Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to Week 5 of Term 3. We hope you are all managing to stay warm and dry during this inclement weather.

Student-Free Curriculum Day – Wednesday 19 August

A reminder to all families that Wednesday 19 August will be a Student-Free Curriculum Day. Students will not attend school on this day while staff participate in professional learning and curriculum planning.

Camp Australia will be operating OSHC on Wednesday 19 August for families requiring care. Families wishing to use this service are encouraged to make bookings directly with Camp Australia in advance.

Thank you for your support as our staff use this important day to work collaboratively on teaching, learning and school improvement priorities.

Digital Learning – Changes from 2027

We would like to make families aware of important changes to digital learning that will take effect from 2027.

The Victorian Department of Education has introduced new requirements regarding the use of digital devices in primary schools. From 2027, schools with primary-aged students:

Must not invite or allow families to purchase or bring their own student digital devices for use at school by students in Foundation to Year 6; and
Are expected to limit students’ use of digital devices and digital tools, with particular expectations across the primary years, including a maximum of 90 minutes per day across Years 3–6.

These changes will inform how we plan for digital learning at our school from 2027 onwards. We will continue to work through what these requirements mean for our school and will provide families with further information about our approach to devices and digital learning as planning progresses.

Child Safety Reminders

The safety and wellbeing of our students remains our highest priority. We appreciate families following the procedures below, which help us maintain a safe and well-supervised school environment throughout the day.

Before School

The school yard is supervised from 8.30am each morning.
Please do not drop children at school before 8.30am, as supervision is not available prior to this time.

Late Arrivals

Please bring your child to the school office and sign them in.
A staff member will ensure your child is safely escorted to their classroom.
Parents and carers are not permitted to enter school grounds during learning time unless a visit has been arranged with the school.

Early Pick-Up

Please come to the school office and sign your child out.
A staff member will contact your child and ask them to meet you at the office.
Where possible, please avoid collecting students during lunch from 1.20pm–2.10pm, as students are spread across the grounds and announcements may be difficult to hear.

End of the School Day

School gates will open from 2.50pm.
If you arrive early and wish to connect with other families, please wait in the front area of the school near the flagpole until the gates open.

Following these procedures helps us maintain accurate supervision and ensures students remain safe at all times. Thank you for your continued support in keeping our school community safe.

Student Photos and Social Media

As part of our ongoing commitment to student privacy and child safety, we are making a change to how student photographs are shared on our school’s social media platforms.

Moving forward, only non-identifiable photographs of students will be used on our social media page. This means we will share images that celebrate learning, activities, achievements, and school events without identifying individual students.

Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support in making our school a safe, welcoming, and positive place for all students.

Mel. Chris and Kate

Heights Hero

Congratulations to our Heights Heroes