Welcome to our last newsletter of Term One. We have had an excellent term at HPS, it’s gone by so quickly. We are looking forward to the Easter break and school holidays, which will be a great time to relax and refresh ready for a busy Term Two. Please check Compass as there are many very exciting events that are already planned for Term Two and beyond.

Birthdays

A child’s birthday is a very special occasion and every fortnight I will share this celebration by including the children’s names in our newsletter. Happy Birthday to the following students who celebrated their special day during April: Stella B 4B, Caleb W 1A, Advika M 3B, Jun Ler E 4B, Kaylee C 1A, Manduul B 1A, Vrushank M 1A, Elkan G 6B, Lucas L Prep B, Spruha A 5B, Crystal L 5B, Chloe K 6A, Shamika B 1B, Quintin C 2A, Zohran D 1A, Darren S 6B, Remi F 3B, Arabelle C 5A, Gabriella D 2C, Shabaaz S 6B, Rudra N 3A, Ally C 5A, Violet G 1A, Megan C 4A, Ella R 1B, Ushika T 3A, Ryan S 4B, Elijah Z 5A, Anisha D 1A and Jason L 4B.

Attendance

Well done to the 192 HPS students that have achieved 100% attendance in March. The following students are just some of those 192 that have achieved excellent attendance. Well done Austin C Prep FY, Fiora FY Prep A, Vincent G Prep B, Henry H Prep B, Kaylee C 1S, Charlie D 1S, Minghao G 1D, Ewen L 1D, Hayley C 2S, Markus H 2S, Surveen B 2M, Lotus L 2M, Zara L 2J, Nathan Y 2J, Angela L 3CBB, Adyashakti G 3CBB, Vimal A 3J, Elise L 3J, Megan C 4A, Shawn F 4A, Jason L 4U, Aaliyah M 4U, Ashley C 5S, Joshua L 5S, Ansh P 5D, Seth Y 5D, Elizabeth C 6S, Almeer K 6S, Emma L 6D and Elkan G 6D.

I frequently share the positive side of attendance with you in the school newsletter and celebrate the large number of students who have great levels of attendance, however, there are some facts we need to be reminded of in this space. There are currently 27 HPS students who have an attendance rate of less than 80%. These students are ‘at risk’ of being considered ‘chronically absent’ for 2025 if the absences continue into Terms Two, Three and Four. This week I have sent home letters to all families where students have attended school less than 80% in Term One. Although there are often good reasons why students need to miss school, we all need to remember that when we are not at school, we are missing out on opportunities to learn new things. This can impact on our academic and social progress. We are looking forward to increased levels of attendance in Term Two.

Remember: it is not okay to be away!

School Holidays

A reminder that this Friday is the last day of Term One and students will be dismissed at 2:30pm. Please arrange for your child to be collected at 2:30pm this Friday. Term Two will commence on Tuesday 22nd April. Our first week back at school will be a short week with the Anzac Day Public Holiday scheduled for Friday 25th April.

Kelly Sports

Last week Kelly Sports visited HPS and ran free sports clinics with each class. These clinics were designed to build excitement and enthusiasm about the new sports program we will be offering after school from Term Two. On Tuesday afternoons, our students in Years Prep – Six can participate in an 8 week basketball program. On Thursday afternoons, our students in Years Prep – Four can participate in a multi sports program where students will do soccer, hockey, cricket and other sports in an 8 week program. This is an extra curricular event and parents will need to pay Kelly Sports directly. We are hoping to attract lots of students and encourage students to stay active, participate in team sports and have fun with each other!

Assembly

On Friday we will be having a brief End of Term Assembly. It will begin at 2:00pm and conclude at 2:20pm. We will be presenting our Year Six leaders with their badges. These leaders include:

Acacia House Captains - Diya Vinu & Caleb Low

Banksia House Captain - Charles Cai & Ruth Yang

Heath House Captain - Emma Li & Warren Choong

Waratah House Captain - Maya Thananjeyan & Brandon U

Art Captains – Andrea Lin & Grace Lai

Performing Arts Captains - Renita Daniel & Nour Niu

Science Captains - Vaibhavi Dutt & Elizabeth Choor

IT Captains – Zach Corga & Johnny Yao

Wellbeing Captains – Liam Singh & Will Tidd

Congratulations to all of these Year Six students, we are sure you will do a great job in your new roles.

Early Arrivals

A reminder that teachers and staff at Highvale are on duty from 8:45am – 9:00am each morning. We have observed some students arriving at school as early as 8:30am without adult supervision. This poses a safety risk as they are not being supervised, and in some cases, we are not even aware that they are on site. We offer an excellent before and after care program with TheirCare OSCHC where students are provided with food, can interact with others, and are actively supervised by qualified educators. Please see the TheirCare website for more information: https://theircare.com.au/ or you can contact the office for more information.

Compass & Communication

The Compass parent portal is a key communication tool, which provides parents with access to information about their child’s academic progress, attendance, key dates, reports, upcoming events, payments, interview bookings and newsletters. Please ensure you can access this portal, as information is regularly shared through this service. If you are unable to access Compass, please phone Andrea or Rachael in the Office on 9887 8000.

2025 Parent Payments Reminder

Parent contributions are an essential source of funds for a school to operate effectively. Without these contributions, schools would not be able to provide the many programs and resources that we provide for the students at Highvale Primary School. We would like to thank the parents that have already made these payments. If you need assistance or would like to discuss the contributions further please come and see me.

Anzac Day Ceremony

On Thursday 24th April we will have an Anzac Day Ceremony. These are always very respectful events and provide a great way for our students to learn about the importance and significance of Anzac Day. Parents are invited to join us at 9:10am on Thursday 24th April in the MPC for this very special event.

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

Enjoy the Easter break HPS families,

Carly Epskamp

Acting Principal

carly.epskamp@education.vic.gov.au

Visual Art Update