Dear HPS Community,

It has been a wonderful start to the new school year, with students, staff and community members returning with a calm, respectful and positive approach.

Across the school, classrooms have quickly settled into productive routines, with students demonstrating our shared values through the way they greet one another, engage in learning and take pride in their environment. Staff have worked thoughtfully to create welcoming spaces that support both wellbeing and high expectations, ensuring every child feels safe, known and ready to learn.

We have also appreciated the supportive presence of our families and community members, whose partnership helps set the tone for a successful year. The respectful conversations, smooth morning transitions and collective focus on learning have made for an incredibly positive opening to the term.

We look forward to building on this strong start as the year unfolds, continuing to nurture a culture where everyone feels connected, valued and ready to thrive.

We welcome our HPS community to join us for our first whole school assembly on Monday morning from 9.10am. These weekly assemblies are led by our school captains and play an important role in setting the whole school tone for the week ahead. They provide an opportunity for students, staff and families to come together as one community, strengthening our shared sense of belonging and connection.

Assemblies are a time to celebrate learning, recognise student achievements and acknowledge the many successes that occur across our school.

They also allow us to communicate key messages, reinforce expectations and revisit the values that guide our learning and interactions. Beginning the week together in a calm and respectful environment supports students to feel organised, informed and ready to learn.

Most importantly, our Monday assemblies help build school pride and a positive school culture — one where every student feels seen, valued and inspired for the week ahead.

Bulk Notices on Compass

This year we have moved approval of bulk notice consent forms to online through Compass. Items that are included in bulk notices include;

local excursions, health & well being, media & photographic consent, technology and internet use

We are unable to implement and begin many activities that require these permissions and consent until they have being actioned. Please prioritise completing this action as a matter of priority.

How to access the 2026 Annual Bulk Consent item on Compass

- click the blue 'click here to proceed' link on the green banner at the top, right hand side of the Compass dashboard.

After you have opened and consented to the bulk items, you can refer back to it using the Insights tab on the dashboard.

Building Works

We have been very excited to see walls of our new learning centre going up over the past week and half! That building will adjoin our current building and will house four general classrooms, a STEM room, student bathrooms and a meeting room.

The new stand alone gymnasium will back onto the Warringal Shopping Centre wall and will feature a full sized basketball/netball court, student bathrooms, kitchen and food preparation area, meeting and storage room. The foundations for the gymnasium have started with phase one of the pour having occurred this week.

Based off some feedback received from members of our community regarding parking, I have spoken to project management and requested that all contractors involved with the project are requested to observe and adhere to signage and time restrictions.

All the building works are aiming to be completed by the end of this year.

We understand that from time to time, some families may experience challenges in accessing enough food at home. To help support our community, we want to let you know that Heidelberg Primary School now has access to home food packs provided by the Food Bank.

These food packs contain essential pantry items and are available to any family in need—no questions asked. If this is something that would be helpful for your household at any time, please don't hesitate to reach out.

To arrange access to a food pack, you can contact the school or Assistant Principal, Helen Thomas via email Helen.Thomas@education.vic.gov.au. All requests will be treated with confidentiality and respect.

We are committed to supporting the wellbeing of every student and family in our school community. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or need further assistance.

Upcoming Dates
February
Monday 23	Evolve Digital Safety - Parent/Carer Information Night
Tuesday 24	Year 3-6 House Athletics Carnival
March
Wednesday 4 & Thursday 5	School Photos
Monday 9	Labour Day Public Holiday
Wednesday 11- Friday 20	NAPLAN test period

2026 School Term Dates

Term 1: Thursday 29th Jan- Thursday 2nd April (2.30pm finish)

Term 2: Monday 20th April- Friday 26th June (2.30pm finish)

Term 3: Monday 13th July- Friday 18th September (2.30pm finish)

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

Naomi Ivers

Principal

Heidelberg Primary School

Respectful Relationships