General Information (1 of 2)
BHCS PARENT HANDBOOK
A friendly reminder to families that the school has a Parent Handbook to help answer any queries you may have, all in one handy place. This handbook has recently been updated and can be found on the School's website.
RIDING TO SCHOOL
It is great to see students and families riding to school. We wish to remind those riding to school, whether that be by bicycle, skateboard, or scooter, of the following important safety guidelines:
Riders are to slow upon approaching the school, and dismount scooters, bicycles and skateboards before entering the school gates on Wattle Valley Road for the safety of all concerned.
Bikes, scooters and skateboards should not be ridden through the school grounds or on the school's footpaths. Students should refrain from lending their bikes or scooters to other students to reduce the risk of injury.
Riders should wear the appropriate helmet at all times while riding a bicycle or scooter. (It is a legal requirement for all bike and scooter riders to wear an approved bicycle helmet with the AustralianStandards Mark TM (AS/NZS 2063).
Students found to breach these requirements may be asked to refrain from bringing their bicycle, scooter or skateboard onto School Grounds.
The only exception made to riding on school grounds is when this is done for the purposes of class education, under supervision by staff.
Should students choose to ride their bicycles, scooters or skateboards to school, there is a bicycle cage located near the buses in the Junior School area where students should store their transport for the day.
Although students are welcome to ride a bike, scooter or skateboard to school, bringing these items to school is done so at the student's own risk and the School cannot be held responsible for any items being lost or damaged.
END OF TERM 1
We would like to remind families that the last day of Term 1 is Friday, 8 April.
Finish times are as follows:
Kinder: 1.00pm
Prep- Year 6: 1.15pm
Year 7- Year 12: 1.30pm
The school canteen will not be open on this day.
YEAR 7 ENROLMENTS 2024
If you have a child you expect to commence Year 7 in 2024 and you are not already enrolled please contact the Registrar via jdavis@bhcs.vic.edu.au to begin the process.
BHCS TWILIGHT TOURS
We are opening our doors for visitors to come and enjoy a Twilight Tour of BHCS on Thursday 31st March. This is a fantastic opportunity for families considering joining our community to take a closer look at our grounds, classrooms, subjects, and of course our amazing teaching team!
Pre-registered group tours will be led by our student leaders and teaching staff, leaving every 10 minutes. Last tour leaves at 6pm.
Registrations are now open - so spread the word and share this link with your friends and neighbours: bit.ly/bhcstwilight
Please join us in praying over our school leaders and staff as we meet new families and walk with them in the decision-making process of finding the best possible school to partner with in the education and nurture of their children.
HELP NEEDED
We are still looking for just a couple more parent volunteers to help cook our BBQ for Twilight Tours. If you are handy with the BBQ tongs, and are available between 4pm and 7pm on 31st March - we'd love to hear from you! Contact Amanda Wight, our Pulse Coordinator for more details on pulse@bhcs.vic.edu.au
ANZAC SERVICE REQUEST
This year our school's Anzac service will be commemorating 80 years since the 1942 Fall of Singapore, the Japanese Air Raids over Northern Australia (the bombing of Darwin) and the PNG Kokoda Campaign.
If you have a family member who was serving in the Australian military during any of these events, we would appreciate hearing from you. Please forward a service photo of your family member, along key information such as his/her name, rank, enlistment number, military group and location of service to Mr Andrew Ware (aware@bhcs.vic.edu.au) with the email subject being '1942' so that we can honour your veteran during the service.
NOTE If your family member's record is already commemorated on the Wall of Heroes in the school's Armistice Peace Garden, you do not need to resend this information.
Closing date for submissions will be Thursday March 31.
COVID-19 INFORMATION
Students with cold and flu symptoms
Thank you to families who have been keeping their children home when they are unwell. If your child does have any type of cold and flu/covid-like symptoms, please continue to keep them home until they are well and use a rapid antigen test to check for covid. A reminder that the symptoms to watch out for are:
- fever
- chills or sweats
- cough
- sore throat
- shortness of breath
- runny nose
- loss or change in sense of smell or taste.
Some people may also experience headache, muscle soreness, stuffy nose, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Unfortunately, students who present with these symptoms while they are at school will be required to go home.
Surveillance Testing
Rapid Antigen Tests will continue to be distributed to families for the remainder of Term 1. Testing is still recommended to be done twice a week. We also want to take the time to say thank you to everyone for doing their best to look after the health and wellbeing of our community by taking part in this process.
My child has tested positive? What should I do?
If your child tests positive, please advise the school as soon as possible (24 hours a day) via covid@bhcs.vic.edu.au with the day that they tested positive. They will need to isolate for 7 days. Your child will not be required to get a follow up PCR test. Positive results should also be reported via coronavirus.vic.gov.au/report or by calling 1800 675 398. Reporting your result ensures that support can be provided to you.
Negative tests do not need to be reported.
Extra Help
The Government has tips on what to do if you are managing COVID at home. For further information, please click here.
30 Day Exemption Periods
Students who have tested positive for COVID-19, and who have completed their 7-day isolation period and are subsequently asymptomatic do not need to undertake surveillance testing for a period of 30 days. Students who fall within the 30 day exemption period are not required to isolate if someone else in the household becomes positive.
Covid emails
The School will continue to send out details of covid cases and household cases in each class as a daily evening email.
Masks including buses
Students in Year 3-6 and staff who work in these areas are still expected to wear masks at this point in time. As there is a mix of students on buses that include the Year 3-6 students and because buses are a confined space, all students must wear masks while they are on the bus. Should this change, we will inform families accordingly.