Leadership Report

Thursday 16 May 2024

Dear Parents, Students and Friends,

Our Year 3-6 students took part in our House Athletics this week, from all reports it was a highly successful morning with students engaged in a number of athletic events. Students who were successful in their age group also have the opportunity to represent Highvale later in the year. Thanks to Mrs. Scott for organising and to the staff for supporting this event.

Our Fun Run is also fast approaching! We are looking forward to this major fundraising event which is also lots of fun for students. All are welcome to attend. 

Acting Principal Position

I recently informed School Council and the Department of Education that I will not seek to continue in the role of Acting Principal in Term 3. I am currently unaware of Steve Richardson’s return date from leave and as I have planned Long Service Leave in Term 4, I think it is a good opportunity for me to work with the new applicant and ensure Highvale Primary School will be in good hands throughout Term 3 and if necessary, in Term 4. At the beginning of Term 3, I will return to the role of Assistant Principal and Megan Fegan (currently Acting Assistant Principal) will return to her role in Learning Support but will continue to assist with Wellbeing. 

While I have enjoyed the role of Acting Principal, I believe this is the right decision for the school and look forward to introducing you to our new Acting Principal when the Department of Education has completed the process. 

Planned Maintenance Program

In recent months, I have met with architects and builders as part of Highvale Primary school’s Planned Maintenance Program. The overview of the project is to improve a number of areas around the school. This will include drainage, gutters, downpipes, flooring and roofing, which is likely to be the biggest part of the project. We recently met with the appointed builder, Jointly, and we look to start in the next 2-3 weeks. It seems likely that there will be some disruption to the school over this time, which will be unavoidable. However, we will do our best to minimise interruptions to student learning. 

When we are provided more information, I will share it with the school community. 

Mother’s Day Breakfast

Thanks to all who attended our Mother's Day breakfast. It was great to see so many smiling children and parents last Friday morning and I hope this continued on Sunday!

As a school we appreciate everything that our families do, and on this particular day, to our mothers and grandmothers for their role in our students' lives. 

Such a morning wouldn't be possible without the amazing work of the Highvale Primary Community Group, led by Sue McKinnon and her team. Thank you HPCG!

Education Support Personnel Day – 16th May

Our staff and students celebrated Education Support Personnel Day today, Thursday 16th May. Thank you so much to our wonderful ES staff for keeping our school running and for supporting our students and teachers. Your efforts are very much appreciated!

Education Support staff undertake a range of roles and responsibilities across the school and for that we are very appreciative. Please be sure to say a big ‘thank you’ to our ES staff this week for all that they do for our students and our school.

AEDC for Foundation Students 2024

Our school will take part in the AEDC between May and July this year. The AEDC is a national census that is conducted every three years by the Australian Government, in partnership with state and territory governments. It measures how children have developed by the time they start their first year of full-time school. 

The AEDC is voluntary and it does not measure how well children are doing at school, nor how their school compares to other schools. Instead, it shows how children are growing and progressing in five key areas, what is being done well and what can be improved. 

AEDC data is used by schools, early childhood organisations, researchers and governments to help plan and improve services and supports for children and families. This is why it is important for all children in their first year of school to be included in the AEDC. You can learn more about the ways AEDC data is used at https://www.aedc.gov.au/.

Education Week

Education Week is an annual celebration of education in Victoria.

This year Victoria will celebrate Education Week from Monday 13th to Friday 17th May.  The theme for 2024 is Spotlight on STEM, which highlights the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in our everyday lives, in the classroom and beyond.

We will be holding an Open Afternoon from 2.15pm on Friday 17th May. 

All are welcome to attend!

Student Attitude to School Survey

PARENT / CAREGIVER / GUARDIAN INFORMATION AND CONSENT LETTER

2024 Student Attitudes to School Survey

Dear Parent / Caregiver / Guardian,

This letter is to inform you about the 2024 Student Attitudes to School Survey (AtoSS), which will be administered to all government school students in Years 4 to 12. 

About the survey

The AtoSS is a voluntary annual student survey offered by the Department of Education to assist schools and the department to gain an understanding of students' perceptions and experience of school. We value student voice as a means to improving student engagement, wellbeing and quality instruction and will be asking your child about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, their learning, peer relationships, resilience, bullying, health and wellbeing, physical activity, and life in general.

ORIMA Research Pty Ltd has been contracted by the department to administer the online survey and will provide support to schools throughout the survey period via a telephone hotline and email.

This year, the survey will be conducted at your school from 6th May until 14th June.

What are the benefits?

Young people enjoy having a say! This survey has been running for nearly 20 years and is invaluable in helping schools understand student views to plan programs and activities to improve your child's schooling experience. The survey responses also help the Department of Education understand how student’s learning experiences can be improved.

What are the risks?

While we do not anticipate many risks of participation, some students may find some of the survey questions personal and sensitive in nature. Should you agree for your child to participate, they are still free to skip questions or to withdraw at any stage if the survey makes them upset or uncomfortable. A teacher will be present during the survey to support students.

The questions are selected from validated survey instruments used in Australia and around the world, are strength-based, and tailored for each year level group.

What will my child be asked to do?

Your child will be invited to complete the survey online during class time using a purpose built secure online survey tool. It is important to note that we are not in any way “testing” your child. Please note:

• Student participation in the survey is voluntary and students may withdraw at any time.
• The survey is available in a variety of different versions to enable all students to participate.
• The survey will take around 20-45 minutes to complete.

How is my child’s confidentiality protected?

Your child will be provided with a unique login to complete the survey from their teacher. The student login is an assigned identifier that will be used by the department to link data for analysis and research purposes only. Identifiable information, such as student name or Victorian Student Number (VSN) is not used for linking datasets. Some student demographic data (i.e. year level, gender, age, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status) is derived from department-held administrative records and is linked to the individual student login ID during survey set up work to support survey administration.

ORIMA Research will only use student personal information for research purposes to facilitate the administration and data collection of the Attitudes to School Survey. To ensure the confidentiality of your child’s responses is protected at all times, personally identifiable data will not be recorded in the survey response file that ORIMA Research provides to the department. All data is stored on servers located in Australia and access is restricted to staff who are working on the project.

All information collected about your child will be handled in accordance with the Privacy Data and Protection Act 2014 (Vic), the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and the Public Records Act 1973 (Vic), as well as the Department’s Schools’ Privacy Policy. Please note that consistent with the above legislation and our policy, there are instances where we may be required by law to share information provided by your child. For example, where there is a threat to your child’s health and safety.

How will results be reported?

Aggregated state-wide survey data will be used to report on initiatives and may also be used in public discussions of issues relating to student engagement and wellbeing. An example of how survey data has been previously used includes reporting levels of student engagement in the Performance Summary in the Annual Report to the School Community.

The survey results will also be reported back to the school in aggregate form throughout the survey period. Data or results about individual students will not be shared with schools. All survey data that is made available in reports are for groups of students only so that no individual student can be identified. Where there are low numbers of students, the data will be suppressed so that the school cannot view the results for that group.

Your school may share the results of the survey with parents and carers.

Further information about this survey, including the questions your child will be asked to answer, please visit the department’s survey information page.

If you would like more information, please speak to your child’s teacher, or contact the department at school.surveys@education.vic.gov.au.

Yours sincerely,

Department of Education, Victoria

School Supervision

As mentioned in previous newsletters and communications home, there is no teacher supervision before 8.45am. Please ensure you remain with your child if they are on school grounds or alternatively, please use our Before School Care program, TheirCare.

Students should also be picked up before 3.45pm as there is no teacher supervision after this time. 

Thank you for your cooperation.

School Tours and 2025 Enrolments

School Tours for Prep 2025 and new Year 1-6 students are provided on Wednesday mornings between 9.30-10.45am. Due to demand, tours must be booked through the school office (9887 8000).  If you have friends, family or neighbours with school age children, especially those commencing Prep in 2025, please encourage them to book a tour to find out more about our wonderful school and community.

The virtual tour is available at https://highvaleps.vic.edu.au/

Take care,

Josh Crozier

Acting Principal

joshua.crozier@education.vic.gov.au