Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day in Australia commemorates the noble sacrifices of armed forces and civilians during times of war. At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, one minute’s silence is observed to mark the cessation of hostilities on the Western front during World War 1.

At assembly last Friday, our School Captains, Lily and Jude, read the poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ and led the school in one minute’s silence as a sign of respect and remembrance for those who have served and have made sacrifices so that the things we hold dear as Australians endure for future generations.

Once again, we have supported the Lilydale RSL’s Remembrance Day Poppy Appeal through the sale of poppy merchandise through the office in the weeks leading up to Remembrance Day. Thank you to our community members who supported this important cause.

Hooptime Regional and State Basketball Competitions

Congratulations to our Year 3 and 4 Hooptime teams who competed in the Regional Finals at the end of October. The Year 3/4 Boys’ All-Star team made it to the qualifying finals but were unfortunately defeated.

Our Year 3/4 All Star Girls team played in the Grand Final, and lost by 1 point, however they have been given a wildcard to the State Hooptime Finals to be held at Dandenong Stadium on December 4.

The 5/6 Bimbadeen Bandits Future Stars team competed at the Hooptime Regional Basketball competition last week. The Bandits made it to the semi-finals however they were defeated in their final match of the day.

We were so proud of the sportsmanship, camaraderie and support our students have shown throughout the competitions, and their teamwork and resilience when facing formidable opponents. A special thank you to our parents, carers and former students who volunteered their time to coach our teams, to our teachers who supported the events, and to the parents and carers who went along to support their children and cheer on their team.

Good luck to our Year 3/4 All-Star Girls team who are competing at the State Basketball Centre on December 4!

TheirCare Bookings and Cancellations

Since taking over our out of school hours care program, TheirCare have continued to increase in bookings and student attendance numbers. Recently there has been a significant increase in bookings that have been made by parents and carers, but not cancelled when they were not needed. This has impacted TheirCare’s ability to provide last minute places to families who require care for their children.

It also takes considerable time for educators to contact families of children who are booked into the service but do not attend. This week alone saw multiple days where 50% of bookings were not cancelled and multiple families missed out on care.

We would like to remind our parents and carers to ensure they cancel TheirCare bookings when they do not require care for their children.

Planning for Next Year

We are approaching the final stages of planning our school structures and classes for next year. Teachers are working diligently to finalise our 2024 classes and prepare for our Whole School Transition Meet the Teacher and the Class session that will be held on Tuesday 12 December.

During this session, students including all current and new students attending Bimbadeen Heights PS in 2024 will meet their teacher and spend some time with their new class for next year.

On the same day, our Year 6 students moving onto government secondary schools will have their Year 7 Transition Orientation where they will spend the day preparing to begin their secondary schooling in 2024.

Our teachers also complete comprehensive handovers from 2023 to 2024 teachers including student learning and wellbeing needs to ensure our students are supported in their transition to their new year levels and classes.

To support our planning for next year, we need to have a clear idea of exactly who will be here. This information is very important for us as we form classes so we can ensure that our classes are balanced in all aspects including friendships. One child moving away can leave another child without a friend in the new class. If you know that your child will be moving away next year, please send us an email to bimbadeen.heights.ps@education.vic.gov.au letting us know where your child will be attending school next year.

End of Year Christmas Concert – Tuesday 5 December

This year, we are introducing an exciting new end of year activity for our students and families, the Bimbadeen Height Primary School Christmas Concert. Students and staff are well underway with their rehearsals and the pre-order BBQ organisation is in full swing. The concert begins at 5:30pm, with all students performing a class song, as well as contributing to a whole school performance. Keep up to date with information via Sentral. We hope to see you there!

Last Day of the 2023 School Year

The final day of the school year for students and staff is Wednesday 20 December.

Many families have indicated to classroom teachers and the office that their child’s final day will be Friday 15 December. If your child will not be attending school on Monday 18 December, Tuesday 19 December and/or Wednesday 20 December, please ensure you enter their absence into Sentral as soon as possible so we can finalise our student attendance records for the school year.

2023 Final Assembly and Early Finishing Time for Final Day

Our final assembly for the 2023 school year will be held on the final day of school on Wednesday 20th December. The assembly will be held in the Hall and will begin at 12:45pm and conclude by 1:30pm. All students will be in attendance at this year’s final assembly and parents and carers are also welcome to attend.

All students will be dismissed by their classroom teacher at the conclusion of assembly at 1:30pm.

Parents and carers of Year 6 students are invited to meet their children on the running track at the conclusion of the assembly, and we ask that all parents and carers of students in Foundation – Year 5 wait for their children near their classrooms where their teachers will dismiss them from.

Theircare will be running an extended after school care program to begin at 1:30pm. Information about Theircare’s program is available via our School Website.

Pick-up and Drop-Off Reminders

We have received reports of cars driving quickly, and students walking through the staff car park during drop off and pick up times, including when parents and carers are dropping off and collecting their students from Theircare.

Cars moving through our staff carpark must not drive faster than walking pace. Students are not to walk through the staff carpark for any reason. All students must enter the school via the gates at the front or rear of the school.

The exception is only our students who arrive with their parents and carers who need to use the disabled car parking spaces near the front of the car park. These students must enter the school through the front accessible gate, adjacent to the boom gate.

2024 Student Supplies – November 20 cut-off date for Book Pack orders with free delivery

Information about 2024 parent payments were sent to families via Sentral and a hard copy at the beginning of this term. This information includes advice and instructions about how to order 2024 Book Packs. Bimbadeen Heights Primary School recommends you purchase 2024 Book Packs from Maxim Office Supplies for your child to individually own and use.

Book packs ordered before 20 November 2023 will be delivered to the school on 11 December 2023, at no charge, and will be sent home with your child that day. After this date you can still order book packs through Maxim until the 9 February 2024 and they will be delivered to school on 16 February, however these will incur a late fee of $15.00.

http://www.maxim.booklists.com.au/

Please make sure you order the pack for the year level your child is in for 2024. If the incorrect year level is purchased the refund needs to be requested by 8 December 2023 from Maxim directly. After this date no refunds can be processed.

We strongly encourage families to arrange their child’s 2024 Book Pack by the due date of 20 November. If you have any questions our 2023 Student Supplies, please speak to our Business Manager, Adele Gates, on 9726 9989.

School Camp Survey

This year, we have been very fortunate to enrich student learning experiences through a comprehensive camping program – with students from 3-6 attending camps across the state. Camps are the absolute highlight of the school year for so many Bimbadeen students and staff, and memories that were formed at camp will be looked back on for a lifetime.

We were incredibly proud of the behaviour, teamwork, and bravery that our students demonstrated on our school camps this year. All students stepped out of their 'comfort zone' to make the most of their camp experience. For some, that meant visiting the bustling city environment, or a new camp environment for the first time, for others, it was just sleeping away from home or even just travelling by bus or train.

Being on camp reminded us of the talent and dedication of our teachers. Their skill and kindness supported students to make the most of this opportunity and enabled students to make great social and emotional growth. Providing support, coaching, and encouragement for students to be resilient and use teamwork to support their peers is so important.

Thank you to our parents and carers who completed our recent School Camping Program survey. This survey has informed our planning for 2024 and we are happy to report that we are now planning for all our camps to go ahead next year. We are finding a way to make this work (even though that is challenging) as we know that camps mean so much to our students. Providing opportunities for children to grow, be brave and develop their resilience is invaluable.

If you are interested in seeing what our parents had to say in our School Camping Program survey, please see a summary of key responses below:

Outcome: 72.5% of parents place a high or very high importance of school camps running.

Outcome: clear desire for camps to be offered every year.

Outcome: Annual camps across all year levels from 3-6 are preferred.

Thunderstorm asthma – be prepared this pollen season

Grass pollen season, which typically runs from October to December each year in Victoria, brings an increase in asthma and hay fever symptoms. It also increases the risk of thunderstorm asthma. For people with asthma or hay fever, especially those who experience wheezing or coughing with their hay fever, thunderstorm asthma can be sudden, serious and even life threatening.

Bimbadeen Heights PS will implement a range of measures to keep our school community safe as the risk of thunderstorm asthma increases.

All our staff are trained in asthma first aid, and we will monitor the VicEmergency app to receive thunderstorm warnings, and, where appropriate, keep students indoors when weather forecasts identify greater risk.

During the season, there are some things you can do to prepare and protect yourself and your family:

If your child has ever had asthma, talk to your doctor about what you can do to help protect them from the risk of thunderstorm asthma this pollen season, including updating your asthma action plan. Taking an asthma preventer properly and regularly is key to preventing asthma, including thunderstorm asthma.
If your child has hay fever, see your pharmacist or doctor for a hay fever treatment plan and check if you should have an asthma reliever puffer. These are available from a pharmacy without a prescription.
If your child has hay fever and experiences wheezing and coughing, it is important to make sure they don’t also have asthma. Speak to your doctor about an asthma action plan.
Where possible, avoid being outside during thunderstorms from October to December, especially during the wind gusts that come before the storm. Go inside and close your doors and windows. If you have your air conditioning on, turn it to ‘recirculate’.

Protect yourself this pollen season – managing asthma and allergies matters. For more information, speak to your doctor. You can also visit the Better Health Channel website.

Middle East Conflict

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to cause distress for staff, students, families, and carers, especially those who have family and friends in the region. Our school is a rich and diverse community and in acknowledging that it is vital that our students, staff, and families all feel safe and included in everything we do.

We want to assure you that the department is monitoring the situation from a school security perspective.

While we want to maintain an open and welcoming environment, we are also being vigilant in terms of safety, ensuring all our procedures, like visitors signing in and out, are being followed.

If your child is impacted and/or distressed by the current conflict, you may find some aspects of this resource helpful: Helping my children after trauma: A guide for parents.

Support is also available through external services including:

headspace: 1800 650 890
Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636.

2024 Foundation Transition

We have completed three of the four transition sessions for our 2024 Foundation students, designed to support our incoming students to familiarise themselves with our school community and help them to prepare for a smooth transition into primary school. We look forward to welcoming our new families to our community at a 2024 Foundation BBQ later in the term and implementing our Orientation session for our 2024 Founders in coming weeks. Information about the program has been sent directly to families of enrolled children about the remaining sessions.

We hope you all enjoy a wonderful weekend with your families, and we are looking forward to another fantastic week of learning at Bimbadeen.

Adele Gregson and Sabrina George

Aussies of the Month -November

Well done to all our Aussies of the month for November.