Principal's Report

Over the past two days, I have been in attendance at a Statewide Principal’s Conference for all DET Principals. Whilst there was much to take away from the event, there were some learnings, themes and reminders that were particularly interesting or relevant that I wanted to share with you all. 

There have already been two meta-analyses completed concerning remote learning and the impact on learning, involving millions of students. Thus far, the data demonstrates that due to the quality of online instruction, the impact on learning to pleasingly be similar to that of the summer holidays. Learning loss over these two years remains a challenge for us to address at an individual level, but across our system and therefore school, we should feel buoyed that long term learning impacts should not be substantial.

Staffing shortages and significant student absences are presenting as a very real problem across the state, as you may have read about in various newspaper articles recently. Whilst it’s great to be back at school, we need to maintain vigilance to ensure your children are here as much as possible (please see Health and Safety section).

There will be a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement implemented shortly as it has been endorsed by DET staff across the state. This includes some practical changes such as the reinstatement of Professional Practise Days for teachers each term and being provided with Time in Lieu for out of hours commitments such as camps. We await further guidance as to the implementation of these along with other changes.

There are very real challenges for many schools in filling vacancies for teaching positions, not just for days when there is illness but for permanent positions as well where the pool of teachers has been exhausted by other initiatives. The DET is working to address this over the coming months and years. 

There are some positives and challenges within these points, however, we are very well placed to be able to capitalise on the opportunities and tackle the difficulties and look forward to continued progress and improvement for the remainder of the year. 

One of our strengths as a school is your contribution and engagement in our school and your child’s education which enriches us greatly. Over the past fortnight, this has been prominent. The following events have been filled with fun, participation, contribution and volunteerism and have been a pleasure to be a part of. 

THANK YOU!

Election Day BBQ & Cake Stall

Thank you to the vast majority of our community who baked for the cake stall or helped man the BBQ or stall throughout the Federal Election. The turnout of cakes and treats was incredible and all volunteer spots were filled, making for an excellent event. In total, over $5000 was raised which is an outstanding effort. A huge thank you goes to Kim and Shona for their tireless organisation and each of their supporting parents (particularly the Grade 4s) for your time and commitment to the event. 

Working Bee 

We tried an afternoon time slot for the working bee this term and whilst it didn’t see the turnout we were hoping for, those that did support did a mountain of work. Thank you to Colleen Benzie, Zada Lau, Hamish Ross, Vicky Liang, Darren Hornstra, Dan Kokken, Travis Johnson and any other helpers who were present (including children). Our school had some long-overdue maintenance completed and a big clean up that would otherwise not have been possible. 

Open Morning

Thank you to everyone who turned up to the open morning for Education Week in classes and beforehand to the ‘town hall meeting’. The level of engagement at all year levels was very pleasing and I am sure that the enjoyment of your children at having you in their room was reciprocated by you in being able to be involved.

Bogan Bingo

This parent event was, from all reports, ‘wildly popular and a lot of fun. It sold out very quickly initially and so I’m sure there are thoughts around similar opportunities for parents to connect and let your hair down. A huge thank you to Jane and the Parents’ Association for your organisation and flawless execution once again!

GRADE 5 & 6 CAMPS

Our Grade 5 and 6 students, teachers and some volunteering parents are braving the elements on their respective camps in Cape Schanck (Gr 5) and the Twelve Apostles (Gr 6). Whilst not being served up ideal weather, they are having a fantastic time, adjusting activities where necessary and supporting and challenging each other throughout. Camps require a monumental amount of time and effort to organise and require all adults to be away from their families for a whole week. A huge thank you to staff Alicia, Bec, Tom, Dani, Nick, Cindi, Sharon, Rob and Max, as well as parent volunteers Dan Nicholls, Chris Sando, Joanna McMahon, Kim Lambeth, Sally Foreman, Predrag Trajkovic, Melissa Da Silveira Tom Knowles, Adam Landry, Glen Edmonds, Rowena Lee and Con Lambrou. Without you, camps would not be possible and our students would not share in the joy, memories and character building experiences that they are.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

As the first day of Winter is upon us, and not leaving us in any doubt given the weather, it serves as a strong reminder that as with other years, we often see a spike in illnesses. Over the past two years, we have practised many COVID-safe strategies such as mask-wearing, hand washing and sanitising, physical distancing and isolating with any viral symptoms. Over this term, we have seen more student and staff absence than ever before and I, therefore, encourage all of you to revert to these strategies when appropriate, to maximise your child’s ability to attend school every day, have their teacher with them each day and most importantly, be healthy and happy. 

RECONCILIATION WEEK

Reconciliation Week is an important week for all Australians and one that we celebrate in a multitude of ways at HPS. There is much more information regarding this on the Curriculum Page which I won’t detract from, however, I do want to congratulate the artists that were successful in being shortlisted for the Ellen Jose Reconciliation Awards (some samples below and on front page banner). We had over half of the total nominations and some success as well as written about in the Curriculum section. Shortlisted students were: 

• Grade 6: Sasha
• Grade 5: Charlotte, Sienna, Skylar
• Grade 4: Molly B, Zoe, Lucy
• Grade 3: Sam, Molly B, Mina, Jacob, Eva

BUILDING UPGRADE PETITION

As we have communicated regularly over the past twelve months School Council are currently working to secure funding for more appropriate and updated facilities for our student and the broader community to enjoy. This includes a multipurpose stadium for sport, assemblies and community use and redesigned classrooms. A key component of our success will be demonstrating the desire and need from our community to the state government and local politicians. We have a petition to capture this and Council is seeking your support by signing the petition and sharing it with others if you can. A link to the petition is included below, as well as a QR code and full URL should you wish to share with the broader community. 

www.change.org/hps_school_upgrade

CELEBRATIONS

Congratulations to our Grade 5/6 Futsal Team (photo above) that recently won the State Futsal Championships. This is an incredible result and one which the boys should be very proud of. Thank you to all the parents who attended and supported on the day, and especially Mark Sloane who instigated and coordinated the whole thing. They have been invited to the National Tournament in September which we hope they can attend.

ASSEMBLY REMINDER

Assembly is being held weekly on Friday afternoons and will hopefully be in the Quadrangle when weather permits. When it is held here, all parents are invited to attend. If it is too cold or wet and has to be held in the BER (Grade 5/6 building), we ask that only parents that have been specifically invited due to your child's engagement attend due to space limitations. The assembly is on the Compass calendar and each week will be updated on Friday at lunch as to the location so if you are intending to attend, please check this first.