Principal's Report

Dear HPS Community, 

Welcome back to Term 3! I hope you were able to enjoy a relaxing school holiday break and spend some quality time with family and friends.

During the holidays, my daughter Mila and I travelled to Casterton in Western Victoria to visit my mum and dad. It was wonderful to slow down, spend time together and explore the beautiful local area, including some stunning waterfalls and fascinating sinkholes. It was a lovely reminder of the importance of making time to connect with the people we care about.

Term 3 is shaping up to be another exciting and busy term at Heidelberg Primary School. We have our Year 4 and Year 5 camps coming up in August, a whole-school disco, and our much-anticipated Matsuri Day to look forward to. We will also celebrate the always fabulous Children's Book Council of Australia Book Week. This year's theme, "Symphony of Stories", will inspire students to immerse themselves in wonderful stories through a range of engaging classroom activities. As always, one of the highlights will be our Book Week Parade, where students and staff are encouraged to dress as their favourite book characters.

There is so much to look forward to, and I know it will be another term filled with learning, creativity, connection and celebration. I look forward to sharing these experiences with our school community and wish everyone a fantastic Term 3.

Stop-Work Action and 3 Way Conferences

As you are likely already aware, the Australian Education Union (AEU) has foreshadowed further industrial stop-work action for Thursday 23 July.

Staff have until Tuesday 21 July to advise whether they will be participating in the action. Until this process is complete, I am unable to confirm which classes or programs may be affected.

There has been some progress in negotiations overnight; however, at this stage I do not have any further information to share.

Regarding the Three-Way Conferences scheduled for next week, I can confirm that all conferences on Tuesday afternoon will proceed as planned.

For conferences scheduled on Thursday 23 July:

• If the stop-work action proceeds, Thursday's conferences will be rescheduled, and families with bookings will be contacted with alternative arrangements.
• If the stop-work action does not proceed, Thursday's conferences will continue as scheduled.

I appreciate that this uncertainty may be challenging for families. Please be assured that I will provide an update as soon as we have greater clarity regarding the industrial action and any impact on school operations.

Thank you for your understanding, patience and ongoing support.

Heidelberg Primary School Disco

Who's ready to disco? Be sure to secure tickets through Compass and start planning your Hawaiian themed outfit!

Thank you to the team of parent volunteers who are working hard to put on this fabulous event for our students.

Building Update

The building project continues to make exciting progress, and over the school holidays our leadership team had the opportunity to tour the new Learning Centre. It was wonderful to see the spaces taking shape and begin to imagine the learning that will occur there. The gymnasium is also progressing well, with the different areas now clearly coming together. At this stage, the project remains on track for completion by the end of the year, and we are all looking forward to seeing the finished facilities become part of our school.

• Parking

I understand there has been some frustration regarding parking along Darebin Street, particularly at drop-off and pick-up times. It has been brought to my attention that some tradespeople working on the building project may not always be adhering to the posted parking time restrictions, reducing the availability of spaces for our families.

While these are public parking spaces managed by Banyule City Council, I have spoken with our site manager and requested that workers be mindful of the parking restrictions and considerate of the needs of our school community during busy arrival and departure times.

• Student Voice

Thank you to our students and SRC representatives who have shared their ideas and feedback about the play space near the oval. Following this consultation, the area that previously housed the cricket nets will instead be transformed into a ninja course, rather than reinstating the nets. We believe this exciting addition will provide students with another engaging and active play option and further enhance our playground spaces.

• Upcoming Works Affecting Access at Gate 3

We have been advised that essential underground pipe repair works will take place near Gate 3 on Darebin Street. As a result, access through this gate will be temporarily closed for up to five days while the works are completed.

I will communicate the exact dates as soon as they are confirmed, along with arrangements to support safe and efficient student arrivals and departures during this period. Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.

AusAlert and the national test 

We’ve been advised that a national test of AusAlert will happen across Australia on Monday 27 July at 2 pm. 

AusAlert is a new, national emergency warning system. It sends warning messages to compatible mobile devices during emergencies, to keep people informed so they can act quickly. The Australian Government plans to launch AusAlert in October 2026. 

On Monday 27 July at 2 pm, all compatible mobile devices will receive a Critical Alert. Compatible mobile devices include phones, tablets, smart watches, safety watches and some vehicle devices. These will vibrate and make a loud, siren-like warning sound for about 10 seconds. This will happen even if they are on silent or do not disturb. The message will clearly state that it is a test. No action is required from the test. 

To minimise disruption, student phones and smart devices should always be switched off and stored securely in lockers or bags during the school day. Students who use their mobile phone as part of a documented exception can continue to do so. If appropriate, they can turn their phone off during the test. 

You may also wish to let your child know that if they see or hear the alert, school staff will support them. You can learn more at AusAlert: children and teens. Information is also available in other languages. 

Safe phones 

AusAlert may increase risk for people experiencing violence, especially if they live with someone who uses violence. Alerts may expose safety devices. 

If you or someone you know has a hidden device, the best way to stay safe during the test is to: 

• turn offyour mobile device or put it in aeroplane mode 
• keep your device off or in aeroplane mode for 24 hours. 

Silent mode and do not disturb will not stop the alert. 

For more information, please refer to the Staying safe with AusAlert page. 

2026 School Term Dates

Term 3: Monday 13th July- Friday 18th September (2.30pm finish)

Term 4: Monday 5th October- Friday 18th December (1.30pm finish)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Naomi Ivers

Principal

Heidelberg Primary School

9457 2259

naomi.ivers@education.vic.gov.au