Principal's Message

School Review

As many of you may be aware, Hillsmeade has recently undertaken our triennial review, with the last review being Term 4, 2021. This is mandated by the Department of Education and an independent reviewer is appointed to come in with regional representatives to learn about what the school has been doing, ensure we are compliant with Department expectations and help create next steps moving forward.

Our reviewer Tracy Hammill was incredibly thorough and was extremely impressed with how far this school has come since the end of 2021.

The panel were also impressed and provided Tracy with their thoughts and insights based on their investigations into our teaching and learning, wellbeing and inclusion practices, amongst all other school related matters. Our reviewer and panel spent time in classrooms, listened to feedback from students, staff and the community and delved deep into the school's data.

From this process a new Strategic Plan of goals, key improvement strategies and targets is in the making. Some of the areas for improvement include refining our whole school English approach, building on the current assessment practices and reporting, ensuring we continue to build our guaranteed and viable curriculum and continuing to help our students reach their potential.

The review process is lengthy, as it commences at least 6 months prior to the onsite days. Many staff have been involved heavily through this process and I particularly wish to thank the Assistant Principals, leaders and administration team who were integral in pulling everything together to make the 3 onsite days and the entire process so successful.

A big thank you also to our community for getting involved in the feedback survey in term one and then the feedback groups last week. Your input is integral and greatly appreciated to help us move forward. Everything we do at Hillsmeade is about putting our students first and this was clearly evidenced in all that we had achieved over the last few years. We look forward to continuing to work for our students and families in the coming years as well.

Coming Soon: 2025 Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Survey

As mentioned via Compass, commencing next week (from 18th August) you will all be invited to participate in the annual 2025 Parent/Caregiver/Guardian survey. This is your opportunity to provide even more feedback on Hillsmeade PS and provide the school with an indicator of how well our school community is meeting the needs of our students. This is the annual Victorian Government schools survey that is asked of all government schools in the state to be completed.

Stay tuned for more details that will be provided via Compass.

Madagascar Jnr - The Musical IT'S ALMOST HERE!!!!

TICKETS ARE ON SALE - https://tickets.bunjilplace.com.au/10756 

Have you bought your tickets to come and see the greatest show of 2025?!! 

Our year 5 and 6 students have been working very hard to show off their learning and talents in the performing arts and music space.

Monday 25th August is the date!! Come along and enjoy the show!

Prep 2026

As mentioned in the last newsletter, we are super excited to see offers to families being accepted for a place at Hillsmeade in 2026. 

Don't forget to check your emails and online applications to see if you have an offer pending.

We look forward to working with families and kinders throughout this term and into Term 4, in order to prepare everyone for the transition to primary school life!

Book Week STARTS MONDAY!!

It's that time of year again where we encourage our students to dress as their favourite book character.

A parade of all students in Prep-6 will commence on Monday at approx 9am, on the basketball courts if weather permits. Otherwise, the gym will be utilised instead. Following the parade, families are welcome in classrooms to complete BookWeek based tasks with their children.

We look forward to another stunning parade of dress ups and seeing you all on Monday.

Save the Dates - Term 3

• Monday 18th August - BookWeek kicks off with a BookWeek PARADE/Dress Up Day!!
• Wednesday 20th - Friday 22nd August- Year 4 Camp
• Monday 25th August - Year 5/6 Production @ Bunjil Place
• Wed 3rd/Thurs 4th Sept - Fathers/Special Others Stall
• Friday 5th September - Fathers and Special Others Breakfast
• Monday 8th September - 4Cs performance at Bunjil (Pasifika group)
• Wednesday 10th September - Preps excursion to the Moonlit Sanctuary
• Thursday 11th September - RUOK Day
• Wednesday 17th September - Yr 5 Sovereign Hill excursion
• Friday 19th September - Footy Day and last day Term 3, 2.30pm dismissal