Dear HPS Community,

As we come to the end of another productive and incredibly rewarding term at Heidelberg Primary School, it is hard to believe just how much our students, staff and families have achieved and experienced together over the past ten weeks!

Term 3 has certainly been a term full of learning, adventure, celebration, connection and community, and I am incredibly proud of the way our HPS values of Respect, Resilience, Responsibility and Compassion have been demonstrated across our school.

Our students have embraced so many wonderful learning experiences both in and beyond the classroom. Our Year 3 students enjoyed their adventure to Healesville Sanctuary, while our Year 4 students challenged themselves at Lady Northcote and our Year 5 students experienced the excitement of their Alexandria camp, including the giant swing and flying fox.

Our students have also enjoyed Book Week, embracing the theme Symphony of Stories, Bullying No Way Week with its message of Small Acts, Big Impact, sporting events, enrichment activities and our wonderful Footy Colours Day and Parade. These events provide such important opportunities for our students to celebrate together, show school spirit and build connections across year levels.

Sport has also been a highlight, with students representing Heidelberg Primary School with great pride. We celebrated outstanding performances at the regional swimming competition, including students progressing through to the next level of competition, as well as our House Athletics and District sporting opportunities. Congratulations to every student who participated, competed and encouraged others along the way.

Our community connections have continued to grow. We have welcomed families into school for our Father's Day/Special Person Morning Tea, where the wonderful turnout created a morning filled with connection, conversation and celebration.

Behind all of these events and achievements is the everyday learning that takes place in our classrooms. Our teachers and students have continued to work hard to strengthen learning, engagement, challenge and rigour, with our whole-school focus on effortful teaching and effortful learning and the continued embedding of VTLM 2.0. Our staff have worked collaboratively through planning, professional learning and PLCs to ensure that we know our learners, understand where they are in their learning and identify the next steps to support every child to grow and achieve.

I would also like to acknowledge the incredible work that continues behind the scenes. Our Education Support staff, administration team, facilities team, teachers and leaders work tirelessly to ensure our students are supported, our school operates smoothly and our community continues to thrive. There are so many people who contribute to the success of HPS each and every day, and I am extremely grateful for each of you.

Thank you to everyone for another fantastic term. I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of such a supportive, energetic and caring school community. I hope everyone enjoys a well-deserved break, takes time to rest and recharge, and returns ready for another exciting term of learning, connection and growth.

Breakfast club

Thank you our parent volunteer, Hiromi, who has been coordinating the School Breakfast Clubs Program on Mondays. Hiromi, we truely appreciate and value your time and energy and thank you for the generous contribution you've made.

Hiromi is not able to continue in this role next term so we are on the lookout for some other volunteers. If you are interested and would be available on Mondays and /or Tuesdays for term 4, please let me know or contact Sue in the first aid for more information.

SAC coordinator

We are delighted to welcome Eliane Keubekian to the Heidelberg Primary School community as our new SAC Coordinator.

Eliane joins us with great passion and enthusiasm for providing a high-quality service that places student voice, collaboration and positive relationships at the heart of the SAC experience. With an impressive 17 years of experience in the industry, Eliane brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, along with a genuine commitment to creating engaging and supportive experiences for our students and families.

We could not be happier to welcome Eliane to HPS and look forward to working closely with her as she gets to know our students, families and wider school community.

Eliane will officially commence in the role on Monday 5 October.

Please join us in giving Eliane a very warm Heidelberg Primary School welcome!

Student Voice

Congratulations to Louis from Year 3, and his crew- Henry, Saiyan and Toby- for hosting a fabulous Paper Plane Lunchtime Club over the past few weeks.

Louis was well supported by his Nena, Danilka, and Aunty Jess to organise and participate in this activity. Louis gained a lot of confidence from his involvement and a number of other students certainly gained a positive experience and fun entertainment along the way.

In the final week of the club, a competition was held to see who's plane could fly the furtherest and stay in the air the longest. Well done to all the students who participated.

"It surpassed my expectations! Everyone listened and no-one complained about losing or boasted about winning. Everyone just had fun" - Louis J

Louis raised a total of $90 for the Royal Children's Hospital from this paper plane endeavour. What a great job!

Building Works

Our building works are certainly coming along and are on track to be completed by the end of the school year!

Road Safety

It has been pleasing to many of our students being safe around our roads when travelling to and from school. I have seen an increase in helmets being worn when riding and scooting to school and lots of students crossing at the supervised crossings to ensure everyone remains safe.

Unfortunately though, there are some student's who are not chosing to be safe.

Please reiterate the following points to educate and support your child at home:

Wearing an approved bicycle helmet is legally compulsory for all people of any age
Designated Crossings: Always use zebra crossings, pedestrian lights, or school crossing supervisors ("lollipop persons") whenever available, even if it means you have to go an extra few steps. This is the safest place for pedestrians to be seen by motorists
Stop, Look, Listen, and Think: Teach children to stop one step back from the curb, look both ways (right and left) multiple times, listen for approaching vehicles, and think if it is safe before crossing
Hold Hands: Children under the age of 10 should always hold an adult's hand when near traffic, in car parks, or when crossing the road
Visibility and Driveway Awareness: Teach kids to watch out for "sneaky driveways" obscured by hedges and to stay alert for reversing cars. Never cross a road from between two cars as drivers may not see you

Upcoming Dates
October
Thursday 15	Year 6 Graduation Photo Day
Thursday 29	Matsuri Day - whole school
November
Monday 2	Curriculum Day- No students at school
Tuesday 3	Melbourne Cup Public Holiday

2026 School Term Dates

Term 4: Monday 5th October- Friday 18th December (1.30pm finish)

Have a great weekend and fabulous school holidays everyone!

See you for Term 4 on Monday 5th October

Naomi Ivers

Principal

Heidelberg Primary School

9457 2259

naomi.ivers@education.vic.gov.au

Heidelberg PS - Capers

Respect | Responsibility | Resilience | Compassion

Term 3 - Issue 10 · 18 Sep 2026

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