.au/youthmyki

2025 Camp Dates:

Year 4 - Wednesday 27th - Friday 29th August

School Council Meeting Dates: Start time 6pm, Conclude by 8pm

Term 2

Tuesday 17 June

Term 3

Tuesday 12 August

Tuesday 9 September

Term 4

Tuesday 28 October

Tuesday 2 December

Upcoming Dates
Monday 23rd June	Pupil Free Day
Tuesday 1st July	Year 6 Soccer Round Robin
Friday 4th July	End of Term 2 - 2:30pm Finish
Monday 21st July	Term 3 begins - school assembly 9.10am

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend and a great week ahead!

Naomi Ivers

Principal

Heidelberg Primary School

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