Principal's Report

$400 School Saving Bonus

As was advertised in the media some months ago, In Term 4, 2024, families with a child enrolled in a government school from Prep to Year 12 in 2025 will receive the one-off $400 School Saving Bonus credited directly to the school. The $400 School Saving Bonus provides families with support for education-related costs, such as school activities and/or school uniforms and textbooks. Parents will not receive the funds directly, they are paid to the school and then allocated toward specific permitted items. 

Actions for parents and carers

Before 18 October 2024, the Department of Education is asking parents and carers to Check your contact information: Ensure your email address and phone number is up to date with us. You can check this information by reviewing it in Compass by following these steps:

1. Open Compass on the web browser 
2. Click settings (the cog) in the top right hand corner of the screen
3. Select ‘update details’ and check that your mobile and email address are correct.  If not, update as necessary.  The school will receive a notification.

We need to ensure your contact information is up to date as the Department of Education will email you twice:

• in October, to verify your email address
• in November, with your $400 School Saving Bonus and access to an online system.

Please check your junk mail regularly to make sure you do not miss an important email.

To learn more about the School Saving Bonus, download visit vic.gov.au/school-saving-bonus. 

Infinite Illusions Performance

Congratulations to the Grade 5/6 students on the incredible Infinite Illusions circus and dance performance last Wednesday. The commitment shown over the term to practice both disciplines showed, as did the pure joy that came from the experience. Congratulations to Traci and all the Grade 5/6 teachers for their roles in supporting the students throughout the term and realising such an incredible night. Many thanks to Megan Lester for coordinating the Snack Bar before the show and during the interval and to all the teachers and parents that volunteered to keep everyone refreshed! 

Father’s Day Stall Thanks

A huge thank you to Carlo and Melissa Cajili, Natalie Whiston, Ngaio Parker for running an incredible Father’s Day stall last Friday. As with the Mother’s Day stall, the event provided students the opportunity to purchase an array of gifts for dad and raised significant funds for the school; over $4000! These funds will be put toward the purchase of planter boxes for our Quadrangle which students will help plant out and care for. 

A huge thank you also to everyone who donated generously when purchasing tickets for the stall to the Da Silveira Family to assist with the recent loss of their beloved dad Matthew. The Father's Day Stall was dedicated to their family and the PA and all of us hope it helps in some small way. 

Battle of the Boots

Congratulations to all the dads that played in the annual Battle of the Boots game against St Mary’s last Saturday. The standard was fantastic in the bright sunshine and there were lots of families in attendance. Congratulations goes to St Mary’s for winning the game, but more importantly to the team around the organisation. Thanks to Ben Stevens, Rob Liepa, Mike Cahill and all that helped out. A special shout out as well to Bodhi, Kadyn and Jack who collected over 1100 cans and bottles to recycle using the Can Deposit Scheme to donate the funds back to the school. This is incredibly entrepreneurial and generous! 

Pizza Oven

Presently, we are looking for opportunities to provide our students with greater opportunities to be engaged in the outdoors, with a particular focus on gardening, harvesting and preparing food direct from paddock to plate. To support this, we have been generously supported by some local organisations and grants, most recently from Patio Chef, who donated two pizza ovens and a range of accessories. 

What they’ve donated equates to over $1000 worth of products! 

We encourage you, should you be in the market for a Pizza Oven or perhaps a little late on the Father’s Day present buying to support this company, the director of whom has been so generous and supportive. You can find them at: 

Facebook: @patiochefau

Instagram: @patiochefau

www.patiochef.com.au

State Soccer Finals

As we speak, our 5/6 Soccer Team is playing in the State Finals at the Darebin International Sports Centre. After a hard fought 0-0 draw in Game 1, which the boys largely dominated in tough, windy conditions, they comprehensively beat Ballarat Grammar 6-0 in Game 2. A win in the final pool game shortly will see them play off in the final. Go get 'em HPS!

Non-Returning students in 2025

Planning for 2025 has already begun; should your child not be returning to HPS next year, please contact the office so that we can account for this. we will of course continue to provide every opportunity and support to all children regardless of future intentions and plans. 

Beaut Blokes Afternoon

Thank you to the many dads and male figures who took the time to come along on Friday afternoon to spend time together and in classrooms. There were hundreds in attendance for the BBQ which provided a great chance to connect and classrooms (and the oval) were full. We sincerely appreciate your engagement in your child’s education and hope you had a fantastic day on Sunday. 

Parent Teacher Interviews

Please be reminded that Parent Teacher Interviews will occur from 9th – 13th September, with bookings closing this Friday 6th September. All bookings are made via Compass (Conferences); please contact the office for support in making a booking. 

Interschool Snow Sports Championships 2024

Congratulations to all of our students and families that participated in the Interschool Snow Sports Championships recently. Below is a reflection from one of our team, Mark Zagriichuk. 

The Interschool Snow Sports was held on Mt Buller from 18th – 25th of August. Students from Prep to Year 6 enrolled to compete at the event against Victorian primary schools.

When you arrived at the mountain you would be given out a bib or bibs depending if you did one competition or more. On the bib it would have your number, when you arrive at the competition you listen for your number. When your number has been called out you go in line to compete and have fun. 

There were three events: moguls, ski cross, alpine GS. In moguls you had to jump, do a trick and ride carefully around moguls without using pizza, your score in this event was scored by judges. 

In Ski Cross you go down a path as fast as you can and your score depends on how fast you went down. In Alpine GS you had to go around flags while going down a hill. Just like in ski cross your score depends on your time. There were also two events for snowboarders. 

On the first day there was an opening ceremony. You had to get in your school groups and walk down the entrance to the ski lifts. After every school had gone down there were fireworks. After the fireworks everyone went home. 

The second day was really bad. There was a 69 km wind blowing at you, the temperature was +2, but it felt like -9. When you were skiing on the course you were constantly getting pushed away and slowed down. When you went on the jumps you get blown away 2 metres while you are in the air. On exposed chairlifts it felt like you were in a tornado, some chairlifts had to stop working because of the wind. After the first two days, snowboard events started and after that the secondary school students came to do their competitions.

It was a great opportunity!

New & Important Dates

• Parent Teacher Interviews: September 9th - 13th 
• Curriculum Day: Monday 4th November
• Curriculum Day: Monday 9th December

To stay up to date with all events and key dates, see the Compass Calendar. 

Reminder: Hats

As the warmer weather arrives, students are reminded that hats must be worn each day or they will be required to play in shaded areas on the Alhambra Stage or in the Rotunda. 

Celebrations

On the weekend, several Hampton Primary School students competed in the Bayside District Netball finals. There were multiple Hampton teams involved who all displayed excellent sportsmanship and determination. 

Congratulations to the Hampton Hammers U/9 Lightning Team consisting of Eden, Jessa, Murphy, Josie, Eliza, Mackenzie, Isla and Willow. They represented the team magnificently making their way throughout the season undefeated and earning their way through the round robin phase and beating Haileybury in the final. Well done girls!