HCC News and Announcements

PFA Community Picnic/Dinner

On Saturday 20 February, the PFA will be holding a community dinner. This will be a great opportunity to meet new families within the school, catch up and make new friends.

This event will be held outdoors near the Grade 4 classroom and playground from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.

Due to the restrictions and changing circumstances, we will not be sharing food as we have done in previous years but instead we will be having a BYO picnic.

Please bring picnic food for your own family. This will be a nice and relaxing evening to get together and build on our already fantastic community.

I hope you can join us! If you have any questions, please contact Renee Carter at reneecarter@netspace.net.au or on 0419 358 002.

Renee Carter

PFA President

HCC School Photo Day

On photograph day, students will need to wear their summer uniform, blazers for Secondary students and no jumpers or sports uniform, even if they usually have sport on that day.

We are aware that students in Grades 3 to 6 have swimming lessons on Friday 26 February. Students will need to wear their formal school uniform for their photos, which will be taken before they leave for swimming and they will change into their bathers at the venue.

GA GA Pit

We are putting out the call for parents with some ‘handyperson’ skills to assist us in constructing our first ‘Ga Ga Pit’. Gaga is a fast-paced, high energy sport played in an octagonal pit. The more players the better! Dubbed a kinder gentler version of dodge ball, the game is played with a soft foam ball, and combines the skills of dodging, striking, running, and jumping while trying to hit opponents with a ball below the knees.

It is relatively simple to construct, we just need some people to help build it. We are planning to construct it at our first working bee on Saturday 27 February, 8:30am. If you have some skills and passion to assist please let the College office know.

Peter Cliffe

Executive Principal

First Working Bee for 2021

Our first working bee for the year is being held on Saturday 27 February, 8:30am – 11:00am (please note the earlier start and finish times compared to previous years). The first working bee is primarily for families with surnames beginning with A-K. However, if you are a L-Z family you are welcome to attend this working bee instead of another one if this date suits you better.

There is one working bee scheduled per term and families are encouraged to attend two working bees for the year. The dates for the four working bees (one per term) are published in the newsletter (Upcoming Events page). You will receive a credit of $75 towards your school fees for each working bee you attend (maximum of $150 credit).

Working bees are actually a lot of fun, and a great way to meet parents and at the same time put something back into the College. The types of jobs undertaken at working bees include gardening, cleaning, painting and general maintenance. We usually break the work up with morning tea, so there is time to chat and mingle with the other parents. Please bring a plate of morning tea to share. This may be left of the staffroom table when you arrive.

We do request for people to bring their own equipment. Of particularly use are whippersnippers, wheelbarrows, rakes, garden forks (great for moving mulch), spades and household cleaning items. We have a lot of mulch to be raked out and spread under garden beds. It would be helpful if a few people could bring wheelbarrows, garden forks and rakes to assist with this.

It is a near certainty that you will get dirty, so please wear old clothing! We would appreciate people parking at the western end of the car park, near the Telstra building, and to walk through the Secondary locker area towards the staff room where you can sign in and be allocated or choose from a list of jobs. The front doors of the auditorium will be locked. Phil Eastman will be coordinating the working bee.

Sustainability Week & Annual Flea Market

Sustainability Week will be taking place in Week 6 (March 1 – 5). The week will be filled with activities and initiatives to raise awareness and encourage action among the College community.

Due to ongoing concerns and restrictions surrounding COVID, our annual flea market will not be held in the same week. In order to run it to its full capacity, it is being postponed. We will inform you of the date soon.

Numeracy support

Numeracy support provides time and space for students to get extra help with Maths. These sessions occur every Tuesday at lunch in Room 21 with Mrs Van or Mrs Gover.

Operoo

A friendly reminder to all parents to check your child/ren's Operoo medical profile and ensure that all details are up to date. It is critical that this information is accurate and kept up to date, so that the staff at HCC can provide the best possible care to each of our students, should the need arrive.

All new parents/guardians should have received an email invitation from Operoo, to set up your childs profile. If you have not received this, we suggest that you check your spam/junk email and then contact the College office on 8551 6650 if you still do not have the email.

If you have forgotten your password or are unable to log in to your Operoo account for other reasons, you will need to contact Operoo direclty, their contact details are as follows:

Email address: support@operoo.com

Phone Number: Australia: +61 3 8566 7727

Website: https://www.operoo.com

We appreciate your assistance. Thank you.

Phil Eastman

Head of Campus

Financial Assistance:Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)

Every Victorian child should have access to the world of learning opportunities that exist beyond the classroom. The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps ensure that no student will miss out on the opportunity to join their classmates for important, educational and fun activities. It is part of making Victoria the Education State and the Government’s commitment to breaking the link between a student’s background and their outcomes.

CAMPS, SPORTS & EXCURSIONS

FUND (CSEF)

School camps provide children with inspiring experiences in the great outdoors. Excursions encourage a deeper understanding of how the world works while sports teach teamwork, discipline and leadership. All are a part of a healthy curriculum.

CSEF is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.

If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. A special consideration category also exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

The annual CSEF amount per student is:

$125 for primary school students
$225 for secondary school students

HOW TO APPLY

New applicants should contact the College office to obtain a CSEF application form or download from the website below.

If you applied for CSEF last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.

You only need to complete an application form if any of the following changes have occurred:

new student enrolments; your child has started or changed schools this year.
changed family circumstances; such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing this year.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about CSEF visit:

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/csef.aspx