Principal's Report 

Exciting works are happening around the school!

If you have visited our school grounds recently, you would have seen the works taking place at the back of the library to install a new access ramp, multiple areas being prepared for new concrete ramps, as well as the soft landscaping after the removal of the water tank.

Safety fencing has been installed around all areas where works are taking place. If you are visiting the school grounds outside of school hours or your children are playing under your supervision before 8:45am or after 3:45pm, please do not let them access these areas.

No bikes, skateboards, or scooters on the school site between the hours of 8:30am and 4pm 

It is wonderful to see those students who have embraced active travel and who are now walking to school, or riding their skateboard, scooter, or bike to school. Active travel is a great way to beat the traffic congestion while getting a dose of healthy, heart-pumping physical activity. 

We would like to remind everyone that bikes, skateboards, and scooters must be walked in the school grounds, to ensure the safety of all community members before and after school. Families are welcome to visit the school from 4pm onwards or on weekends to ride their bikes, skateboards, or scooters around the yard. 

2023-2024 School Council 

Following the call for nominations for vacancies on our School Council, I would like to congratulate Cyndi Grant, Jamarl Scase, Tristan Aumann and Andrew Curnow who have been elected as parent members on our School Council for a two-year period. 

Congratulations also to Bree King and Lizzie Henderson who have been elected to the school employee positions on our School Council. 

Thank you to each nominee for their enthusiasm and desire to contribute to our school through School Council membership and for their commitment to help make Bimbadeen Heights Primary School the best it can possibly be. 

The first meeting of the new School Council will be held on Wednesday 22 March. 

Lilydale District Primary School Athletic Sports 

On Friday 3 March, Year 5/6 students excitedly participated in the annual Lilydale District Primary Schools Sports Association Athletics Carnival at the Mount Evelyn Athletics Track. 

The Year 3/4 carnival will be held today, Friday 10 March. These sporting events are a considerable organisational achievement, and we must recognise the work of the Physical Education teachers from the Lilydale District schools who work tirelessly to pull it all together. 

Thank you to our wonderful parents and carers who assisted as volunteers on the day and to those who came as spectators at the event. Thank you also to Ms Russell and our Year 5 and 6 teaching staff who assisted by marshalling groups of students at each event and provided general support to the events throughout the day. Bimbadeen achieved a 5th place in the Year 5/6 competition, with many of our students achieving strong results across the range of events. We are very proud of the incredible efforts of our students and the way in which they conducted themselves, demonstrating our school values and good sportsmanship behaviour throughout the carnivals. 

Special Guest required for our ANZAC Service 

Traditionally, on the last school day before ANZAC Day we hold a special whole school ANZAC ceremony. As ANZAC Day is scheduled for the second day of Term 2, our 2023 

ANZAC Service will be held on Monday 24 April at 2:30pm. Our ANZAC Ceremony is one of the most memorable school assemblies that we hold at Bimbadeen each year and it always makes us proud to see the children showing such respect and learning about this important part of Australia’s history. It is a formal service, but one that is very 

age-appropriate with an educative purpose.  

We strive to have a special guest speaker, preferably a returned Service personnel who we usually access through the RSL. We would love to have a suitable member of our school community or a relative who would be able to come along and speak to the children at this service for no more than 5 minutes. If you know of a suitable person who would be prepared to be a part of our service could you please contact Emily Russell on 9726 9989 or via email to Emily.Russell@education.vic.gov.au by the end of term.  

Change of parent/carer or student details 

Student Resource Funding is determined by parent codes taken from the self-nominated category on student enrolment forms. This means that funds from the Government are taken from the parent/carer occupations. We take this opportunity to remind families to advise the school of any changes to employment. As always, any information is confidential. 

In the case of an emergency, we will attempt to contact parents, and if there is no response, then we move to the emergency contacts. It is important that the office has the most current and correct contact details for any parent to help ensure this will happen. 

Please take this time to check your details on Sentral, and if you find them incorrect, email the office at bimbadeen.heights.ps@education.vic.gov.au and we can amend these for you. 

Arrival Times at School 

In our first newsletter for the year, we reminded our community that the official on duty time at school is 8:45am for our staff. We understand that traffic flow and other challenges sometimes means an earlier arrival, however, we ask that parents and carers avoid dropping off their children any earlier than 8:45am, unless they are attendingActive Club or Breakfast Club. There is no formal supervision of students until this time, and we are obviously conscious of student safety.  

Classroom Doors Open at 8:50am, School Starts at 9am 

Each day, our classroom doors open at 8:50am so students can settle themselves and get organised for the start of the school day. Please plan to arrive at school on time for a 9am start. Our teachers have developed strong, positive routines at the beginning of the school day to support our students settle-in and engage in learning as soon as the bell rings. This includes marking the roll at 9am and beginning our teaching and learning activities straight away. 

We have implemented this approach of opening our classrooms 10 minutes before the bell to support the wellbeing and engagement of our students. When students arrive to school late, they take longer to settle into learning, and this can be unsettling for both them and their peers. 

Please support your child to enjoy a positive start to the school day and their learning by planning to arrive on time. 

Late Arrivals 

When students arrive at school after the bell, they will be marked as a late arrival. As we are now over the halfway mark of Term 1, we hope that our families have created morning drop off routines to support your children to arrive at school on time. Please note, when a student arrives after 9am, a parent/carer must sign them in at the office. This is to provide a reason for the student’s late arrival and ensure our attendance records are up to date. We have a duty of care for all students, and it is imperative that we know when our students are at school and maintain accurate records of attendance. 

The Department of Education requires us to have documented reasons for all late arrivals and absences. 

Child Safety 

In 2013, the Victorian Parliament held an inquiry into the Handling of Child Abuse by Religious and Other Non-Government Organisations, resulting in the Betrayal of Trust Report. As a result, the Victorian Government introduced Child Safe Standards for organisations that work with children, including schools.  Bimbadeen Heights Primary School is committed to child safety and upholding the Child Safe Standards. 

Bimbadeen Heights Primary School has zero tolerance for child abuse. 

We are committed to providing a child safe environment where children and young people are safe and feel safe, and their voices are heard about decisions that affect their lives. Our child safe policies, procedures, strategies, and practices will be inclusive of the needs of all children, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, children with disabilities, LGBTIQA+ students and children who are vulnerable including students who are in out of home care. 

Every person involved in Bimbadeen Heights Primary School has a responsibility to understand the important and specific role they play individually and collectively to ensure that the wellbeing and safety of all children and young people is at the forefront of all they do and every decision they make. 

 Please see the Child Safe Standards page on our school website for up-to-date information, including direct links to the Child Safe Standards and the website for the Commission for Children and Young People. 

We hope you have a wonderful long weekend, feel free to pop in for a chat with either of us, Mr Gill, or any other member of our Leadership team should you wish to discuss anything. Our doors are always open!  

Kind regards,  

Adele Gregson and Sabrina George