A Message From Anna

🍎👩🏽‍🏫🧑🏼‍🏫World Teachers' Day👨🏽‍🏫👩🏻‍🏫🍎

Tuesday 27 October

This coming Tuesday, 27 October, we will celebrate World Teachers' Day at Box Hill North Primary School, taking the opportunity to recognise and thank the extraordinary teachers who make such a difference in the lives of our students every day.

Teaching is so much more than delivering lessons. Our teachers are educators, problem-solvers, data analysts, cheerleaders and trusted adults who help children navigate the challenges and triumphs of growing up. They celebrate the small victories, notice when something isn't quite right, find new ways to help children understand difficult concepts, and continually adapt their teaching to meet the individual needs of every learner. Much of this work happens quietly, behind the scenes, and often goes unseen. The planning, preparation, assessment, collaboration, professional learning and genuine care that our teachers invest in their students extends well beyond the hours of the school day.

As Principal, I feel incredibly fortunate to work alongside a team of educators who care so deeply about their students and are committed to continually improving their practice. Their dedication, compassion and belief in the potential of every child are at the heart of what makes our school such a special place.

To our wonderful teachers: THANK YOU.

Thank you for your patience, your energy, your creativity, your resilience and the countless ways you make a difference, often without ever knowing the lasting impact you have had.

To celebrate, the school will be treating our teachers to a special morning tea and massages on Tuesday, as a small gesture of our appreciation for everything they do.

If families would like to contribute something to our morning tea, you are very welcome to drop it off at the school office on Tuesday morning.

We also encourage families to take this opportunity to help their child's teacher feel celebrated in whatever way feels right to them. A handwritten note, a drawing, a kind message or simply a heartfelt thank you can mean so much. There is certainly no expectation to purchase gifts – often the most meaningful gestures are the simplest.

Happy World Teachers' Day to our incredible BHNPS teaching team. We appreciate you more than words can say!

2027 Class Planning

As we begin planning for the 2027 school year, we are working carefully to establish class structures that best support the learning, wellbeing and social development of all students.

Our anticipated class structure for 2027 is:

One Foundation class
Two Year 1/2 classes
Two Year 3/4 classes
Two or three Year 5/6 classes, depending on final enrolment numbers

An important part of this process is ensuring we consider the individual needs of students when developing class groupings. If your child has a specific learning, social, emotional or wellbeing need that you would like us to take into consideration when planning their class placement for 2027, we invite you to communicate this in writing.

Please email the school at box.hill.north.ps@education.vic.gov.au marked Attention: Principal outlining the needs or considerations you would like us to be aware of. Please ensure these requests are

While we carefully consider all information provided by families, class placements involve balancing a range of factors to ensure positive learning environments for all students. We are therefore unable to accommodate requests for particular teachers or friendship groupings, although students will be given a chance to nominate several friends they work well with, which will be considered when creating class placements for 2027.

Leaving Box Hill North at the End of 2026?

As we continue planning our classes, staffing and budgets for 2027, having accurate information about student enrolments is particularly important. If your family is planning to move house, relocate to another area or enrol your child at a different school for 2027, we ask that you please let us know as soon as possible.

Please email the school office to advise us of any anticipated changes to your child's enrolment for next year. Thank you for helping us plan effectively for 2027.

After-School Playground Use – A Reminder for Families

We are fortunate to have wonderful playgrounds and outdoor spaces at Box Hill North Primary School, and we know that many families enjoy spending time together in our school grounds. We would like to remind families, however, that our school playgrounds are reserved for the use of students attending TheirCare during after-school care hours.

TheirCare is responsible for the supervision, safety and wellbeing of the children enrolled in its program. Having additional children and families using the playgrounds during this time makes supervision more challenging and can create unnecessary safety concerns.

For this reason, we ask that families collecting their children at the end of the school day do not remain on the playgrounds to play. Once your child has been collected, please make your way off the school grounds.

If you would like your child to enjoy some playground time after school, Frank Sedgman Reserve, located at the end of Elizabeth Street, is a lovely nearby public space available for families to enjoy.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in helping us maintain a safe, well-supervised environment for the children attending our after-school care program.

Changes to Student Reports – Semester 2, 2026 and Beyond

As part of our ongoing commitment to providing families with clear, meaningful information about their child's learning, we are making some changes to the way we report student achievement and progress.

These changes will begin with our Semester 2 reports this year, with further refinements in 2027 to align with updated Victorian Department of Education reporting requirements.

Our aim is to ensure student reports are easier for families to understand, provide useful information about each child's learning and clearly identify the next steps in their learning journey.

Reports: What will change this semester?

Teachers will provide one personalised written summary of approximately 200 words, organised into two paragraphs. Each paragraph will provide families with a clear picture of what their child has achieved, the progress they have made and what they are working towards next, while recognising the learning behaviours and values that support their success.

Literacy: A summary of your child's learning in Literacy, including how they demonstrate our school values and approach their learning, their achievement and progress against the Victorian Curriculum, and specific learning goals to guide their next steps.
Numeracy: A summary of your child's learning in Numeracy, including how they demonstrate our school values and approach their learning, their achievement and progress against the Victorian Curriculum, and specific learning goals to guide their next steps.

Importantly, families will continue to receive information about their child's achievement and progress against the Victorian Curriculum, including the progression points that show where their child is currently achieving and how they have progressed over time.

Reports: Why are we making these changes?

We know that families value reports that tell them something meaningful about their child's learning, rather than lengthy descriptions of classroom activities or general statements. Our revised approach will place greater emphasis on what your child has learned, how they are progressing and what they need to learn next.

These changes reflect the Department of Education's move towards more efficient and purposeful reporting practices, recognising that a written semester report is just one part of the ongoing communication between schools and families.

Reports: Looking Ahead to 2027

From Semester 1, 2027, all Victorian government schools will be implementing updated student reporting requirements introduced by the Department of Education.

These changes are designed to make reports clearer, more consistent and easier for families to understand, while allowing teachers to spend more time on the work that makes the greatest difference to student learning.

Under the new guidelines, the Department recommends:

One short, personalised summary comment of approximately 100 words for primary school students, replacing lengthy written comments across multiple learning areas.
Clear reporting against the Victorian Curriculum 2.0, showing each child's achievement against expected curriculum standards.
Continued reporting of student progress, so families can see how their child has developed over time.
A five-point achievement scale to communicate student achievement in relation to curriculum expectations.

At Box Hill North Primary School, we are beginning this transition with our Semester 2 reports in 2026, ahead of the new guidelines taking effect next year.

While the format of reports may look a little different, our commitment remains unchanged: to provide every family with accurate, meaningful and accessible information about their child's achievement, progress and next steps in learning.

As always, we encourage families to communicate with classroom teachers throughout the year. Conversations about student learning should not be limited to twice-yearly reports, and we value the ongoing partnership between home and school.

We look forward to sharing your child's Semester 2 report with you later this term.

Anna Johnstone

Principal