From Christian's desk....

Prep Classroom Visits

This week it was great to join each of the Prep classes. We read Why I love School and discussed all the great features of our school. The excitement on their faces as they heard about the excursions and specialist programs they’ll enjoy was a highlight of mine! I was very impressed with many of the children’s ability to read along with me!

Special Assemblies this Friday

A reminder this Friday 9 January at 2:40pm we’d love you to join our Badge Presentation Assembly where our Captains and Junior School Council members will receive their representative badges.

Prior to that assembly families of our captains will enjoy a special afternoon tea. Thanks in advance to our CHAPS community for organising the afternoon tea.

Our 2024 Student Leaders:

School Council Nominations

Each year Victorian Government schools are required to formally call for nominations for members of the School Council, I will be doing so next week.

Being a member of School Council is a great way to be involved in the school. School Council members’ personal skills and attributes (eg finance, facilities, communications/promotion) are of great benefit in contributing to school improvement and driving initiatives.

Croydon Hills Primary School’s School Council consists of eight elected parents, four staff positions, the Department Nominee (the Principal) and the option of 2 Co-opted Positions. Elected members stand for two-year terms with the option of then nominating for further terms. The two co-opted members will be determined by the School Council at AGM on Wednesday 15th March. These positions are typically filled by a representative from the parent community, Croydon Hills Parents Association (CHAPS) or Men of the Hills (MOTHS).

At the end of 2023 we farewelled three long standing members of Council which has created vacancies for new members.

When I call for nominations, I will provide information on the nomination process. In the meantime, if you are interested or would like to know more, please visit DE’s School Council Overview website or contact me, or school Council President Sian Jamison directly.

You may also wish to attend our last School Council of the current cycle, on Wednesday 21 February 7:30pm in the staffroom.

Volunteers: Working With Children Check

Our school values the many volunteers that assist in our classrooms, at sporting events, on camps and excursions, and at other events and programs. To ensure that we are meeting our legal obligations under the Worker Screening Act 2020 and the Child Safe Standards, Croydon Hills Primary School is required to undertake suitability checks.Specifically, volunteers are required to have a Working With Children Check or equivalent.

Volunteers are asked to produce their valid card to the Office for verification on their first visit to the school in the following circumstances:

Volunteers who are not parent/family members of any student at the school are required to have a WWC Check if they are engaged in child-related work regardless of whether they are being supervised.
Parent/family volunteers who assist in school activities, regardless of whether their own child is participating or not
Parent/family volunteers who assist with excursions (including swimming), camps and similar events, regardless of whether their own child is participating or not.
Parent/community School Council members sitting on School Council, Croydon Hills Parents’ Association (CHAPS) and Men Of The Hills (MOTHS).

To ensure you can fully involve yourself in the life of the school I encourage all parents and carers to ensure they have a valid Working With Children Check - they're free for volunteers!

Annual Privacy Reminder for our School Community

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and the Schools’ Privacy Collection Notice.

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy, describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn.

We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use Google Workspace for Education safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using Google Workspace for Education, please contact the school.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in ten community languages:

Amharic
Arabic
Dari
Gujarati
Mandarin
Somali
Sudanese
Turkish
Urdu
Vietnamese

Annual Policy Reminder for the School Community

Croydon Hills Primary School and the Department of Education have suite of policies and procedures that assist in the demonstration of compliance with corporate governance, teaching standards, student welfare and education programs. They cover everything from attendance, student discipline, emergency procedures, and delivery of the curriculum and support enhanced communication and clarity of school operations and procedures.

Our school’s local policies are maintained by School Council and located on the Policy Page of our school website. The Department of Educatio has an overarching Policy and Advisory Library. Direct Links:

Christian Holdsworth - Principal

February 5	Levi PEC, Liam PEM, Charli 1AG, Skye 2RB & Billie 4DT
February 6	Saani 2JK
February 8	Brody PEC
February 10	Delsa 1JO, Owen 4AH & Adam 6KF
February 11	Dane 5LC, Jesse 6EP & Madison 6RT

For Our Students

This Week's Birthdays