Leadership Report
Thursday 1 February
Dear Parents, Students and Friends,
Welcome to 2024
I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome our school community for 2024. A special welcome particularly to all new families who are beginning their educational journey with us at Highvale Primary School.
I hope January was a time for some rest and relaxation for you and your family. I was fortunate to get down to Inverloch with my family for a week and enjoy a bit of beach time. While it is always nice to get a bit of time away, I am looking forward to another busy and exciting school year!
On our return, staff spent the first student-free days establishing expectations and setting the scene for 2024 – which included, but was not limited to, covering our Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) and Compass.
From a staff perspective, we extend a warm welcome to Ms. Lilly Ji who is teaching Year 2. Returning from leave in 2023 is Mrs. Teagan Gorfine (Wood) (Year 5) and Mrs. Rachel Drew (Year 6). We are excited to you have all on staff this year.
Please note, Steve Richardson remains on leave. Therefore, I will begin in the Acting Principal with Megan Fegan supporting me as Acting Assistant Principal. Mrs. Michelle Cheong (Prep) is also on leave for the first few weeks of the school year. In her place we have secured the services of Clare Lavelle, who has been highly recommended and has experience teaching junior students.
Our students have made a terrific start to this school year, and as I walked around the school, I was pleased to see how settled the classrooms are but still with a real buzz of engagement. Schools quickly settle into ‘business as usual’ and very quickly, our students have jumped straight into their learning over the last two days.
Highvale Primary School is a wonderful school with a great staff, great students and a terrific and supportive school community, so we have all we need to flourish in 2024.
Hats
As a SunSmart school, please ensure your child brings their school hat each day. Students without hats are required to sit in a shaded area in the Year 3 line up area and cannot participate in outdoor PE lessons and class games.
2024 Parent Payments Reminder
Parent payments help the school to operate effectively. Highvale Primary School provides a significant range of programs that cannot be delivered without the optional support of families. We would like to thank the parents that have already made these payments.
Compass
Thanks to those families who have logged into Compass and have begun using it. This will eventually become our main source of communication, so I encourage you to download it to your phones. Thanks to Bec Foot in the office who has been instrumental in setting up Compass. I have used it before at previous schools and know that it will be of great benefit to Highvale Primary School.
If you have not received your Compass login details, please contact the office as soon as possible. Please note there is only one login for a family.
School Values
Throughout the beginning of the term, staff will be working with their classes to establish clear expectations based on our school values to ensure we have safe and productive workspaces for all students. It’s a very important time, and it’s vital that everyone develops the right mindset towards school.
At our assembly on Wednesday morning, I reminded students of our school values, Respect, Responsibility, Honesty & Integrity and Commitment.
We expect that all students, staff and parents will uphold these core values. Additionally, I made it very clear that students should keep their hands and feet to themselves at all times, to ensure safe play times.
2024 Preps
It was lovely to see all of our Prep students on their first day of school this morning! We have 44 wonderful students beginning at HPS this year. There were lots of excited students (and a few nervous ones) but thanks to Ms. Kelaart, Ms. Lavelle and a host of other support teachers such as Mrs. Sinclair, it seemed like it was a wonderful day.
Ready for Learning, Arrival and Gate Opening and Closing Times
As in previous years, students should enter school grounds from 8.45am. Staff are on yard duty from 8.45am. Where students enter school grounds prior to 8.45am, they must be accompanied by a parent or carer. This is a parent responsibility. Students who enter the school grounds prior to 8.45am without a parent or carer are unsupervised and at risk.
Thank you to the many families who cooperate with the school to keep our children safe.
Please note, for families where both parents work and therefore need to drop off their children prior to 8:45am, the school provides an Out of School Hours Care program.
Please contact TheirCare (details below).
Upon arrival at school, students proceed straight to their classroom to unpack. Prep parents often accompany their child to their line up area and are welcome to wait there whilst their child enters the building to meet one of the Prep teachers. Parents of Year 1-6 students are welcome to do the same or say goodbye at the school gate. When students enter the school building, a teacher will be present to guide and assist students to unpack which is a part of developing independence and organisation skills to be ‘Ready for Learning’ each day.
Once unpacked, students proceed outside for a quick play and then move to their line up area when the music plays at 8.55am. At 8.58am the school bell will ring. Students will already be lined up and teachers present. Teachers welcome students, make any necessary announcements and then lead students into class. Classes commence at 9.00am sharp.
For this reason, it is critical that students arrive at school on time each day. Any students not in their classroom by 9.00am must be signed in at the school office by their parents. Please note, gates will be unlocked by 8:45am each morning. The reason behind this is in order to maintain student safety as staff are not on duty until 8:45am. The Capital Avenue gate (rear of school) and the western Ashton Street gate (front of school) will be relocked each morning. They will be unlocked again by 3.15pm for pick up and then relocked after students have been picked up. The eastern Ashton Street gate, next to the school driveway remains unlocked each day for visitors.
All visitors to our school, including parents must sign in at the school office. The driveway gate and the eastern Ashton Street gate are also locked each evening.
Importantly, parents are welcome on site at any time but must sign in at the school office if visiting between 9.00am-3.30pm. We do ask that parents remain out of school buildings prior to school starting as staff prepare for the day ahead. It is also important for students to build their resilience and part of this is entering the rooms on their own (with the exception of preps in the first few weeks or so).
We understand that there are occasional unforeseeable reasons for delays. Any students remaining at school after 3.45pm will be escorted to the School Office for collection. Parents must enter the Office to collect students who are late being picked up. Please call the Office if you are running unexpectedly late.
Where a child cannot be collected by 3.45pm, it is expected that they are registered for care through TheirCare. This remains a parent responsibility.
New Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) Provider for 2024 – TheirCare
We are excited to welcome TheirCare to Highvale Primary School as our OSHC provider for 2024.
TheirCare have provided the following information documents to assist families.
- Parent Handbook
- Information Flyer
- How to Enrol Information Sheet
- Welcome Video you Tube Link
If you would like to book your child/ren into before or after school care, TheirCare contact details can be found at theircare.com.au
School Birthdays
Celebrating a birthday on a school day is a lot of fun, and we know that students often like to share a little treat with their class. While we encourage non-food treats, if food is provided, it needs to individually wrapped with an ingredients list, so they can be shared safely with the class. A small Freddo Frog is a great example of a quick and easy treat to share. Please speak to your child’s teacher if you have any questions about birthday treats.
A very happy Birthday to everyone who celebrated in January!
Allergies at Highvale Primary School
Highvale Primary School has a number of students with a range of foodallergies and therefore at risk of experiencing an anaphylactic reaction. In order to effectively manage this risk we need the full support of the whole school community.
Anaphylaxis is a severe, rapidly progressive allergic reaction that is potentially life threatening. All schools are bound by the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 and are expected to follow a set policy in relation to anaphylaxis management. Under this ‘Act’ all teaching staff are expected to be trained in managing an anaphylactic reaction using an Epipen and the school must have a clearly documented policy and process for responding to an emergency concerning anaphylaxis.
At Highvale Primary School we have a number of students who are severely allergic to nuts and nut products.
To support our management policy, we kindly ask you not to send your child to school with any peanut or tree nut products; particularly peanut butter, Nutella or any kind of nuts to nibble on. We understand this may be a small inconvenience but the safety and wellbeing of all students is our utmost priority.
Our Anaphylaxis Management Policy also states that children should not share food at school, other than when a request has been made by the school, e.g. Class Party. It would be great if you could discuss this with your child/ren at home.
All children in all classes are expected to adhere to this request, which also includes any adults or younger children who come onto school premises at any time.
Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund
The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps eligible families to cover the costs of school excursions, camps and sporting activities.
If you have a valid means-tested concession card, such as a Veterans Affairs Gold Card, Centrelink Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible. There is also a special consideration category for asylum seeker and refugee families.
Payment amounts this year are $150 for eligible primary school students. Payments are made direct to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions and sporting activities for the benefit of your child.
If you applied for CSEF through our school last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year, unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.
If you would like to apply for the first time, please contact the school office on 9887 8000 and ask for an application form.
You can also download the form, and find out more about the program and eligibility, on the Department of Education and Training’s Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund web page.
Check with the school office if you are unsure, and please return completed forms to the school office as soon as possible.
Communications from the Department of Education (DET)
Accident Insurance - The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development does not provide personal accident insurance for students. Parents are generally responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including any transport costs. Ambulance cover could be one consideration as the school will not hesitate to call an ambulance if we are concerned for a child’s wellbeing.
The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development states that reasonable low cost accident insurance policies are available from the commercial insurance sector.
Personal Goods Brought to School at Owners Risk -The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development does not hold insurance for personal property brought to schools. Principals are requested to remind students and parents/guardians of this at the beginning of each academic year and to discourage parents/students from bringing any unnecessary or particularly valuable items to school. Please, try and avoid bringing these items as it can be most upsetting for all concerned when items do go missing.
Annual Privacy Reminder
Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Department of Education and HPS privacy policy. For more information about privacy, see: Schools’ Privacy Policy – information for parents.
Mobile Phones
A reminder that student mobile phones must be handed in at the school office each day prior to classes commencing. They are then collected by the student at the end of the school day.
Special Lunches
We are pleased to announce that in 2024 we are expanding our weekly lunch schedule and will offer:
- Sushi each Wednesday
- Subway each Thursday
- Bakers Delight each Friday (except when there is an end of term pizza lunch)
A reminder that our new system Compass will replace School Stream and Qkr!, so the new lunch orders will be available on Compass from 22nd January 2024.
Helpers Needed
We are keen to find two more helpers to assist with our lunches next year. If you are available to help with the following, please email us at highvale.ps@education.vic.gov.au:
- On Tuesdays after 11:30am, collect the sushi order stickers and our supplier's empty boxes from the school office and drop them off to Vermont South shopping centre
- On Wednesdays, collect the Bakers Delight stickers and our classroom tubs (14 in total) and drop them off to Vermont South shopping centre
Update on suppliers
Osaka Kitchen at Vermont South will be our new sushi supplier this year. As a result, there will be a slight change in the menu and pricing for our sushi lunches.
Balanced Catering Living will no longer supply lunches on Fridays.
2024 Dates for School Council Term 1
Monday 29th January – DET Student Free Day - Teachers commence –
2024 Staff Induction – Continues 30th January.
Term 1 - Wednesday 31st January - HPS Students commence
(No Preps for the first 5 Wednesdays)
School Council Endorsed Student Free Days
Term 1 - Tuesday 30th January – 2024 Staff Induction
Term 2 - Friday 31st May - Staff PL includes - Curriculum Planning & Report Moderation
Term 3 - Friday 13th September – VGSA Teacher Professional Practice Day.
*Note School Production booked at Crossways for Wednesday evening 11th September
Term 4 - Monday 4th November - Staff PL includes - Curriculum Planning & Report Moderation
2024 Term Dates (STUDENTS)
Term 1 – Wednesday 31st January – Thursday 28th March (Students finish 2.30pm)
Term 2 – Monday 15th April – Friday 28th June (Students finish 2.30pm)
Term 3 – Monday 15th July – Friday 20th September (Students finish 2.30pm)
Term 4 – Monday 7th October – Friday 20th December (Students finish 1.30pm)
Proposed School Council Dates for Term 1, 2024
Tuesday 20th February – Webex @ 6.30pm
Tuesday 19th March – on site @ 6.30pm
Proposed 2024 School Council Dates
Term 2 - 30th April and 21st May
Term 3 - 30th July and 20th August
Term 4 - 22nd October and 26th November
Labour Day Public Holiday
Parents are reminded that there is a Labour Day holiday on Monday 11th March. There will be no school on this day.
Highvale Primary Community Group (HPCG)
Joining the HPCG community group of parents is a wonderful way to support and involve yourself in our school community. The HPCG support two key school areas for all Highvale P.S students. They are:
- Organisation and support of school community events
- Fundraising
Our HPCG do a wonderful and important job organising weekly Wednesday special lunch days, organise or contribute to school events such as Carols evening, the School Fun Run, PJ days, crazy hair days, end of term pizza days and all kinds of engaging fundraising activities.
Joining the HPCG or the helpers register
If you would like to be added to the HPCG’s helpers register for 2024 and would be willing to receive emails from the HPCG about upcoming events, please fill in the form on School Stream.
Our HPCG would love to hear from you if you are interested in joining them. Meetings occur once a month on Wednesday nights via Zoom. Contact the HPCG at highvalepcg@gmail.com . You can also find the HPCG on Facebook.
School Council Nominations and Election
Our School Council includes elected parents, staff and community members (where suitable) and provides a pivotal governance role for our school community. Appointments to School Council are for two year terms with work focused through our three sub committees being Education & Partnerships, Finance and Facilities & Environment. There are two meetings each term. These are now predominately online meetings which continues to provide added flexibility and has worked well.
Each year a call for nominations to School council occurs in February. An election is held if the number of nominations is greater than the vacancies. Our current School Council’s final meeting is on Tuesday 20th February.
Our 2024 School Council will have their first meeting on Tuesday 19th March. To find out more about the role of School Council please click the link below.
https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/school-council-powers-and-functions/policy
Notice of our 2024 School Council Election will be communicated to parents tomorrow, Friday 2nd February. Nominations will be available at the School Office from 9.00am Monday and will be required to be submitted by 4.00pm Tuesday 13th February.
Take care,
Josh Crozier
Acting Principal