Principal's Report
We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work, learn and play. We pay respect to Wurundjeri elders past, present and emerging and extend our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and families of Bimbadeen Heights Primary School.
Our Open Night took place on Wednesday, 21 May, welcoming families and friends to explore a vibrant cultural trail filled with hands-on activities throughout the school. The school looked stunning, beautifully decorated with student work that truly showcased their creativity and learning.
Guests enjoyed wandering through our classrooms and engaging with the diverse learning environments, and celebrating the spirit of our community. The highlight, as always, was the Art Show — featuring two or more artworks from every student, all centred around the captivating theme 'Out of this World, Glow'. Ms Laird once again outdid herself, creating a spectacular display that left everyone inspired and in awe.
This year, we added an exciting new element: a Silent Auction, where community members had the opportunity to bid on collaborative artworks created by each class. We were delighted that every piece sold, raising almost $1,400 to directly support our Visual Art program. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this possible!
A heartfelt thank you to all our community members who joined us for the evening, and a huge shoutout to our dedicated staff for their hard work in preparing and hosting such a memorable Open Night. We’re incredibly proud to share the wonderful learning and creativity happening every day at Bimbadeen.
This year, to mark the 25th Anniversary of National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS), all our classes joined in the celebration by sharing the special book The Truck Cat by Anna Walker.
National Simultaneous Storytime is a wonderful annual event coordinated by the Australian Library & Information Association (ALIA). Each year, a picture book written and illustrated by Australians is chosen to be read simultaneously in libraries, schools, and homes across the country — and even around the world!
Our students have loved participating in this year’s NSS story sessions throughout the school last week. It’s been a fantastic way to come together as a community and celebrate our shared love of reading and storytelling.
On Thursday 22 May, 54 of our students proudly represented Bimbadeen Primary School at the District Cross Country Carnival held at Lilydale Lake. These students earned their place by demonstrating outstanding performance at our whole-school cross country event.
Throughout the competition, our students showed incredible resilience, one of our core school values, as they raced against strong competitors from schools across the Lilydale Sports District. Their determination and sportsmanship were truly inspiring.
We are especially excited to congratulate four students, Lachlan H, Hayley N, Alexis S, and Zoe B, who have qualified to move on to the next level, the Yarra Division competition, to be held at Yarra Glen Racecourse next week. We are very proud of their hard work and dedication and wish them the very best of luck as they continue to represent our school with pride.
Well done to all students who participated, you made us proud!
On Monday 26 May, our school community came together to acknowledge National Sorry Day — a deeply significant day for all Australians to reflect on the strength and resilience of Stolen Generations Survivors, and to consider how each of us can play a part in the healing and reconciliation of our nation.
National Sorry Day holds profound meaning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, commemorating the pain caused by past government policies that forcibly removed children from their families. While especially significant for Indigenous communities, this day is also recognised and observed by Australians across the country as a collective call to remember, respect, and move forward together.
At Bimbadeen, all classes took time on National Sorry Day and throughout National Reconciliation Week to honour its importance through activities that celebrated Aboriginal achievements and encouraged reflection on the meaning of reconciliation. These reflections tie directly to our curriculum theme of ‘First Contacts’ for Foundation to Year 6, reinforcing our commitment to fostering respectful relationships and cultural understanding throughout the school.
As a school community, we remain dedicated to nurturing respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and the wider community. Through ongoing activities and learning experiences, we aim to deepen our students’ understanding of Indigenous histories, cultures, and contributions — a vital step toward achieving true reconciliation.
You may have noticed us wearing rainbow capes during our yard duty before school or at the end of the school day, and you might have wondered why. Well, those capes are our ‘birthday capes’, and they’re a sign that we’re either on our way to visit a student for their birthday or just returning from one of these special visits.
At Bimbadeen, we have a wonderful tradition where each student receives a personal birthday visit from either Mrs Gregson, Mrs George, or Mr Gill on their special day. During the visit, the student is given a birthday card designed by our Year 6 students (which means they collect 7 different cards over their time at Bimbadeen—what a fun keepsake!). They also get to choose a birthday treat from our birthday basket.
The most special part of these visits is spending quality time with our students, celebrating their learning and achievements, and simply connecting with them. We always aim to visit students on their actual birthday if it falls on a school day. For those whose birthdays fall during school holidays, we make sure to visit them at the beginning of the next term, or after a weekend or public holiday birthday.
The smile on our students’ faces when they see us coming with our birthday cape are a simple but wonderful delight, and it’s one of the highlights of our day.
Reporting on your child’s learning progress is an important part of how we work together to support every student in reaching their full potential. Our teachers are currently gathering information and preparing for formal assessments that will help shape the mid-year reports.
These reports provide detailed information about your child’s progress in all subject areas for Semester 1.
Mid-year reports will be available to parents and carers on the Sentral Parent Portal from Monday 30 June at 4pm. Reports can be viewed online as a PDF or printed at your convenience.
To access the reports, you will need to be registered and able to log in to the Sentral Parent Portal. If you haven’t registered yet or are experiencing any difficulties, please contact our Sentral coordinator, Melinda Ruscitti, at Melinda.Ruscitti@education.vic.gov.au, or reach out to Shelley or Emma in the office for assistance.
Parent/Teacher Interviews will be held in Weeks 2 and 3 of Term 3, with information being sent to families later this term. Bookings will open at the beginning of the final week of term and can be made online via Sentral. Interviews will be held either in person, with a Webex and telephone option.
The May meeting of School Council was held on Wednesday 21 May. School Councils play an important role in Victorian government schools. The Bimbadeen Heights PS School Council is committed to sharing our work with the Bimbadeen community. To strengthen communication between council and our parents/carers, after each School Council meeting, we share information about School Council, including general information about the functions and operations of council and the specific work of our own council at Bimbadeen.
The work of our School Council is guided by the key functions of School Councils. These functions are prescribed in the Education and Training Reform Act and the Education and Training Reform Regulations and provide a clear picture about what school council does. To support our community with their understanding of the role and work of our council, below is a summary of the key functions of school councils:
Late last Term, we presented our 2024 Annual Report to School Council. The report shows that we have made good progress in most areas of the curriculum, and we have others where we are still seeking to make further progress.
The 2024 Annual Reporting Meeting of School Council will be held in August where Adele Gregson (Principal and Executive Officer of School Council) and Kate Rogers (School Council President) will share a summary of the activities and achievements of council in the previous year, along with a summary of our 2024 Annual Report. Further information about this meeting will be shared with families at the beginning of Term 3.
The 2024 Annual Report can be accessed via our school website under the Current Parents tab.
Mrs Gregson will be taking leave from Monday next week and will return on Thursday 19 June. During this time, Mrs George will be stepping into the role of Acting Principal.
If you have any questions or matters you would normally direct to Mrs Gregson, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Mrs George during this period.
We hope you enjoy a lovely weekend.
Kind regards,
Adele Gregson, Sabrina George and Marty Gill
