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.
What a fantastic start to the term, with our students settling in quickly, and diving right back into their learning!
We have an exciting, action-packed term ahead, so please ensure you check Sentral for regular updates about events and activities across the school.
We are very pleased to welcome Matthew Gates to our Bimbadeen staffing team. Mr Gates has been appointed to the classroom teaching role in 5OM for the remainder of the year and will continue as a permanent member of staff. Please see below, an introduction from Mr Gates:
I am super excited to be a part of the Bimbadeen Heights community and join this terrific school. I have a strong passion for helping students learn in a way that best suits their individual needs, while also fostering a learning environment that helps students feel safe and excited to be in the classroom.
Outside of the classroom, I have a deep passion for sports, particularly the footy! I also thoroughly enjoy travelling and exploring new places, the world is such a big place! I cannot wait to begin to teach in Grade 5 and look forward to finishing the year strong.
Throughout this year, students at Bimbadeen Heights Primary School have demonstrated their amazing skills, passions, and talents through a range of enrichment opportunities. The Science Talent Search is a competition where students can either work independently, or with a partner to develop a science project (that will be completed at home). This year’s topic was ‘Species Survival: more than just sustainability’, and we had 13 students across the school submit projects.
The results are in, and the students below were awarded the following:
Acknowledgement:
Aubrey S an Amelia T - Project Title: Climate Change affecting Polar Bears, Section Middle Primary Scientific Posters and Wall charts
Merit:
Anastasia L and Thomas B - Project Title: Little Penguin’s Quest: Saving the Krill for the Ocean Creatures, Section: Middle Primary, Creative Writing
Tilly H – Project Title: Quoll Book, Section: Middle Primary, Creative Writing
Distinction:
Lucas C – Project Title: To Save Tassie Devils, Section: Lower Primary, Science Photography
Lincoln and Jackson B - Project Title: Species Survival: More than just sustainability, Section: Lower Primary, Posters & Scientific Wall Charts
Addison G – Project Title: Bird Search, Section: Lower Primary, Experimental Research
Lauren B and Katie O - Project Title: Mountain Pigmy Possum and Bogon Moth, Section: Middle Primary, Games
Major Bursary:
Alyssa C – Project Title: Franny the Firefly Flies around Australia, Section: Middle Primary, Creative Writing
Jordan O - Project Title: Water Filter, Section: Upper Primary, Working Models
All students will be awarded their certificates and feedback at an upcoming assembly, with our bursary winners awards and medallions to be sent to schools towards the end of October. This information will be provided to those students when it comes to hand.
Congratulations, Nikita
Last term, Nikita achieved his junior brown belt in karate. Nikita has now achieved his Sempai title (Sempai Nikita), and he has moved to the Junior Advanced group. This means he now has the right to assist the teacher with other classes! This is a big achievement for Nikita after years of hard work. His family (and we) are very proud of him (contributed by Nikita’s mum, Yulia).
Congratulations, Sophie, Anna and Layla!
Sophie P (3KH), Anna D and Layla R (1WD) are part of the Vibe Studios Rattlesnakes, Mini Level 1 team.
On September 21st they competed in the AASCF State championships and won their division! Very exciting!
On top of that they were also runners up level 1 grand champions for the day - that means they scored the second highest score out of 36 level 1 teams which range in ages from 5 - 15.
On Thursday this week the girls performed their routine to their classes, and everyone loved it!
Their families (and we) are extremely proud of the girls, and they are proud of themselves also!
Up next they have Spring Carnival at the end of October and then the first week of December we all head up to Queensland for Nationals! (contributed by Sophie’s mum, Karen).
As shared with you previously, parents and carers of every child enrolled in a Victorian government school in 2025 will receive the one-off School Saving Bonus $400 support.
In the coming months, the Department of Education will send you 2 email communications for each of your children enrolled in Victorian government schools.
By Friday 18 October 2024, please ensure that your child’s 2025 enrolment is completed and that your contact information is up to date.
The 2 emails from the Department of Education will:
If you do not receive a confirmation email from the department by late-November, please check your spam or junk folders and contact the office on 9726 9989, if needed.
You can read more about the School Saving Bonus on the Department of Education website, with key information now available in 14 different languages.
Grass pollen season, which typically runs from October to December each year in Victoria, brings an increase in asthma and hay fever symptoms. It also increases the risk of thunderstorm asthma. For people with asthma or hay fever, especially those who experience wheezing or coughing with their hay fever, thunderstorm asthma can be sudden, serious and even life threatening.
Bimbadeen Heights PS will implement a range of measures to keep our school community safe as the risk of thunderstorm asthma increases. Many of our staff are trained in asthma first aid, and we will monitor the VicEmergency app to receive thunderstorm warnings, and, where appropriate, keep students indoors when weather forecasts identify greater risk.
During the season, there are some things you can do to prepare and protect yourself and your family:
Protect yourself this pollen season – managing asthma and allergies matters. For more information, speak to your doctor. You can also visit the Better Health Channel website.
The Department of Education has released new tips and resources for parents, carers and families to support primary school students to be safe when using social media. The Safe Socials – For parents and carers (Primary) | vic.gov.au (www.vic.gov.au) webpage includes information on how parents and carers can support a positive and safe online experience for their child, information about signing up a child or young person who might need support and information about what to do if you child experiences something unsafe online, along with information about where to reach out for support. We encourage you to explore the new information and resources available to ensure your child is safe when using social media.
Friday 25 October is when we in Victoria celebrate World Teachers Day. This is the community’s chance to thank our teachers and acknowledge the wonderful work that they do each day to support the learning and development of our students. Everyone, no matter how old, can remember a great teacher who made a difference in their lives. It would be wonderful if our community could take the time on Friday 25 October to say thank you to your child’s teacher as we can assure you it will be greatly appreciated and will make their day.
We hope you enjoy a wonderful weekend, and we look forward to another fantastic week of learning at Bimbadeen.
Kind regards,
Adele Gregson and Sabrina George
