Principal's Report

Dear HPS Community,

Welcome back! It has been fabulous to see everyone return recharged and ready for a great year ahead. I have loved hearing all about the holidays and activities that people have enjoyed, which sound full of fun and adventure.

I was able to enjoy some time away at the 90 mile beach with my family. A highlight was watching a pod of four dolphins playing in the lake from the balcony whilst enjoying a morning coffee. It was just magical and beautiful to witness.

Congratulations to our Foundation and newly enrolled students for such a solid start to HPS! Welcome to new and returning families, we look forward to a productive year of working together to optimise student learning and wellbeing growth. 

We send our congratulations to Sheri Booth and partner Michelle on the arrival of their gorgeous baby girl, Olivia Joy. We wish them well as they settle into life as a family of three.

Connect, Create, Explore (CCE) is a five day program designed to build a sense of community and connection in classrooms and across the school, and to help students understand school expectations and processes. There is a focus on our school values and appropriate behaviours that reflect these, both in learning areas and other parts of school.

It has been exciting to see and hear students demonstrating our school values of Respect, Responsibility, Resilience and Compassion as they navigate the beginning of the school year with new teachers and class mates.

Thank you to teachers and staff for wonderfully preparing and organising the start of year to run so smoothly and positively.

Thank you to students for being sensational learners and engaging whole heartedly with the learning.

And thank you to parents and carers for guiding and supporting your child/ren so beautifully to be brave and ready to put their best foot forward to thrive in 2025.

Communication

Compass is used as the main communication forum. Capers, our school newsletter, is sent out weekly on a Friday afternoon.

If you wish to contact your child's teacher's, you can email them through the Compass portal. Alternatively, you may be able to see them before or after school to arrange a mutually agreeable time to meet.

Please note staff often are not able to check emails during the day due to teaching, planning, yard duty etc. All endeavours will be made to reply to contact in a timely manner (within 2 days, during business hours).

Heidelberg PS understands the importance of providing helpful and timely responses to common enquiries from parents and carers. To ensure that members of our school community are directed to the most appropriate person to assist them, the information below outlines key contacts for common queries: 

• please record student absences on Compass. For extended family holidays, please seek approval from principal, Naomi Ivers naomi.ivers@education.vic.gov.au at least two weeks prior to planned departure
• to report any urgent issues relating to a student on a particular day, please contact the front office on 9457 2259
• to discuss a student’s academic progress, health or wellbeing, please contact your child's classroom teacher
• to make a complaint, please contact the Principal- Naomi Ivers or Assistant Principals Monique Rankin or Helen Thomas. Please also refer to our Complaints policy, available: Compass/ Community/ School Documentation/ HPS Policies
• for parent payments, please contact Sam Thornton on 9457 2259
• for all other enquiries, please contact our Office on 9457 2259 or by emailing heidelberg.ps@education.vic.gov.au

We will do our best to respond to general queries as soon as possible. The right to disconnect legislation makes explicit that all employees have the right to refuse to monitor, read, listen to or respond to contact that occurs outside their working hours from their employer or a third party (such as a student or a parent), unless that refusal is unreasonable. 

School Arrival/Departure 

Arriving on time allows students to prepare themselves in the school environment before lessons commence. This transition period allows them to mentally prepare for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. When students are punctual, they are more likely to enter the classroom with a clear and open mind, ready to absorb information and engage actively in the day.

Start of Day

At the beginning of each school day, all classes start with a Yarning Circle, which establishes a collaborative and predictable morning routine with essential announcements, discussions, expectations and introductory activities. Missing out on these initial interactions can result in students feeling disconnected from the class’s collective progress, potentially impacting their overall comprehension and engagement with the learning engagements.

Whilst life happens and there are times when it can't be avoided, please strive toward giving your child the best start to their day by arriving prior to the 9.00am bell.

Late arrivals need to sign in at the office and collect a late pass to present to the teacher.

End of Day

School concludes at 3.20pm each day (except for last day of each term). Staff supervise students departing at the Cape St front gate and at the Darebin St gate 3 from 3.20- 3.35pm. If students have not been collected in that time, they will be taken to the front office whilst a phone call is made to follow up collection arrangements. 

Parents/ Guardians are able to contact the school during the day to have a message passed on to their child if pick up arrangements have needed to be changed. Please ensure the school has been contacted as early as possible to ensure the information can reach the child in plenty of time.

Code of conduct

At Heidelberg Primary School we are committed to ensuring our school is a respectful, safe and inclusive place for students, staff, parents and carers – regardless of their background, personal characteristics or beliefs. 

Embracing diversity and inclusion is an important way our school creates safe and respectful environments for all and prepares students to thrive in a global society.

As valued members of the school community, our teachers are committed to upholding professional standards and ensuring a positive educational experience for every student. It is not acceptable to treat any staff member negatively because of their identity. 

Ensuring our school embraces diversity and is safe and free from discrimination and harassment is a requirement under Australian and Victorian anti-discrimination and human rights laws, the Child Safe Standard 5 and the Department of Education’s equal opportunity and anti-discrimination policy for students and employees and the Inclusive Workplaces guidelines. 

Parents and carers can create a positive environment for learning and work by treating all staff, students, and other members of the school community with respect.

If you have any specific concerns or if you are aware of any incidents that need our attention, please let me know. 

We look forward to continuing to work in partnership with you and all our families to support everyone to be safe and thrive at our school.

Please refer to the Student Wellbeing and Engagement and Code of Conduct Policies for further information.

Mobile Phone (and devices) Policy: A mobile phone is a telephone with access to a cellular (telecommunication) system, with or without a physical connection to a network. For the purpose of our policy, “mobile phone” refers to mobile phones and any device that may connect to or have a similar functionality to a mobile phone such as smart watches. 

Heidelberg Primary School understands that students may bring a personal mobile phone to school, particularly if they are travelling independently to and from school. Mobile phones and devices owned by students at Heidelberg Primary School are considered valuable items and are brought to school at the owner’s (student’s or parent/carer’s) risk. Students are encouraged not to bring a mobile phone to school unless there is a compelling reason to do so. Please note that Heidelberg Primary School does not have accident insurance for accidental property damage or theft. Students and their parents/carers are encouraged to obtain appropriate insurance for valuable items. Refer to the Heidelberg Primary School’s Personal Property Policy and the Department’s Claims for Property Damage and Medical Expenses policy. 

Where students bring a mobile phone to school, Heidelberg Primary School will provide secure storage. Secure storage is storage that cannot be readily accessed by those without permission to do so. At Heidelberg Primary School students are required to hand their mobile (or device) to the class teacher at 9am to be placed in a lockable cupboard. Students’ mobile (or devices) will be handed back to the students before they leave school at 3.20pm.

Whole School Assembly

Assemblies will be held on Monday mornings from 9.10am under the COLA in the centre of the school. Families and friends of HPS are invited to attended.

We look forward to seeing you Monday 3rd February for our first of 2025.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend, and we look forward to seeing you next week!

Naomi Ivers

Principal

Heidelberg Primary School