End of Term 1

Date: Friday, 27 March, 2020

Kinder Finish Time: 1.00pm

Prep to Year 6 Finish Time: 1.15pm

Year 7 to Year 12 Finish Time: 1.30pm

Bus departure: 1.40pm

If you are not intending to use the bus on the last day of Term 1, please ensure you advise buses@bhcs.vic.edu.au in advance.

There will be no lunch orders on this day.

Potential Email Delivery Issue - Hotmail & Outlook Email Accounts

It has come to our attention that Hotmail and Outlook email addresses may not be receiving correspondence from the school.

This is due to security measures that this provider has introduced, and is therefore unfortunately out of our control to change.

Attached can be found instructions that Hotmail and Outlook account users can follow to try and prevent this issue from occurring. By adding these “Rules” to your Hotmail and Outlook account you are in effect adding BHCS email addresses to your safe list.

If you would like correspondence sent to an alternate email account, please update your details within CareMonkey, or email office@bhcs.vic.edu.au so we can update our systems for you.

Thank you for your understanding.

Don't forget to wear your full formal uniform on Tuesday and bring your school jumper!

Sibling Photo Day

Sibling Photo day will take place on Thursday, March 26. Information has now been emailed home to all families, and a copy is included here for your reference. The attachment includes instructions on how to order and book your family's sibling photos. Orders must be made prior to March 26 in order to confirm a sibling photo booking for your family.

Junior Assembly

There will be a Junior Assembly this Friday, 13 March at 9am in the Discovery Centre. Please feel free to join us!

Opening Car Doors in Pick up Zone

We kindly ask all drivers to please be mindful when opening car doors when in the pick-up/drop-off zone. Please look for passing traffic (particularly buses) to prevent any accidents.

Keeping our children safe online

We all want to keep our children safe on-line. Please check out this excellent online resource from the e-Safety Commissioner.

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/big-issues/unwanted-contact

VCE Students and Parents

As outlined at the recent information night, if you believe your child may be eligible for special consideration for assessment tasks or examinations please make contact urgently with either Vicky Fraanje vfraanje@bhcs.vic.edu.au or Michelle Visser mvisser@bhcs.vic.edu.au. Applications close on 27 March 2020. This is predominantly concerned with pre-existing and ongoing learning and health concerns. This does not exclude emergency considerations which may occur later in the year.

Maths & Science - Ice Tea Bottles Needed

The science department urgently needs 1.25lt Iced Tea Bottles for the Maths/Science Night. If you can help (raid the recycling!) please bring bottles to reception for collection -Thank you in advance.

Students at school before and after hours

Please be reminded that students should not be on school grounds (unless in Camp Australia) prior to 8.30am or after 3.45pm. Students should also not be in our Discovery Centre prior to or after these times.

We do understand that the school grounds are a great way for families to connect outside of school hours, but respectfully request that all families actively supervise and are aware of their children’s whereabouts during this time. We particularly request this in relation to the Junior School area.

The Junior School area is out of bounds for both Middle and Senior school students during school hours unless they are under the direct instruction of a teacher. We thank families in advance for partnering with us in relation to this.

PTV Approved Student ID Cards

The Department of Transport has made an important change to the rules related to the expiry date of PTV Approved School Student ID (PASSI) cards.

Until now, PTV required an expiry date being the last day of February (not exceeding the year after a student is supposed to finish Year 12). For example, if a student begins Year 7 in 2020, then the maximum card expiry date would be 28/02/2026. If your PASSI card was printed with a different date to 28/02, then this ID card wouldn’t have been accepted when trying to buy a Student Pass.

Following feedback from schools and parents, a change has now been made: PASSI cards will now be accepted when buying a Student Pass if the ID is valid on the day of purchase. The ID card doesn’t need to be valid for the duration of the pass being bought. For example, a student visits a station on 10 March 2020 to buy Student Pass. The expiry date on their PASSI card is 1 April 2020 (in 3 weeks’ time) – therefore this PASSI card is valid for this purchase.

School Bus & Shuttle Services

We would like to remind all school families of the following:

Casual bus use is not available.
Students must embark and disembark at their allocated stop and should not get off at a different stop without having made prior arrangements with the school office.
Travel on an alternative buses for social engagements is not permissible.

Should families experience an emergency they are encouraged to email buses@bhcs.vic.edu.au. In cases of emergency, where room is available, the School will work with families to find the most suitable arrangement.

Alinta Uniform Shop

The Uniform Shop business hours during school terms are:

Monday 8.00am-10.00

Tuesday 8.00am - 10.00am

Thursday 2.00pm- 4.00pm

Updated Advice - Coronavirus

School excursions to public places

We are continuing to monitor the situation in relation to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and understand given the current climate that some families may have reservations about their children attending large scale events where they may interact with the general public or are in contact with more people than just those from our direct school community. This would be particularly true for families who have members that fall into higher risk categories than others when it comes to the coronavirus. We therefore understand and respect the right of families to choose for their child not to participate in excursions that include such events. BHCS is keeping well updated with regard the ongoing situation relating to coronavirus and will ensure that we keep school families advised of any developments or changes.

For those with children who are sick

The School has become aware that a number of families are continuing to send their children to school while they are unwell. In order to minimise the impact on our all staff and students, we strongly urge parents to please keep their children at home, particularly if they are displaying cold and flu symptoms and/or have a fever. Should your child come to school while they are unwell, the School will contact families and will request that they retrieve their child and will recommend that families seek medical advice.

Resources on the coronavirus

We have made the latest fact sheet and a series of links available via our website. This will ensure that families do not have to trawl through the newsletter or emails to find the necessary resources.

The latest fact sheet for schools, parents and students can be found here

Further resource links can be found on our website on the Parent Resource page at https://www.bhcs.vic.edu.au/parent-resources/other

Upcoming School Events

Kinder Easter Festivals

Maths & Science Night -Thursday 26th March

BHCS ItzAAA-Circus-Fest 2020 -Friday 24th April