Principals' Page

Sports Gala Day - 5/6 Students

Over the last two Tuesdays, our Year 5/6 students took part in their first Summer Gala Sports Day. Students have been training throughout the term and loved the opportunity to represent HEPS, compete against other schools, and showcase their skills across a range of sports. It was great to see teamwork, sportsmanship, and plenty of smiles throughout the day. 

Three-Way Learning Conferences - Now Live

Three-Way Conferences will take place in Weeks 9 and 10 of this term on:

• Thursday, 26th March (2:00–7:00 pm)
• Monday, 30th March (2:00–3:30 pm)

Specialist Teacher Appointments

We have also opened the opportunity to speak with our specialist teachers on:

• Thursday, 26th March (2:00–7:00 pm) between 3:50 PM to 7:00 PM (All specialists except Art- Mrs Mountford)

• Monday 30th March & Wednesday 1st April – 3:45 PM to 5:00 PM(Mrs Mountford – Art Teacher)

   

Three-Way Conferences offer a valuable opportunity for specialist teachers to provide feedback on your child’s current achievement and learning approach. When making bookings please allow enough time between appointments to avoid overlaps.

Bookings will close on Friday 20th of March at 3:45 pm. 

Working Bee

Our first Working Bee for 2026 is happening on 22 March from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. 

We’ve got plenty of jobs lined up, including:

• Staining the Level 2 deck area and gaga pit
• Shifting mulch into the Foundation–3 playground
• Sprucing up the veggie garden and preparing it for the new season
• Giving the grounds a general tidy-up

A big focus of the working bee will be to move a large pile of mulch from the Dry Creek Bed into the new Foundation–3 playground, so please bring your wheelbarrow if possible.

The meeting spot will be outside the gym, so when you arrive, please sign in there.

Bring the whole family for one hour or three hours, then enjoy a BBQ and ice cream for the kids.

Harmony Day - Monday 23rd March

HEPS will celebrate Harmony Day on Monday, 23rd March, with the theme “Everyone Belongs.” Students are encouraged to wear cultural dress or orange. The day begins with a whole-school assembly at 9:15 am (after going to class at 9:00 am), featuring an Indigenous performer and student presentations. Families are welcome to attend. Students will then take part in multi-age activities exploring different cultures to promote understanding, respect, and inclusion.

The Importance of Reading at Home - Encourage a Culture of Thinking

It is incredibly important that your child engages in home reading at least four to five times per week. At HEPS, students are encouraged to discuss what they have read or what they are thinking as they read. This helps students become more aware of their thinking during reading and understand that we must actively engage with a text to gain the most from it. This might involve making predictions, connecting to personal experiences or other readings/viewings, posing questions, summarising, or inferring about characters, plot, setting, or themes.

At HEPS, we aim to work in partnership with parents and families to support each child’s learning. A valuable way that parents can help is by engaging in rich conversations about a text before, during, and after reading. Below are some practical suggestions:

Before Reading

• Discuss or ask your child to make predictions from the title, front cover, blurb, or knowledge of the author/genre. Example: “Look at the front cover and title. What do you think this book might be about?”
• Help your child recall prior knowledge or experiences related to the topic. Example: “Remember when we saw the orangutans at the zoo. What do we already know about them?”
• Encourage reading with a question in mind. Example: “I see this book is about elephants. What new things do we want to learn about them? Let’s see if we can find out about what they eat and where they live.”

During Reading

While reading, pause periodically to reflect or engage in conversation. Conversation starters include:

• “What do you think might happen next?” (prediction)
• “What does that remind you of?” (connection)
• “What are you wondering?” (questioning)
• “How do you think the character is feeling? How do you know?” (inferring)
• “What is the character like?” (inferring)

After Reading

After finishing a book or chapter, take a few moments to reflect on the text:

• “What was the main idea or message?” (inferring)
• “What are the main things you learned?” (summarising)
• “What would you still like to know about this topic?” (questioning)
• “Did you like this book? Why or why not?” (personal opinion)

Many children need guidance to tap into their thinking while reading, as they often think reading is just about saying the words on the page. The purpose of reading is understanding, and one of the best ways to support this is through rich conversation about the text that explores thinking. I encourage you to make time to discuss your child’s reading to help improve comprehension.

Happy reading and talking about your reading!