Head of Primary Years' Report

Dear Parents, Carers and Friends of Hazel Glen College,

Last week, we proudly showcased our Art and Technology Departments for the STEAM Showcase. Despite the rainy weather, we had a great turn out of families who came along to share in the fun. The Showcase involved the Kinder, Primary Years and Secondary Years and the talent of our students was outstanding. A big thank you to Mr Chris Richardson who transformed our Primary Years Specialist precinct into a magical outdoor gallery. Also a thank you to the specialist team along with Ms Jory, Ms Ralph and Ms Sirandeep for their support with this event. 

Monday marked Remembrance Day and our school all took part in viewing our service. The school was also honoured to have student leaders participate in the Laurimar service laying a wreath at the cenotaph.

Recently, our staff have been participating in meetings to review our 2024 Annual Implementation Plan, and to discuss our school direction for 2025. We have highlight many of our considerable successes and achievements during the year - both in terms of our instructional model and positive learning routines with positive impact both on learning and wellbeing outcomes.

As part of our continued school improvement, Ms Kate O'Halloran led the Primary Years team on the Curriculum Day to review our learning sequences to align to the Victorian Curriculum 2.0 to be ready to use in our classroom learning programs for 2025.

On Tuesday, I attended a Principal Area Forum in Epping where Dr David Howes, the Deputy Secretary spoke about Education within our state. The focus of the day was around specific updates around components of the new Victorian Teaching and Learning Model and an update on the work that the Region has been doing to embed Indigenous perspectives within the curriculum.

Yesterday our Preps went on their first excursion to Bundoora Farm. Despite the weather being rainy, the students and staff enjoyed the day visiting the farm to learn all about the animals. Thank you to Ms Frangos, Mr Thomson and the Prep team for making this day a great event for the Prep students.

We welcomed our new Preps for 2025 to their first transition session last Friday where the classrooms were buzzing with excitement. These will continue on Friday mornings for the next 3 weeks. Our current Preps enjoyed spending time with Primary Years buddies for a fantastic opportunity for cross age activities.

We have a busy few weeks ahead. Please remember that next Wednesday  the 20th of November is the Primary Years Athletics Carnival. We encourage students to dress in their house colours ensuring it is appropriate for participation in physical activity. If students choose not to attend in house colours they need to attend in appropriate school uniform and runners. Students must wear a sun smart hat and it is recommended they bring a water bottle.

I have been fortunate to be part of the Primary Year Captain selection process and I have been so proud of our Year 5 students who have taken the step to put themselves forward by applying for this role. Mr Roberts has been supporting the students through this comprehensive process involving application writing, referees and interviews. We are very lucky to have so many capable and wonderful leaders here at Hazel Glen College and this is a testament to our school community. Our values are evident in the actions of our students.

Our teachers are currently in the process of class placements for 2025. Please note that students are placed with careful consideration taking into account many factors for learning and social/emotional needs. Our aim is to place students so that they are best placed for success. Requests regarding a specific teacher will not be considered in the placement process. Teachers and school leadership are in the best position to place students according to the factors previously outlined. The class placement process is complex and time consuming. Teachers and leaders factor in their knowledge of each student and how they engage in learning and interact with others to make balanced decisions. For reasons of privacy and confidentiality we are not able to share with parents and caregivers the reasons for some placements. We respectfully ask that you trust our school in making these important decisions.

If you could spare five minutes, please take some time to fill out the Newsletter survey here. This will help with planning for 2025. The survey will close Wednesday November 20th.

Andrea Lynch

Head of Primary Years

Hazel Glen College