Principal's Report

Dear HPS Community,

I would like to commend our students, staff and community on a fantastic term at Heidelberg! We have had a productive and engaging term, which included camps, excursions, Inter School Sports, Mother's Day morning tea, swimming lessons, online safety incursions and cross country events, ending with some fabulous and well attended year level learning showcases this week.

Thank you to everyone for contributing to the positive spirit and sense of community that we have here at our fine primary school... where friendship is the rule😉

Student Representative Council (SRC)

Our SRC leaders have been working in groups to brainstorm, prioritise and develop the ideas and opportunities they have identified and how they will promote them across the school. Groups worked on a focus of either Sustainability, Fundraising or Student wellbeing to activate student voice and agency, with support from Nicola Colgate-Jones and Miss Anouka Hoppmann-Smith. We look forward to supporting their work and seeing their ideas and input come to fruition during second semester. Thank you and well done to all our student leaders for their commitment and dedication to improving our school.

School Council Sub committees 

Are you looking for a way to become more involved in our school? Why not join one of our sub committees!!

Subcommittees are advisory bodies to the school council:

• they assist council with performing their duties and functions, and
• are generally established to support school council in specific areas.

Subcommittee membership is open to non-school-council members:

• providing the opportunity for the school community to be involved in school council matters.

Subcommittees cannot make decisions on behalf of the school council.

Each subcommittee has a nominated convener who is usually a school council member.

The subcommittee convener is responsible for:

• reporting back to school council and the principal about the sub-committee’s recommendations
• supporting the implementation and monitoring of approved recommendations
• encouraging participation in the subcommittee from members in the school community.

Subcommittees usually meet between regular school council meetings which are held twice a term. This allows time for:

• consideration of their particular area of responsibility, and
• decisions on any necessary action or follow up.

Members of subcommittees will:

• maintain confidentiality over
  • matters discussed at the meetings, and
  • recommendations put forward to the school council. 

We welcome and encourage involvement from our HPS community. Please contact the facilitator directly or email heidelberg.ps@education.vic.gov.au with your details and they will be passed on to the relevant person.

Staff name preferences

The notion of considering what teachers are known as and referred to by students has been discussed in consultation with school council and staff recently. 

While there's not a lot of evidence based research around the topic, there is a view held by people who have been involved in schools that use first names that it is a way to foster respect and inclusivity, a sense of belonging and community. It has also helped students see the adults who teach them as whole people with interests that transcend what they do in the classroom—just as all the research suggests that teachers, to be most effective, need to understand their students as “whole children.”

I have previously worked at a school that used first names and as the assistant principal I was shown no less respect because of it.

It is interesting to reflect and consider, which other professions currently use title and surnames? Do your children refer to anyone else in their lives in this way?

Our Education Support (ES) staff, including at SAC, are already referred to by children as first names, and will continue to do so. We expect the same level of respect to all of our staff.

I am giving teachers the option to choose how they would like to be referred by the children now as well. 

Some teachers will still be referred to by title and surname, some will be title and surname initial, others title and first name with some also changing to first names.

I understand for some people this may take a little getting used to, but as a wonderfully supportive and collaborative community I know we can respectfully adopt this change from term 3 around giving our staff the choice.                                                                                                   

3-Way Conferences

On Wednesday 31st July and Thursday 1st August we will be offering 10 minute meeting opportunities for parents/guardians and students to meet with the classroom teacher to discuss progress and strategies to best support students achieve their goals both at home and at school. A Compass newsfeed will provide further information as well as instructions on bookings, which will open in week one, term 3.

NAPLAN Year 3 & Year 5

Individual reports for each student who participated in NAPLAN in 2024 will be delivered to schools from the beginning of term 3. We will advise parents and guardians when they are available for collection.

To assist parents and guardians in understanding the NAPLAN reporting, an information brochure can now be downloaded from the VCAA website. The information brochure for is also available in other languages.

Parents, and guardians may find the following video on reading the Individual Student Report useful to understand student-level reporting and the proficiency standards for NAPLAN.

As a school we receive various NAPLAN item level, student and school reports that assist us to analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and learning at HPS.  Areas of strength and for improvement  as well as trends and patterns are identified, which then form the strategic decision making and direction to support effective achievement of our School Strategic Plan (SSP) and Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) goals.

Staffing

Justin Lania will continue in the acting principal role at Westbreen PS for the remainder of this year. We wish Justin all the best know Westbreen community will benefit from his leadership.

Upcoming Dates

Wishing you all a wonderful school holiday break and I look forward to seeing every back, refreshed and ready for term 3 on Monday 15th July.

Naomi Ivers

Principal

Heidelberg Primary School