Principal Report

As we move to the end of Week Eight, it is hard to believe how quickly the term is progressing. Our students continue to engage enthusiastically in their learning and have embraced the many opportunities available both inside and outside the classroom. Over recent weeks, our school community has enjoyed a range of exciting events, programs and sporting opportunities that have showcased the talents, commitment and positive attitudes of our students. With only a few weeks remaining in the term, there is still much to look forward to as we continue to celebrate student achievement, strengthen community connections and maintain our focus on high-quality teaching and learning. Thank you to our staff, students and families for your ongoing support and contribution to making our school such a vibrant and successful learning community.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to the following students who will celebrate their special day throughout June: Jeremy C PA, Emma L 5S, Leo L 3C, Noah L 1GC, Elise L 4G, Danny G 6D, Caleb W 2L, Wey Xin S 4C, Neymi H 4P, Artus G 5S, Frederick P 5S, Luke D 4P, Chloe Q 4G, Isabella M 2L, Dara F 2M, Maya E 6S, Calvin C 4G, Ene Z 5E, Natalie H 1GC, Ava N 3L, Hannah T 3A, Dinson K 2L, Kushita N 4C, Mia W PA, James V 6T, Mirabelle L 5S, Dhev J 4P, Gretel L 3C, Pramish A 4C, Yuri P 2. We hope you all have a terrific birthday. 

Attendance

At Highvale Primary School we firmly believe that attending school every day plays a crucial role in shaping a child's educational journey. Regular attendance allows students to fully engage in classroom activities, discussions, and hands-on learning experiences. It provides them with the opportunity to grasp new concepts, ask questions and collaborate with their peers. Consistent attendance helps build a strong foundation of knowledge and skills, enabling children to excel academically. This term, we will be reinforcing the importance of attending school every day. 

Congratulations to the 312 students who have achieved 100% attendance in June so far. Some of these students include: Jamie B PA, Kelissa C PA, Alex C PFY, Norah G PFY, Rovin S 1P, Markus Y 1P, Nikan V 1GC, Nayomie S 1GC, Twisha T 2M, Shawn Y 2M, Shrigna S 2L, Max W 2L,  Ann L 3A, Aaron Q 3A, Andrew C 3L, Gina G 3L, Heidi H 3C, Leo L 3C, Meera T 4C, Olivia T 4C, Ushika T 4G, Tiya T 4G, Anjali S 4P, Chen X 4P, Ene Z 5E, Hunter Y 5E, Saijan T 5M, Sara L 5M, Emma L 5S, Yimei L 5S, Crystal L 6T, Mikayla L 6T, Eelon L 6S, Jonathan H 6S, Danny G 6D and Arabelle C 6D. 

Remember: It is not ok to be away!

Handball Competition

I am thrilled to share that 11 Highvale students competed in the Melbourne Handball Competition on Sunday 7th June and were very successful. Our 11 HPS students competed across multiple divisions and performed really well — 6 students earned individual podium placings and 9 earned special awards. It was a memorable and incredibly proud day for our school. Of the 11 competing schools, Highvale placed 3rd overall, which is extremely impressive. 

Well done to the following students:

Division 1 - Grade 2

1st Place – Carter C 2L

2nd Place – Elijah P 2M

3rd Place – Vishruth M 2L

Division 1 - Grade 4

2nd Place – Shawn W 4G

3rd Place – Calvin C 4G

Division 2

3rd Place – Yuvan M 4P

Sportsmanship Award: Calvin C 4G, Elijah P 2M and Max W 2L

Outstanding Achievement Award: Carter C 2L and Vimal A 4G

Most Improved Award: Vishruth M 2L

Coaches Award: Yuvan M 4P, Swanik O 4P and Amay S 2M

Basketball Competition 

On Monday 17th August, there is a one day basketball competition being held at Dandenong Basketball Stadium for students in Years Three and Four. Highvale are excited to enter a few teams, however, there are a few different categories that students can join: All Stars, Future Stars and Rookies. Rookies is a MIXED CATEGORY and is for players that have never played before and are still learning the rules. Future Stars is divided into a MIXED CATEGORY and a GIRLS ONLY CATEGORY and is for students who play in the Victorian Junior League 6 (VJL6) or below. All stars is a category for students who compete in the Victorian Junior League 5 (VJL5). Any player who represents their association in the Junior Country Championships (JCC) must play in the All Star division. If you are interested in this one day basketball competition, please look out for the expression of interest event on Compass in the next week or so. We are excited to enter teams into this competition in 2026.    

Division Cross Country

Congratulations to Joshua C (6S) and Cassie H (5E), who qualified for the Monash-Waverley Division Cross Country Championships and proudly represented our school on Tuesday 2nd June. Reaching this level of competition is a significant achievement and reflects their dedication, perseverance and commitment to training. We are incredibly proud of both students for their outstanding efforts and the way they represented our school throughout the event. Well done Joshua who finished 47th and Cassie who finished 48th on the day. This is a fantastic accomplishment.

Premiers Reading Challenge

We are excited to announce that the Premier’s Reading Challenge is now underway for 2026. This year's theme, “Stories to Discover, Stories to Tell” celebrates the joy of reading and the power of stories to inspire, educate and connect us. We encourage all students to participate in this wonderful initiative by exploring new books, discovering different perspectives and sharing their reading experiences with others. The Premier’s Reading Challenge is a fantastic opportunity to foster a lifelong love of reading and we look forward to celebrating the achievements of our students as they progress through the challenge. We wish all of our readers an enjoyable and successful reading journey. If your child would like to be a part of the Reading Challenge, please inform your child’s teacher and they will be able to pass on the login and password details. 

ICAS Academic Competition – Years 3 to 6

We are pleased to offer students in Years Three to Six the opportunity to once again participate in the ICAS Academic Competition. ICAS is an internationally recognised assessment program that provides students with the chance to challenge themselves and demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding across a range of curriculum areas. Participation is entirely optional, allowing families to choose the subject areas that best suit their child's interests and strengths. This year, students may choose to participate in Digital Technologies, Writing, English, Science, Spelling Bee and Mathematics assessments. Registration for all subject areas closes on Monday 27 July at 11:59pm. Please see Compass for more information. 

Market Day 

Our Year Six students are excitedly preparing for Market Day on Wednesday 17th June, where they will showcase their learning from their Business and Economics integrated unit. Throughout the term, Year Six students have planned and developed their own small businesses, applying their understanding of budgeting, taxation, resources, needs and wants, as well as marketing and persuasive advertising techniques. This authentic learning experience has encouraged creativity, teamwork and problem-solving while providing students with valuable real-world business skills. We look forward to seeing our Year 6 students bring their ideas to life and share their hard work with the school community on Wednesday 17th June.

Run Club

Our Run Club sessions, held every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 8:15am – 8:45am, have been an outstanding success and continue to grow in popularity across the school. It has been wonderful to see so many students demonstrating commitment, perseverance and enthusiasm as they work towards improving their fitness and wellbeing in a positive and supportive environment. Beyond the physical benefits, Run Club has provided students with valuable opportunities to strengthen friendships while starting the school day in a healthy and active way. I congratulate all students who have participated throughout the term and thank our staff and families for their ongoing support of this fantastic initiative. A huge thank you to Miss Sophie Stokes for organising and leading this initiative at HPS.

Breakfast Club

Our Wednesday morning Breakfast Club has quickly become a highly successful and valued part of our school community. Each week, students, families and staff come together to enjoy a healthy breakfast, connect with one another and start the day in a positive and welcoming environment. The initiative has not only supported student wellbeing but has also strengthened relationships across our school community. I would like to particularly acknowledge our four School Captains, whose leadership, organisation and commitment have been instrumental in the success of Breakfast Club. They have embraced this responsibility with maturity and enthusiasm, consistently demonstrating our school values while preparing and serving breakfast to others. I would also like to sincerely thank the following staff: Tamara Scully, Windya Arambawela and Kate Steele for their ongoing support and also for preparing in excess of 100 toasted sandwiches each Wednesday. We are incredibly proud of the teamwork and effort that has made this initiative such a success and look forward to seeing Breakfast Club continue to thrive.

Crazy Hair/ Crazy Hat Day

We are excited about our upcoming fundraiser Crazy Hair/ Crazy Hat Day on Thursday 25th June. Students are invited to come to school with creative hairstyles or hats, with a gold coin donation supporting the purchase of new student drinking taps for our school. This engaging event provides a wonderful opportunity for students to show their creativity while contributing to an important school improvement project and we look forward to seeing the imaginative and colourful creations across the school. 

Buddies Day

In the last week of every term Highvale Primary School holds Buddies Day. Buddies Day is a long-held tradition at Highvale Primary School and is part of both our Transition and Leadership Programs. As part of the Transition Program, students have the opportunity to build friendships with peers from different year levels and classes across the school. The groups are multi-aged, with senior students supporting younger students as they participate in a range of activities together. The afternoon consists of four activity rotations, each supported by a different teacher in a different classroom or learning space around the school. This allows students to meet and interact with teachers they may not have worked with before, while also becoming familiar with a variety of learning environments. These experiences help students feel comfortable, confident, and safe throughout all areas of our school. The engaging activities focus on developing a range of skills, including cooperation, SWPBS expectations, and fine motor skills, while maintaining a strong emphasis on fun, participation, and engagement. As part of the Year Six Leadership Program, Buddies Day is planned and facilitated by our Year Six students. They are responsible for designing, organising and leading an activity that meets the needs of a multi-age group while maintaining a strong focus on fun, participation and engagement. Through this process, students develop their confidence in public speaking, organisation and the preparation of learning experiences. In their role as the ‘teachers’ of their activity, they build valuable leadership skills, including clear communication, problem-solving, providing differentiated support, and using effective non-verbal strategies to engage and guide HPS students. This term Buddies Day will be held on Wednesday 24th June. 

School Tours

As we prepare for 2027 Prep student enrolments, we have been pleased to welcome many prospective families to our school through our twice-weekly school tours. These tours provide an opportunity for families to see our learning programs in action, meet staff and gain an understanding of what makes our school such a special place to learn and grow. We are delighted to report that we have already received a strong number of Prep enrolments for 2027 and look forward to welcoming these students and their families into our school community. Thank you to our staff and students who continue to showcase our school so positively during each tour.

A reminder that Term Two will finish on Friday 26th June and students will be dismissed at 2:30pm. 

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS 

Kids Help - kidshelpline.com.au phone 1800 55 1800 

Parent Line - betterhealth.vic.gov.au phone 13 22 89 

Headspace - headspace.org.au phone 1800 650 890 

eSafety Commissioner - esafety.gov.au - Advice for parents and carers to help children have safe experiences online 

Have a great week ahead HPS families,

Carly Epskamp

carly.epskamp@education.vic.gov.au