From the Acting Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

Term 3 has begun wonderfully, and we are looking forward to a productive term filled with exciting activities. This includes several incursions and excursions, along with the highly anticipated Year 9 camp at Blackwood.

Staff News

Congratulations to Sam Simpkin, who is stepping into the Acting Assistant Principal position during Ashley’s absence this semester. Sam, already a part of our school leadership team as a Leading Teacher, brings a wealth of knowledge about the HV school community to her new role.

We are also delighted to welcome our new ES staff members, Patrick Vergilio and Georgia Mesic. Recruitment is ongoing for various positions across the school, and we hope to have more new staff onboard soon.

Student Attendance

Thank you for your continued support in using Compass to provide reasons when students are absent. This helps us meet DE requirements and reduces the number of phone calls our Admin staff need to make each day.

Parent and Carer Catch Up

Please come along to Nelson Park School for our first joint Parent/Carer Meeting on August 7th. Morning tea will be provided at 10:30 AM, followed by speakers from Barwon Health at 11:00 AM, who will discuss carer support. Remember to RSVP if you are attending for catering purposes ( see attached flyer).

We hope this event will become a regular occurrence with our neighbouring school, allowing us to share valuable information, ideas, and support.

If you are unable to attend this meeting but have suggestions for topics you would like to see covered in future meetings, please feel free to drop by and chat with me. 

Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Annual Opinion Survey

The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey, offered annually by the Department of Education, helps us understand families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement. While the survey is optional, we encourage all families to participate, as the data collected informs our future school planning and improvement strategies.

The survey will be conducted online, takes only 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the survey period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets, or smartphones. It will be available in English and 10 other languages, including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese.

The survey will be open from Monday, 29th July to Friday, 30th August 2024. The access link  will be sent next week but please speak to a member of the principal class team if you would like more information.

Health and Wellbeing

At this time of year, we often see an increase in illnesses within our school community. With many vulnerable members on site, it is essential for both staff and students to stay home if they are feeling unwell. We also have guidelines to follow  from the Department of Health  for common ailments, which may require students to stay at home for a specified period until symptoms have ended.

Thank you for your support in keeping our community safe and healthy!

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Regards,

Julie Brown (Acting Principal)