Principal's Report

This is the last newsletter for the term. It has certainly been a busy one! We have had lots of events including the John Monash Science School Programs, school photos, Year 3-6 Sunny Stones Camp, school/district/regional/state cross country, AFL clinics, Mother’s Day morning Tea, Education Week Open Morning, Maria Ruberto Parent Sessions, Year 5/6 Healthy Living and Growing Sessions, Box Hill Festival, Monash Tech Extension Online Program, Victorian High Ability Program, Foundation excursion to Myuna Farm, Year 1 & 2 Excursion to Melbourne Museum, school reports and parent teacher interviews and Year 5/6 Japan Trip Excursion to the Consul General’s Office. Phew!

Reminder- Pupil Free Day

A reminder that on 26 June it is Parent Teacher Interview Day and students are not required at school. Team Kids all day care is available and can be booked at their website.

Parent Teacher Interviews- Booking Reminder

On Wednesday 26 June, teachers are conducting parent teacher interviews.

F-6 English and Japanese teachers will have 10-minute interviews together.

If you have attended an IEP Meeting you may not wish to have an interview, but you can request one if you need to.

Parent teacher interviews will be done either face to face in your child’s classroom or on WebEx.

The Parent-Teacher Interview booking system is open. The link and QR code for parents to book is below.

https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code/skqnn

We hope that you parent teacher interviews are a positive experience and help to build the partnership between home and school.

School Lunch Options

We had an overwhelming response to our school lunch survey earlier this term, with 124 responses! You can read the full results in the attachment.

83.1% of those surveyed wanted the school to investigate new lunch order options.

A detailed research of school lunch options currently available was conducted, looking at the food options (wide range of choices, fresh/healthy foods, catering for different allergies e.g. vegetarian, gluten free), price, availability of days, delivery times and online ordering options.

School Council met on 4 June to discuss the choices and we have narrowed the search down to three providers which are local businesses.

Classroom Cuisine- Service on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday only
TK Tuckshop – Can service all week
AJ’s Bakery- Can service all week

Please read the menus on the following pages.

In the short term, we will keep the current Friday lunch orders system and add a new option for Monday to Thursday as a trial. We would like your feedback on which option you like.

We will then gain feedback to see how we are tracking.

We ask that you read the options below and then fill in a survey to let us know your thoughts.

The survey can be accessed at:

https://forms.gle/r8LVmZCvnconV6Fy5

We look forward to your feedback.

Sports News

April from Year 4 has advanced to the State Cross Country Championship Run, which will be held in Yarra Glen, after placing 8th in her age group at the regional meet. This is a fantastic result and April will compete against over 100 other students from schools all over the state. April’s family have shared with us that she has been training hard with her brother John. We wish April well in her race. Ada from Year 6 also ran in the regional meet, finishing 69th with over 100 students competing. Well done on your efforts.

At the Oakleigh District Winter Gala Day, many of our teams experienced success. Mixed Soccer defeated Amsleigh Park in a penalty shoot out to claim the premiership. Volley Stars Mixed and AFL 9’s Girls were awarded runners up, being defeated by Oakleigh PS in their sports. Our students again demonstrated excellent behaviour on the day.

Year 5 & 6 Inquiry

Today I had the absolute privilege of attending the Year 5&6 ‘Go Public’ presentations for their inquiry project. Under the concept of ‘Change’ the students needed to solve a problem in the ‘Abandoned City’, using their knowledge of SDG’s (Sustainable Development Goals) and Renewable Energy. Working in groups, students created a service or product, explaining the product using Japanese and the sales pitch for their idea in English.

I was so impressed with the quality of the students’ work, their teamwork, presentation and Japanese language skills. This unit encompasses many learning areas- reading, writing, speaking and listening (English & Japanese), ICT, science, the humanities as well as personal, interpersonal and intercultural learning.

Well done to all our students and their teachers for such incredible learning.

Parking Around the School

Over the past couple of weeks, we have fielded a number of calls from our neighbours regarding our families parking around the school.

Germain Street Car Park- This car park is for families who are picking up and dropping off children attending the Germain Street kinder or the Community Hall. Huntingdale families (except those who are collecting siblings at the kinder) should not be parking there. It is clearly signposted.

Clarendon Avenue- There are limited car parks on the street. Families must not park in the driveways of the neighbours or block driveways.

Grange Street Car Park/Drop off Zone- Parents are asked to refrain from parking in our car park to collect your child. When collecting your child please use the drop off zone. Parents are requested to stay in your car and your child can open the door and get in the car.

Other car parking options- Families can park in the Huntingdale Train Station Car Park and walk to the school or park on Huntingdale Road.

Some of our neighbours have informed us that they have called the police and given them the number plates of vehicles who are parking in prohibited areas and have also requested that the Monash Council monitor the area. Please note, in the past, drivers have been fined for incorrect parking and that the school takes no responsibility for this.

Recently we have had parents phoning the office to ask that the office would tell the children to meet them in the car park. After school is one of the busiest times for our office, so we ask that families tell their children in the morning where to meet them rather than leaving it to the office at 3.45. We thank you for your cooperation.

I understand that the car parking situation can seem frustrating to families, however, we have more car parking options than a lot of other local schools and if we all follow the rules, it makes it easier and safer for everyone!

Refugee Week from 16 – 22 June

Refugee Week is an annual celebration that informs the public about refugees and celebrates their contributions. This year’s Australian Refugee theme, ‘Finding Freedom: Family’ The theme encapsulates the profound journey of resilience, strength, and unity that defines the refugee experience. Refugee Week aims to raise awareness of the issues affecting refugees, highlighting aspects of the refugee experience and helping the broader community to understand what it is like to be a refugee.

We welcome any of our families who may be refugees and hope that their experience of living in Australia is a positive one.

Plastic Free July

Plastic Free July is a global movement that encourages people to be part of the solution to plastic pollution. You can check out the Plastic Free July webpage https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/get-involved/what-you-can-do/

Plastic Free July is a registered charity based in Australia that operates across the globe. It promotes how making a small change to reduce plastic can collectively make a big difference.

Invitation: Hotham NDIS Forum

The Hon Clare O’Neil MP, Federal Member for Hotham, invites you to a NDIS Forum with The Hon Bill Shorten MP, Minister for NDIS.

This forum will be for anyone wanting to better understand the NDIS. It will also be an opportunity for Minister Shorten to gain an insight into our community’s concerns, challenges and needs.

Tuesday, 16 July 2024

6pm - 7.30pm (Panel commences 6pm sharp)

Accessible venue: Register here (https://www.clareoneil.com/NDIS) for your free ticket and to be notified of the venue in Hotham closer to the event. Please feel free to contact the Hotham office at 03 9545 6211 or Clare.Oneil.MP@aph.gov.au with any questions or for registration support.

Clare wants to make sure you are heard even if you cannot make the event – so please email Clare.Oneil.MP@aph.gov.au with a question, story or feedback for Minister Shorten and they will collate as an insight into our community's needs.

Have a wonderful rest of the term and fabulous term break.

Ruth Biddle

Principal

Assistant Principal's Report

It is almost school holidays. I hope you will take the opportunity to talk with your child’s teachers and celebrate your child’s learning at the Parents Teachers’ interview.

Online Meeting with Japanese School

On 11th of June, Huntingdale PS Gr6s and Asahi PS in Osaka had a zoom meeting. We enjoyed asking them some questions and hearing their interesting answers. Ada in 6B

６月１１日に、ハンティングデール小学校の６年生と大阪にある旭小学校の６年生がzoomでこうりゅうしました。いろいろなしつもんをしたりしました。たとえば、「オーストラリアにいったらなにをしたいですか。」のこたえをきいたりしました。６Bのエイダ

Seminar at Consulate of General, Japan

Students who are going on our 2024 Japan Trip have been attending the pre-departure sessions during regular lunchtime sessions. They have been working hard on researching and learning additional languages for travel and culture. As part of their pre-departure sessions, these students will travel to the city to visit the Consulate General of Japan and attend a seminar about Japanese Food Culture. This will be a special opportunity to travel as one group, experiencing the local public transport and enjoying a traditional Japanese lunch at a local Japanese restaurant.

Lost Property

Once again we have lots of lost property.

The lost property basket is located in the office. Please come and have a look. We do our best to return named items to their owners but it is always to good to come and check it out if your missing anything.

Naomi Mori-Hanazono

Assistant Principal