Heidelberg PS - Capers

Assistant Principals' Report

Hello everyone and welcome to our newsletter article,

 

Victorian Curriculum 2.0, English 

Over the last 12 months, Heidelberg Primary has begun implementing the Victorian Curriculum 2.0, starting with Mathematics in 2025. From 2026, we will begin to implement the English 2.0 curriculum. As a staff, we have begun to unpack the updated curriculum for implementation next year.

 

The rationale for the updated English 2.0 curriculum is:

 

As the country’s national language, English is central to the lives, learning and development of all people living in Australia. By studying English, students learn to communicate, understand and interact with others and with the world around them. Studying English enables all students to become confident communicators, imaginative thinkers and informed citizens.

 

As a staff, we’re unpacking the language modes that students are assessed against in their twice-yearly reports – Speaking & Listening, Reading & Viewing, Writing. The revisions to the curriculum show the important connections between the language modes and identify key skill sets for students:

 

  • Speaking and Listening – ‘When interacting with others’ and ‘When speaking to an audience’
  • Reading and Viewing – ‘When reading and viewing texts’ and ‘When demonstrating understanding of texts’
  • Writing – ‘When creating texts’

 

Throughout this term, staff will continue to deepen their knowledge of the curriculum updates in preparation for planning for next year. This means that in 2026 you may see some changes to the skills outcomes on your child’s report. Unlike with the mathematics curriculum, students will still continue to receive individual progression points for Speaking & Listening, Reading & Viewing and Writing moving forward.

 

Thank you to Stef Galvin, Learning Specialist for facilitating the professional learning and leading the changes to our teaching and learning plans, assessment and reporting documents as we implement these updates and improvements.

 

For more parent and carer information on changes to the Victorian Curriculum and other recent reforms, improvements and initiatives including the revised Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0) and The Department's position on reading and mathematics, please click below: 

Pat Cronin Foundation, 10th Annual Be Wise Walk 

The Pat Cronin Foundation walk is upcoming on Sunday 23rd November from 10am! Given our recent collaboration with the Pat Cronin Foundation and our engagement with the Be Wise Presentations, it would be fabulous to have members of our Heidelberg Primary School community participating and showing their support for this meaningful cause. 

 

Link to register here: 

Save the date! Wednesday, 3rd December from 1pm - COMMUNITY EVENT

The students and teachers of HPS will be showing their support of the Pat Cronin Foundation by having a whole school 'Be Wise - Walk to Anywhere' event from 1pm on the Wednesday, 3rd December at Heidelberg Park. This will be a whole school community event and we are hoping to have as many parents, carers, families and friends come along and join us. More details to come in the coming weeks.

 

Cybersafety

This means protecting ourselves, our personal information, and our devices when using the internet. It is very important both at home and at school because children, teens, and adults use technology daily for learning, communication, and entertainment. Parental controls are software tools that allow you to monitor and limit what your child sees and does online.

They can be set up to do things like: 

  • Block your child from accessing specific websites, apps or functions (like using a device’s camera, or the ability to buy things)
  • Filter different kinds of content — such as ‘adult’ or sexual content, social media pages and pages with content that may promote self-harm, eating disorders, violence, drugs, gambling, racism and terrorism
  • Limit who can communicate with your child as well as manage the apps they can use to communicate with others
  • Allow you to monitor your child’s use of connected devices, with reports on the sites they visit and the apps they use, how often and for how long
  • Set time limits, blocking access after a specific length of time. 

 

If a device or program is shared by multiple members of your family, you should be able change the settings to reflect each user’s age, maturity and skills.

 

Here are a few steps you can take below to set up screen time and content restrictions.

How to Set Up Screen Time for Kids

  1. Open Settings on the child’s iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap Screen Time.
  3. Tap Turn On Screen Time.
  4. Select This is My Child’s [device].
  5. Follow the prompts to set:
    • Downtime: Schedule time away from the screen (like bedtime).
    • App Limits: Set daily time limits on categories of apps (games, social media, etc.).
    • Always Allowed: Choose apps that are always available, like Phone or Messages.
    • Content & Privacy Restrictions: Block inappropriate content, purchases, and privacy settings.

 

Key Features in Content & Privacy Restrictions:

  • Content Restrictions: Block explicit content in music, movies, books, and apps.
  • Web Content: Limit access to adult websites or allow only specific sites.
  • App Restrictions: Prevent installation or deletion of apps, or restrict in-app purchases.
  • Privacy Settings: Control location sharing, contacts access, microphone, camera, etc.
  • Communication Limits: Control who your child can communicate with throughout the day or during downtime.

 

Please see the link below for more information from the governments eSafety website.

 

https://www.esafety.gov.au

 

https://www.esafety.gov.au/kids

 

Have a great weekend.

 

Helen Thomas & Monique Rankin

Assistant Principals

Heidelberg Primary School