A message from David 

Inclusive Educational Experiences

Xin nian hao to all members of our community celebrating the lunar new year. We have a wonderful day planned tomorrow to join with local festivities, starting with our first assembly of the year. Students will perform a gong xi song and dance, while the Chinese Youth Society will return with the traditional Lion Dance. Following assembly, classes will engage in Chinese activities across the school including artistic calligraphy for the character ‘Fu’ to bring good luck and happiness to our community. Dumplings and spring rolls will be served during the day and a HUGE thank you to Liang and a large group of parents who have shared their time and expertise to hand make these delicacies during the week. All members of our community are encouraged to wear red, yellow or combination to help celebrate the day.

Making Connections

Classrooms have spent the first few days of 2024 engaging in the ‘Connect Program’, designed to build purposeful relationships and create safe learning environments. There have been lots of team building activities to promote trust and a deeper understanding of how to work in collaboration with each other; essential ingredients to maximise learning opportunity throughout the course of the year. We look forward to extending an open invitation for families to join us for new initiative for Box Hill North. On Tuesday 20th February, teachers will open classrooms for you to visit, before providing a parent information session for each year level. This will give insight into what to expect for your child and how we can work in partnership to best support their learning journey. Following the information sessions, we invite families to come together on The Green as part of the Welcome Picnic; connecting with friends and meeting new members to our community. 

Annual privacy reminder for our school community

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and the Schools’ Privacy Collection Notice.

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn. 

We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use [Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education] safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using [Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education], please contact the school.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in ten community languages:

• Amharic
• Arabic
• Dari
• Gujarati
• Mandarin
• Somali
• Sudanese
• Turkish
• Urdu
• Vietnamese

Tiny Steps, Big Hearts

Now that school and kinder is into the full swing of things, I’d like to congratulate all of our Foundation and Kindergarten children for making an incredible start to their new learning environments. These are significant milestones, not only for the children but that of families. Seeing the enthusiasm and energy each morning brings a smile to my face, knowing that each of the children feel safe and ready to embrace their day. I especially enjoy seeing the positive reunion with parents and family members at the end of each day.

Bookflix

Want to be inspired for your next read? Be sure to check out the recommendations from students in Years 3 and 4. They have started their very own Bookflix with a plethora of highly recommended ‘must reads’. Perhaps you have some of these in your own library? My current recommendation is The Great Paper Caper by Oliver Jeffers. A compelling story of mystery, intrigue and crime. Does innocence prevail? Read and find out – highly recommended.

Black Saturday Bushfires

15 years on and there are many still hurting from the fires that swept through North East Victoria on that dreadful day. To those directly or indirectly impacted, my heartfelt thoughts are with you and your family. Thank you to the work of the essential services who constantly commit themselves to service our communities, often at the expense of their personal safety.

David