Principal's Page

This term began with an assembly to acknowledge ANZAC day and recognise the sacrifice of those who have served for Australia. The assembly was led by our school captains Tharun and George. They supported the learning of our students with a short talk on the history of ANZAC day. We were also priviledged to have David Kelly, from the Ringwood RSL speak with the children and lay a wreath at our flag pole. The choir's performance of the song 'Sprit of the Anzacs' was enjoyed by the students, staff and the large number of parents who attended the assembly.

Permitted parking space

After several months of working with the Maroondah council, we were delighted to be informed that HEPS had been given two permitted parking spaces on Louis St. These spaces are critical in the provision of accessibility to our site for those with mobility issues. To be eligible to park in one of these spaces you will need to have been allocated a HEPS specific permit and  display in the front windscreen of your car. To apply for a HEPS parking permit you will need to attend the school office and show a current disability parking permit and provide your name, address and contact number. The school will process requests and, if approved, subsequently provide a HEPS parking permit. 

This month HEPS has two student free days. The first being next Wednesday 10th May and the second Friday 26th May. While students are away from school the teachers work to continue to develop their professional practice and ability to continue to provide the best learning environment for our students; your children. TeamKids will be running a program on both days for families who are requiring care for their children.

Dogs on school grounds

Recently we have seen an increase in the number of dogs that are brought into the school grounds at both drop off and pick up times. As a dog lover myself, I do understand how much love a dog can bring to a family. However, dogs can be unpredictable, something they share with excited or dysregulated children. Many children and adults also experience anxiety and fear around dogs. At this point we are asking that dogs are always under the control of an adult and kept away from;  high traffic areas ( doorways, outdoor areas with high student and adult traffic), the front area of the school during assemblies, and other areas where groups of students and adults are congregating. It is also important that dogs are not brought to community events due to the high level of excitement of children, and large numbers of people. At no stage, without prior permission of both the class teacher and a member of the principal team are dogs to be brought into school buildings. Thank you for understanding and respecting our whole school's emotional and physical safety. 

ChatGPT and generative Artificial Intelligence

You may be aware of, or indeed be using, new Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies that have become publicly available. One of these technologies in particular, ChatGPT, has received a lot of media coverage this year.

At the beginning of Term 1, 2023, the Department of Education restricted access to ChatGPT in Victorian government schools. This was because the terms of service restricted access to those aged 18 years or over.

Those terms have now been changed to permit access for those aged 13 years and over. As a result, the interim restriction on ChatGPT has been lifted. Secondary school aged students who are at least 13 years old can now access ChatGPT. However, ChatGPT cannot be used with primary school-aged students.

HEPS has also determined that at this stage we will not be using as part of our teaching and learning programs with students any other generative AI tools that collect personal information.

Please remind your child that they should not enter any personal information such as name, age or address into generative AI platforms they might be using at home as this can be a risk to their privacy. This is because content typed into some generative AI tools may be used and reused by the platform and its users.

One area of concern with generative AI tools relates to student assessment. We are aware of these concerns and will use existing assessment policies and processes to understand what students know about the topics being taught and ensure that assessments are completed without undue assistance.

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please get in touch.

Movie night

We are very excited for our community Movie night on the 13th May. The PA are preparing for the food and fun. We look forward to joining your family to watch the fun, family-friendly movie “Sing 2” on a big screen at HEPS! Sing 2 is rated PG and is a bright, fun film for all the family. You do not need to have seen Sing to enjoy Sing 2!

• $20 per family – includes 2 adults and the children in your family. Click here to purchase your tickets: HEPS Movie Night Tickets
• Hot food, snacks and drinks available to purchase or bring your own picnic
• Arrive from 4.30pm
• Movie starts at 6pm
• BYO deck chairs and rugs

To support the event we would need parents to volunteer to assist the PA. Please support this event and be part of making this night a success please register here: Movie Night Volunteer Roster

And to end this newsletter we are wishing all of those on the Year 4 camp a great week.