Dear HPS Community,

There has been great excitement here today as many of our students get ready to dance the evening away at the annual HPS school disco! Thank you to all the parents and carers who will volunteer their support to ensure a successful and fun event. Have a great time everyone.

Thank you to the staff and students who showered Helen, Monique and I with well wishes

and gratitude in recognition of Principals' Day today. We enjoyed a lovely morning tea, were given flowers and received an abundance of beautiful letters and cards. We appreciate the thoughtfulness, kindness and support.

It was wonderful to see families around Wednesday and Thursday after school for the 3 Way Conferences with classroom teachers and to engage with our specialist teachers. We loved the opportunity for the partnership between home and school partnership strengthened and the students contributing to their learning journey through reflection, celebration and identifying strategies for further development. Well done to everyone who participated.

Thank you to Ms Dani Durando for organising an author visit from Gabrielle Wang! Gabrielle is a renowned Australian author and illustrator who has inspired our Year 3-6 students to continue to engage in reading, writing and illustrations.

A very big congratulations to our Foundation students who this week celebrated 100 Days of School! The students and teachers dressed up to represent 100 in some truly fantastic ways. Good on you all for reaching this milestone and becoming 100 days more clever.

SAC have been providing lots of fun and educational opportunities as well. They have recently celebrated pyjama day, dental hygiene week and emoji day! Thank you to all our SAC staff who do an amazing job with our before and after care program.

Communicating with children during the school day

I would like to ask parents and carers to please refrain from communicating directly with their child through phones, iPads or smart watches during the school day, or whilst at SAC.

Sending or receiving messages from devices does not align to the expectations outlined in our policy. In the event of an emergency or if you need to immediately contact your child, I request that families contact the school office, or SAC office where applicable, who will pass on a message as required.

This helps ensure that school is a learning environment free from unnecessary distractions and disruptions.

Our Mobile Phone policy defines a mobile phone as a telephone with access to a cellular (telecommunication) system, with or without a physical connection to a network. For the purpose of this policy, “mobile phone” refers to mobile phones and any device that may connect to or have a similar functionality to a mobile phone such as smart watches.

Heidelberg Primary School understands that students may bring a personal mobile phone to school, particularly if they are travelling independently to and from school.

At Heidelberg Primary School:

• Students who choose to bring mobile phones to school must have them switched off and securely stored during school hours

• Exceptions to this policy may be applied if certain conditions are met (see full policy)

• When emergencies occur, parents or carers should reach their child by calling the school’s office.

I ask for the support of all our families, staff and students in continuing to support the implementation of this policy in our school.

Parent Opinion Survey

Thank you to the 26 families who have so far been able to complete the survey. We would really value having more families complete it before the Friday 30th August closing date.

“We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.”– Bill Gates

Book week

It's nearly that time of the year again, when creativity and the wonderful world of books collide! Start thinking about and planning for your book week costume for 2024. A whole school parade will be held on the morning of Friday 23rd August. Families welcome to attend and join in the fun.

Berry St Education Model

On Monday 26th August it is a pupil free day where no students are required to attend school. Staff will complete Day 2 of the Berry St Education training.

School Aged Care (SAC) will provide a program catering for up to 45 students on the day. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.

Upcoming Dates

Friday 2nd August Tuesday 6th August	School Disco School Council - 7pm
Mon 19th- Wed 21st August	Year 4 Camp - Lady Northcote Discovery Camp
Friday 23rd August	Book Week parade
Monday 26th August	Pupil Free Day - no students
Thursday 19th September Friday 20th September Monday 7th October	Matsuri Day Last day term 3 - 2.30pm finish Term 4 commences
Monday 4th November	Teacher Professional Practice Day - no students
Tuesday 5th November	Melbourne Cup Public Holiday (Student Free Day)

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and great week ahead.

Naomi Ivers

Principal

Heidelberg Primary School

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