Principal's Report
We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work, learn and play. We pay respect to Wurundjeri elders past, present and emerging and extend our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and families of Bimbadeen Heights Primary School.
Wishing a very Happy Mother’s Day to the wonderful mothers and special friends in our Bimbadeen community for this Sunday. On behalf of the students and staff at BHPS, thank you for everything you do to support your children to be the best they can be, and your encouragement as they strive to reach their goals and fulfil their potential.
Thanks for being you!
While Mother’s Day is traditionally a day of celebration, it can also be a challenging time for some of our community members. We want you to know that you have been especially in our thoughts, and we are sending you a giant hug as we acknowledge the mothers who are no longer with us and those with whom we are unable to celebrate.
A huge thank you to Sarah Huxley and all the parent/carer helpers who helped make our Mother’s Day stall such a success. The teachers and the volunteer parent/carer helpers on the stall assist the children with change and help them work out the sort of gifts they can afford with the money they have. It is always a great joy to see the focussed looks on the children’s faces as they choose what to buy.
Many of our parent/carer helpers expressed how impressed they were with the excellent manners of our students and how patient and considerate they were while waiting for their turn. Well done, Bimbadeen kids!
We warmly invite our Bimbadeen families and prospective families along to the school for Open Night on Wednesday 15th May to join us in celebrating how science, technology, engineering, and maths come to life in the classroom. Classrooms will be open from 5:15pm to 6:30pm, with a fun family activity trail in our classrooms and specialist areas across the school, as well as our Annual Art Show.
Please see the Open Night flyer in this newsletter and the advertisement board at the front of the school for further information. We would love to see all Bimbadeen families attend our Open Night. We hope to see you there!
Please continue to be ultra-cautious and safe around our school at drop-off and pick-up times. Also remember to be courteous and respectful.
We have continued to receive reports from neighbours and members of our school community who report dangerous driving and illegal parking, particularly on the grassed nature strip area at the rear of the school.
Please remember, if you want to avoid traffic congestion in the mornings and afternoons, active travel is a great option! Walk with your children, get them to walk with friends, or park a few blocks away from the school and walk the rest of the way to school.
Your children will be exercised, socialised and much more ready to learn when they get to school, and you will not have to deal with potential traffic infringement notices, or other hazards related to trying to drop your child off at the front gate.
Student safety at Bimbadeen Heights Primary School is our highest priority and the safe and appropriate supervision of students is an important element of our duty of care to students. Part of this duty is ensuring parents and students are aware of our student supervision arrangements before and after school.
Before school: School grounds are supervised at 8:45am until 9am each day, with three members of staff on duty, covering the school grounds and main exits and entry points to the grounds.
After school: School grounds are supervised from 3:30pm to 3:45pm each day, with three members of staff on duty, covering the school grounds and main exits and entry points to the grounds.
Students on school grounds outside these times will not be supervised (unless they are attending a before or after school care program or supervised extracurricular activity such as Active Club or Breakfast Club).
Parents/carers are requested to ensure that students do not attend school outside of these supervised times unless they are attending before or after school care, or a pre-arranged supervised activity.
Families are encouraged to contact TheirCare via the information on our website for more information about the before and after school care facilities available to our school community or contact the office if you would like any further information about our student supervision arrangements.
For a copy of our school’s Yard Duty and Supervision Policy please see the School Policies page on our website at https://www.bimbadeenheightsps.vic.edu.au/policies-documents/ This policy includes Example School’s student supervision arrangements across the school day, including before and after school.
The Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic), requires all children and young people aged from 6 to 17 years to attend school, unless an exemption has been granted. Parents/carers must ensure the child attends school when the school is open for instruction. Students are expected to attend the school in which they are enrolled, during normal school hours every day of each term.
A student who is absent one day per week, is absent from school for an average of 40 days per year. If this pattern continues, they will miss 280 days of school between Foundation and Year 6, equalling over an entire year of schooling missed!
To help our students have the best opportunity to reach their potential and prepare them for future learning in their secondary years, please ensure your child attends school every day, unless unwell.
Enrolments are open for Foundation in 2025. We encourage prospective parents to complete an online tour via the school website where you can learn about our wonderful school and meet our staff and students. Prospective families can also attend an in-person tour where we can show you our wonderful school and answer any questions you might have or discuss your child’s individual needs.
This year our school is using an online system for 2025 Foundation enrolments called VicStudents. VicStudents is available for students who are enrolling in a Victorian Government School for the first time. This includes Foundation (Prep) enrolments for 2025.
For more information about enrolling your child into a Victorian government primary school, visit Enrolling in Foundation (Prep).
Please contact our school office on 9726 9989 or via email to Bimbadeen.Heights.PS@education.vic.gov.au should you need any further information or help to complete your child’s enrolment application.
Late last Term, we presented our 2023 Annual Report to School Council. The report shows that we have made good progress in most areas of the curriculum, and we have others where we are still seeking to make further progress.
The 2023 Annual Reporting Meeting of School Council will be held in August where Adele Gregson (Principal and Executive Officer of School Council) and Cyndi Grant (School Council President) will share a summary of the activities and achievements of council in the previous year, along with a summary of our 2023 Annual Report. Further information about this meeting will be shared with families at the beginning of Term 3.
The 2023 Annual Report can be accessed via our school website under the Current Parents tab.
We hope you enjoy a fantastic weekend.
Kind regards,
Adele Gregson and Sabrina George
